Water falls a hundred and thirty-three metres in a single drop at Nachi, the highest single fall in Japan, and it is not just a scenic attraction but a god. The Nachi no Ōtaki has been worshipped since long before the shrines were built, as a place where a kami lives, and the Kumano Nachi Taisha, a vermilion shrine on the hillside, was set up to honour it. Next door, the Buddhist temple of Seiganto-ji, with its three-storey pagoda in front of the falls, is one of the most photographed views in Japan, and shows how the two religions lived side by side.
The falls are part of the Kumano Sankeimichi pilgrimage routes, the Kumano Kodo, which cross the wild and wet Kii Peninsula and were walked for a thousand years by emperors, samurai and ordinary people. The routes were inscribed by UNESCO in 2004, and some of the old paths, paved with moss-covered stone steps and lined by tall cedars, are still there. The crow with three legs, the Yatagarasu, is the guide of the Kumano deities, and you will see it on signs and souvenirs.
The ride in the Kii Peninsula is demanding and rewarding. The coastal Route 42 gives sea views, tunnels and fishing towns, and the mountain roads inland are narrow, steep and densely forested, with sharp corners and a lot of moisture. This is one of the wettest parts of Japan, so expect rain and mist, particularly in summer and autumn, and treat the surface with caution after storms, when rockfall can close roads. The road up to the shrine is steep and parking is limited, so allow time at busy periods.
Katsuura, the nearest port, is a major tuna landing and the place to eat it fresh, in a small restaurant near the harbour. Fuel is available in Katsuura and in Shingu, about eleven kilometres away, which also has the Hayatama shrine, another of the three Kumano grand shrines. Bring a rain jacket, and leave extra time, because a visit to the falls is much better when you are not in a hurry.