The Ômine Okugakemichi is not a road at all, at least not one you can ride. It is a mountain trail that runs for about a hundred kilometres along the spine of the Ômine range in the Kii peninsula, linking Yoshino in the north with Kumano in the south, over peaks, ridges and rock faces. For more than a thousand years, yamabushi, the mountain ascetics of the Shugendo tradition, have walked it as a spiritual practice, combining Buddhist, Shinto and older mountain beliefs, with rituals at sacred rocks, waterfalls and cliffs along the way. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, inscribed in 2004.
The central peak, Sanjogatake, also called Ômine-san, is still closed to women, one of the last such places in Japan, a tradition that is both revered and contested. The trail is long, steep and demanding, with chains and ladders in places, and should only be attempted by experienced, well-prepared hikers.
For riders, the mountains offer some of the best roads in Japan. National Route 169 runs north-south through the eastern side of the range, along valleys and reservoirs, and Route 168 runs through the western side toward Totsukawa, a remote village with a long suspension bridge and hot springs. Roads are narrow and twisting, with tunnels, landslides and roadworks, and traffic is light. Rain is frequent, and the Kii peninsula is one of the wettest places in Japan, so be prepared for heavy downpours, especially in the rainy season and typhoon season.
Yoshino, at the northern end of the range, is famous for its cherry blossoms, with tens of thousands of trees covering the mountainside in spring, and Kimpusen-ji, the head temple of Shugendo, with its huge wooden hall. Kōya-san, to the west, is the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism, with temples, a vast cemetery and temple lodgings. Fuel is available in towns, but sparse in the mountains, so fill up in Gojō or Yoshino before heading south. Autumn is especially beautiful, with red and gold leaves and clear air.