Rain made this place, and a lot of it. The Kii Peninsula sticks into the Pacific south of Osaka, steep, forested and very wet, with some of the heaviest rainfall in Japan, and the Nachi river tumbles down its flank in a cascade that has been worshipped for well over a thousand years. Nachi Falls drops one hundred and thirty-three metres in a single plunge, the tallest single-drop waterfall in the country, and the Shinto shrine at its foot, Hiro Jinja, treats the falls themselves as the god. Beside it, on a ridge above, Kumano Nachi Taisha and the Buddhist temple Seiganto-ji sit side by side, with a red three-storey pagoda that frames the white thread of water like a postcard. The two religions here have long lived in the same compound.
This is one of the three great shrines of Kumano, the Kumano Sanzan, which together with Hongu and Hayatama in Shingu form the end of the old pilgrimage trails, the Kumano Kodo. Retired emperors of Kyoto made the journey many times over in the Heian and later periods, with long processions, and the sacred crow with three legs, Yatagarasu, became the emblem of the shrines. UNESCO listed the area as part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range in 2004.
The way is long, and the roads are made for riding. Route 42, along the coast, passes tunnels, headlands and fishing villages with views over the Pacific, and the inland roads, Route 168 and 169, climb through cedar forest with twisting bends. Rain can be heavy and sudden, and mist and landslides are possible after storms, so take wet-weather gear in any season. Spring and autumn are lovely, with clear light and warm days, while the typhoon season from August to October can close roads.
Fuel is in Shingu, a city of over thirty thousand people on the Kumano river, and in Nachikatsuura, close to the falls. Stations are fewer in the mountains, so fill up before heading inland. In Nachi, you can find a simple meal of tuna, which is landed at the harbour in Katsuura, and there is a famous tuna auction in the morning.
Walk up the old stone staircase from the Daimonzaka slope, lined with giant cedars, if you have the time. It is a short and atmospheric taste of the pilgrim route.