Thursday, the 7th of October 2021.
It had rained earlier, and a patch of blue sky appeared with the morning sunlight, and mountains were exhaling mist.
Just 500 meters from the accommodation, steep stairs suddenly appeared at the side of the road. There was always an invisible border or barrier between the regular tar road and the trail. With one deep breath and a firm poke of my stick into the ground, I crossed the border. Endless green stairs followed, one after another, gradually leading into the clouds. It was quiet, the only sound I could hear, was movement of myself. I felt that I was inhaling the fog, and my body was perspiring, making the fog even thicker. There were several rest areas, but I did not take a break as the benches were either damp or in poor condition, so I continued walking. I lost track of my altitude and sense of time until I reached the viewpoint, Funamijyaya. It must offer a magnificent view of the sea on clear, sunny days, but all I could see were clouds. The bench there was also in bad condition, therefore I did not stop for a break either. Afterward, the trail descended, and while I typically descend quickly on trails, stairs are a different story. Descending stairs is quite challenging for my feet, so I tried to walk alongside them as much as possible.
The trail eventually merged with a road and entered a large park with a spacious car park. There were hardly any people around, I finally decided to take a lunch break as I could see decent benches there. After lunch, I walked through the park and re-entered the trail briefly before reaching Nachi. Whenever I hear the name “Nachi” and see the symbol of a Buddhist temple, my inner childish dark side conjures images of Dr. Strangelove, Peter Sellers. The iconic three-storied pagoda and Nachi Falls came into view. Clouds were moving swiftly on the mountain above, and I was walking beyond those mountains. Thankfully, I didn’t get lost or end up on the other side of the waterfall.
At Kumano Nachi Taisha, I saw a Miko dance. Miko are female workers for the shrine, and I can not quite describe those music and dance whether it could call it rhythm, speed, or slowness, it is unique tempo. That is a ritual they perform at specific times of the day. However, I rarely have the opportunity to witness these dance, which is intended for the gods and the otherworldly.
After spending some time on a bench in the shrine, I decided to walk to Katsuura. I didn’t have a clear plan for what I was going to do, I had contemplated taking a train from Katsuura to the Shingu area, perhaps even having bit of splash at the beach, but I wasn’t sure if I’d make it in time for the infrequent trains. I could have taken a bus since it was no longer a trail but simply a road. However, having become accustomed to walking, I didn’t feel like checking the bus schedule and waiting. Therefore, I made the choice to spend the night Katsuura.
Kumanokodo Ogumotorigoe. 27.08km Katsuura
雨が降っていた様だ。雲の切れ目から青空が見え朝日が入る。山々は霧を噴き出していた。宿から500mぐらいの所で道の脇から壁の様な緑の階段が現れる。道路と山道には目に見えない境界がある様に感じる、深く呼吸し、杖で押し境界を超えて終わりがない様な階段を雲に向かって登り始めた。辺りは静かでうるさいのは自分自身の動く音。霧を呼吸し体から汗となって周りの霧をさらに濃くしてる様に感じた。いくつか休憩できるところがあったが、どこも湿っていたりベンチの状態が良くなかったのでそのまま歩き続けた。時間の経過と、どのくらいの高さのところを歩いているのか分からなくなる、船見茶屋跡に辿り着き景色が広がる、晴れていればその先には海が見えるはずだが、見えるのは雲。そこからは下り、山道の下りは得意だが、階段は別だ、なるべく階段の脇を歩く、熊野古道は世界遺産となっていて保全の観点からはよくないかもしれないが、歩いてみると階段は人間の脚には合っていない。山道から抜けると公園の大きな駐車場に出る、ほとんど人はいない、そこでやっと昼にすることにした。
食事して、公園を少し行くとまた森に入るがすぐに那智に出る。那智と寺のマークを見るとついドクターストレインジラブのピーターセラーズが思い浮かんで一人でこっそり笑ってしまう。象徴的な朱色の三重塔と那智の滝が目の前に現れる。雲は山上を速く流れている、丁度自分が歩いていた辺りだろうか、もし道を間違ってあの滝上に出なくてよかったななど考えてしまう。
熊野那智大社で巫女が雅楽で踊るのを観る、毎日決まった時間に行っていることなのだろうが、そう普段見る事がないのでどこかに座りたかったがそのまま見ていた。リズムといのとは違い不思議なテンポだ。鈴の音が神と彼方の世界に向かっているようだ。
それから少しの間ベンチに座り考えた、勝浦から電車で新宮に行く事もできなくもない、海に入る事も可能かもしれないが、電車の時間に間に合わないかもしれない、またバスの時間を調べて待つのもなんとなく面倒に感じ、勝浦まで歩いて一泊することにした。
