Take a Walk
Kumano Kodo
Location
Kumano Kodo is located near Tunabe City in Japan. It harbors several walking trails, ranging from easy to conquer to a much more difficult trail recommended for more experienced hikers. The trails lead to a series of ancient shrines that hold high religious importance. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. The Kumano Kodo experience is one you won't want to miss.
Time of the Year and Length of Trip
The trip will be taken during April. It will take approximately four days, including travel. The first day will be devoted to travel, the next two days will be devoted to the walk, and the final day will be devoted to the travel back.
Mode of Transportation
Chance and I will be traveling by air. The cost of two round trip tickets to Japan is $1490. When we arrive at Osaka, we will take a train the next day to Tanabe city. We will take the train back to Osaka on the fourth day and fly back to the United States that day.
Equipment Needed
Both of us will need hiking shoes and CamelBaks for the trip. The hiking boots that I have chosen are Kapstadt GORE-TEX hiking shoes and Chance will have Danner 453 GORE-TEX hiking boots. The CamelBaks I have chosen are CamelBak Arete 18 Hydration packs. The shoes will cost $147.88 and $159.99, the CamelBaks will cost $64.00 each.
Documentation
I will need both a passport and a visa. I have a passport, however Chance will need to apply for a passport. The cost for a passport is $110.00, and applying and receiving a visa to Japan is free for United States Citizens.
Language Barriers
Since neither of us speak Japanese, we will need to learn how to speak the language in order to communicate clearly and effectively with the native people. The cost for Rosetta Stone Japanese levels one, two, and three as a package costs $208.45. The process will take around 3 months or more, so we will begin soon.
Food and Drink
I have allotted $60 a day per person. For four days, that will cost $480. I will also set aside $100 for souvenirs.
Funding
The money for the trip will primarily be provided by Chance and I, through working and saving what we can. We will attempt to use www.gofundme.com in order to raise $1000.
Anticipated Challenges
The only problem that I could imagine would be just the culture shock and unfamiliarity of our surroundings. Learning Japanese will help, but it will still be difficult to understand the native speakers completely. Finding train stations may pose a problem as well, I can't find any maps that clearly mark all of the train and bus stations in the area that we are traveling. Hopefully upon arrival it will get easier to find things.
Accommodations
For the first day, we will stay in the Hotel New Otani Osaka. The cost for one night will be $190. The next two nights, we will stay in a tent on the side of the trail. The cost of a tent is $159.00, and the cost of an air mattress is $79.99. Accommodations will not be necessary for the fourth day, as we will solely be traveling.