Osaka · Koyasan Mountain Road
A 144 km loop from Hashimoto
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Why this ride
Temple mountain and technical forest approaches. Out of Hashimoto and back again: 144 km, roughly 2 h 46 in the saddle. The stops in between: Koyasan temple town and Kinokawa. The climb of the day is Koyasan approach. It is a high-mountain day.
Roadbook
- Hashimoto fuel
fuel
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.
- Koyasan approach
pass
The road to Kōyasan is a climb out of the modern world and into the Japan of the pilgrim. For more than twelve hundred years, this mountain plateau in Wakayama has been the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism, founded in 816 by the monk Kūkai, known after his death as Kōbō Daishi. He is said to be not dead but in eternal meditation at Okunoin, the great forest cemetery at the end of a cedar-lined path, where thousands of lanterns and countless moss-covered tombstones stand in the shade. The complex of temples is a UNESCO World Heritage site, part of the sacred routes of the Kii Mountains.
The approach is part of the experience. From the Kinokawa plain, the roads climb into steep mountain forest of cedar and cypress, with tight bends, stone walls, and views over folded ridges. The old pilgrim path, the Chōishi-michi, climbs from Kudoyama with stone markers every hundred metres or so, and parallel roads follow the same valleys. The mountains here have been revered for centuries, and the air at altitude, cool and fragrant with cedar, seems to change the pace of everything.
Riding up is a pleasure, though a demanding one. The road is narrow, with many curves and blind corners, and it can be damp and slippery under the trees. Traffic is usually light but can be heavy in the autumn colour season and on holiday weekends, when tour buses and cars are numerous. Take care on the hairpins, and watch for fallen leaves and rocks. Snow falls at this altitude in winter, so check conditions between December and March. Mornings are best, when mist hangs in the trees.
Kōya has a small town of temples, cafes, and shops, though fuel is not something to rely on at that altitude. The sensible place to fill up is Hashimoto, about twelve kilometres away, on the plain below. Many temples offer lodging for visitors, with vegetarian monastic cuisine, shōjin ryōri, that includes sesame tofu and seasonal vegetables, and an early morning prayer ceremony. If you stay, it is an experience quite different from a hotel. Dress modestly in the temples, remove your boots at the entrance, and be quiet in the cemetery.
- Koyasan temple town
sight
Koyasan is a mountaintop monastery town that has been welcoming pilgrims for more than twelve centuries. In 816, the monk Kukai, posthumously known as Kobo Daishi, received permission from the emperor to found a retreat on this plateau in the Kii mountains, south of Osaka, and it became the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism. Over a hundred temples now stand among the cedar forest at around 800 metres above sea level, and the whole area is part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing for the sacred sites and pilgrimage routes of the Kii mountain range.
The most remarkable place is Okunoin, a cemetery of vast, mossy cedars where more than two hundred thousand gravestones, lanterns and memorials line a long path to the mausoleum of Kukai. Tradition says he is not dead but in eternal meditation, and monks still bring him meals each day. Walking the path in the early morning mist, with the soft light through the trees and the smell of incense and damp moss, is one of the most atmospheric experiences in Japan. Many visitors stay overnight in a temple lodging, called shukubo, where guests eat vegetarian monastic cuisine and can join the dawn prayers.
The road up to Koyasan is a fine one. It climbs from the Kii river valley in tight, well-banked bends through dense forest, with excellent tarmac and almost no traffic outside the holiday seasons, and the air gets cooler as you rise. Autumn colours in late October and November are splendid, and snow can arrive in winter, making the road icy. In the town, speeds are slow and pedestrians are plentiful. Parking is organised near the main temples, and it makes sense to walk once you have arrived.
For services, Koyasan has cafes, small shops and several restaurants serving shojin ryori, the meatless temple cuisine of tofu, vegetables and sesame. Fuel is hard to find in the area, so fill up in Hashimoto, about twelve kilometres from town, before the climb. If you are staying in a temple, check in times and dinner hours, because they tend to be strict, and be ready for early mornings and cold rooms. The silence in the evening is a rare pleasure, broken only by a distant bell.
- Kinokawa food
food
The Kinokawa is the main river of Wakayama, rising in the mountains of Nara and flowing west across a broad, fertile plain to the sea at Wakayama city. The valley is a fruit basket: orchards of mikan oranges, persimmons, peaches, and plums cover the terraces, and in autumn, the roadside stalls sell sacks of fruit for a few hundred yen. The air smells of citrus in November, and the colours of the orchard slopes are the most striking thing about the landscape.
Near Iwade, a short distance from the river, stands Negoro-ji, a large temple complex that was once one of the most powerful in Japan. In the sixteenth century, thousands of monk-soldiers lived here, armed with muskets, and the temple was a political and military force until the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi burned most of it in 1585. A few buildings survived, including a great two-storey pagoda, a national treasure, and the complex now lies quiet among old trees, a place of moss, fallen leaves, and a peaceful kind of grandeur.
For a rider, the area is easy and rewarding. The roads along the river and through the orchards are gentle, with a good surface and plenty of small towns, and the traffic is light outside the commuter hours. The Kinokawa valley is also the route to the mountains of Kōya, so it is a natural place to gather yourself before the climb. Take care at the many small crossroads, where cars appear without much warning, and remember that traffic in Japan drives on the left.
Food is a delight. Wakayama is the home of a particular style of ramen, with a rich pork bone and soy broth, often served with pickled mackerel sushi on the side, and it is hard to find a bad bowl. Iwade has fuel, convenience stores, and restaurants, and Izumisano, farther west, is a much larger city. Look for farm stands selling fresh fruit and juice, and consider a small bag of mikan as a snack for the ride. Autumn is the best season for the harvest, and spring for the blossom, while summer can be hot and humid.
- Back to Hashimoto fuel
finish
Back at Hashimoto fuel. That is the ride.