Hashimoto is the last real town before the mountains of Wakayama, and for anyone riding out from Osaka toward Koyasan it is where you take on fuel, a hot drink and a deep breath. The Kinokawa River flows through the town, wide and gravelly, with the first folds of the Kii Peninsula rising behind. The trains of the Nankai line run from Namba up the valley to Hashimoto and then climb the mountains on a rack-and-cable stretch, so the place has the busy, practical air of a changeover point, with a supermarket, a few cafés and a good number of petrol stations.
Above the town the road rises through cedar forest into a different Japan. Koyasan, the great monastic centre of Shingon Buddhism, was founded by the monk Kukai, known as Kobo Daishi, in 816, on a high plateau ringed by eight peaks. More than a hundred temples cluster there today, many of them taking in guests, who sleep on tatami, eat a vegetarian temple meal and rise before dawn for the morning chanting. Okunoin, a vast forest cemetery of moss-covered gravestones and giant cedars leading to Kukai's mausoleum, is among the most atmospheric places in the country, and walking its lantern-lit paths feels like moving through another century.
The ride up is the pleasure. The mountain road twists through tunnels and tight bends, often shaded by cedars so thick that daylight is dim, with a rural surface that varies. Weather is changeable, and fog and rain can be sudden. Summer is hot and humid at Hashimoto and pleasantly cool on the mountain, while autumn brings red maples and winter may bring ice on the upper stretches, so check before you set off. The roads are narrow, with local drivers at their own pace, and a calm approach pays off.
Fuel is straightforward in Hashimoto, a city of fifty-seven thousand, but stations are rare once you climb, so fill up before leaving. Convenience stores, a Japanese staple, sell hot coffee and rice balls, and are a fine breakfast on a cold morning.