Shingu - Shaved Ice
- Sep 24, 2023
- 6 min read
September 4, 2023, from the itinerary: Please be aware, that your luggage service ended yesterday, so you need to travel with your big luggage to Shingu.
The well-known Hayatama Taisha is one of the three important Kumano shrines. Together with the other two shrines, Hongu Taisha and Nachi Taisha, Hayatama Taisha occupies an essential place in Japanese mythology.
In fact, a Shinto creation myth states that three kami (Shinto deities) descended to earth on a rock not far from the shrine. The shrine's treasury displays over a dozen national treasures. The collection in this small museum is very impressive and offers more national treasures than most large museums.
Kokoyui Guesthouse Shingu was my lodging for the night
I think I'm getting tired of sleeping on the floor - I didn’t sleep well.
It felt like there were bugs, but it was probably just the humidity. Breakfast was uninspiring. Here are some pictures of the hotel and the waterfall
I had some time, so walked uphill to find the bus stop and did some last souvenir shopping. I am so glad I’m not hiking today as the weather is turning and will most likely be wet later.
My boots were still wet this morning- I hope they dry out before the plane ride home and am wearing double socks to try to soak some of the wet up.
I am already missing the luggage service as I had to wheel it up to catch the bus.
The bus took me all the way downhill and over to the train station which was right on the coast. It was a very small station and it wasn't quite clear which side of the track I wanted, but was able to figure it out.
The journey was on an "operator-less" train and the sea views were nice.
At Shingu I had to walk 10 minutes to the "Inn" - it was actually more like an Air B&B as I had the entire house which was a re-built house from the 1920s. By the time I got there I sweated through everything. When the owner wanted me to sign the registration form, I needed washcloth under my hand to keep the ink from running.
Luckily I was able to check in early and had some time to see the town. I found a great Japan Travel link with a list of things to see and do. The suggestions started back at the train station....
Jofuku-sushi - Ya gotta eat somewhere...This restaurant is about 70 years old and is located around the corner of Jofuku park, hence the name Jofuku-sushi. The traditional dish of this restaurant is Sanma sushi. Sanma is fish caught in the Kumano Sea. This fish lacks fat and can easily be stored, making it perfect for an easy healthy meal. The raw tuna served in this restaurant is eaten fresh, thus without being frozen, as it comes from a nearby local town called Katsuura. Katsuura Town is known for having the largest amount of mature fish in Japan. I had to try the fish which didn't have much taste
Jofuku Park: Jofuku Park is approximately 5 minutes walking from the station and can be found just around the corner of Jofuku-sushi. The park is fairly small but embodies a deep history befitting for a quick stop. The park is dedicated to the legend of Xu Fu (Jofuku) and his 7 senior retainers. In the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) China court sorcerer Xu Fu first arrived at the Asuka Shrine looking for the elixir of eternal life. Although Xu Fu didn’t found the elixir of life, he did find a plant good for stomachache and pain relief effects. The tea leaves of this plant make up for a great warm cup of tea, especially on a rainy day. I spent exactly 5 minutes - not much to see here other than a pretty gate
Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine: One of the most important shrines around the Kumano Kodo and is known as being part of the Kumano Sanzan (three sacred shrines). The shrine itself is surrounded by nature, and walking towards the temple a giant sacred tree named “Nagi no ki” can be spotted quite easily. This tree is over a 1000 years old and a symbol of Shingu City. It was a must see as a part of my pilgrimage walk. While here I also finally found, and visited, their "treasure house" which had artifacts dating back over 1000 years.
Kamikura Shrine: Related to the Hayatama Taisha Shrine is the Kamikura Shrine. This shrine can be found on top of a hill containing 538 stone steps. At the start these steps can go as high as 45 degrees and might look a bit intimidating, however coming to the top awaits a spectacular view of Shingu City. If the weather is good and you're in for an overnight stay at Shingu, you can even watch the sun rise from the sea from this spot. A lot of the locals do that on the first of January to see the first sunrise of the year. The shrine itself is next to a big holy rock named Gotobiki Rock. This rock is the sacred body of the Kamikura Shrine and is said to be the place where the god of Kumano first descended upon earth. In February there is a very manly festival where men with torches will run down these steep stone steps in the dark. It was incredibly hot and humid, but I was able to get up the stairs and see the view.
Naka-kooritan (shaved ice): HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY!! The ideal stop for an afternoon delight. Although cold at winter, this shop is open all year from the early mornings. The shop is well known amongst the locals and around summertime everyone will stop by at least once to get their luscious piece of frozen shaved ice cream.
The ice is made from water of the Kozagawa River. The process of freezing takes about 3 days and the cubes weigh well over a 100kg (220 lbs). With their ultra sharp machines they will shave the ice so soft that it will melt as soon as it hits your tongue. This was amazing - after walking up (and down) 500+ steps in the awful heat and humidity. I almost had 2. The one I did have was Citrus Labara (a local specialty)
Asuka Shrine: However the oldest shrine in the Kumano area, this shrine is the newest heritage site and is a sub-shrine of the Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine. The temple is related to the legend of Xu Fu as it is mentioned that he and his men first landed here upon his journey to find the elixir of eternal life. If you’re at the temple, be on the lookout for headmaster Nishi. He speaks English and you can catch him playing on his Japanese flute, playing one of his personally beautiful spiritual flute songs. This was a wasted walk. I did see the shrine, but not the headmaster and everything looked pretty closed.
Amanogawa: If you’re a real sweet tooth, you definitely need to drop by Matsubaya: Amanogawa (Milky way). The sweets in this shop are carefully handmade over a multi-day process. The taste is extraordinary with a transparent hardened sugary outside and a soft colorful inside filled with adzuki beans. In fall they also have a limited edition filled with chestnut. This shop is therefore great for Omiyage. The store closes whenever the sweets are sold out so be sure to get one and share some!
I almost couldn't find this place - no signs, no window display. I finally had to ask and I was right in front of it. I did buy some, but didn't really enjoy it. It did not taste anything like a Milky Way.
Shingu Castle Remains: A castle ruins park with a great view built on Mt. Tanzuru on the south bank of the Kumano River estuary. It is also called ``Tanzuru Castle'' because it was originally the residence of Tanzuruhime, the daughter of Minamoto no Tameyoshi. In 1619, the Mizuno clan, who were chief retainers of the first lord of the Kishu domain, Yorinobu Tokugawa, entered the castle in place of the Asano clan, who had ruled the area up until then. After that, the reign lasted for ten generations, and the current Shingu City prospered as a castle town. The ruins of the port can be seen in the castle, and the state power of the time can be seen from the stone walls, which were made with the most advanced technology. On April 6, 2017, it was selected as one of Japan's top 100 castles by the Japan Castle Association. There wasn't much to see here, but there were nice views and a lot of kite's (the birds) floating around
It turns out that Shingu held a WW2 POW camp, but that is not in the tourist literature....
Overall, not many westerners in Shingu. I only saw 1 other Western-looking person. The town itself was interesting, with narrow alleys and houses that are representative of an earlier Japan. There were even other shrines and interesting doorways to see.
Since I've been here, 2 typhoons have tracked towards Japan. The first one was when I arrived and, luckily, that tracked further south. A second one has turned into a tropical storm which finally reached Shingu in this evening. We had torrential rains all night. Thank goodness this one missed us:
Leftovers tonight - was too tired to go out and it was raining too hard.
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