To Kumano Nachi Taisha in Wakayama Prefecture

Our family doesn’t really have the tradition of “always going for Hatsumode (New Year shrine visit) on New Year’s Day or during the first three days.” Shrines are crowded during those days, and until around the Taisho era, the New Year was celebrated according to the lunar calendar (this year’s lunar New Year is apparently February 5th), so we thought, “Why not take our time and go for Hatsumode in February instead?” With that in mind, we finally went as a family of four to the World Heritage site, Kumano Nachi Taisha, for our Hatsumode.

Actually, right after we got married, my husband and I went for Hatsumode at Kumano Nachi Taisha.

(Back then, we went with the SLK with the roof down.)

At that time, even though neither of us has any special abilities, we both felt “there’s somehow a presence of a deity here”, which was a mysterious experience. So I always wanted to come here as a family once we had children.

However, Kumano is a very hard place to get to. Although it’s in the Kinki region and looks close on the map, it actually takes about four and a half hours from our home even if the trip goes smoothly. No wonder it’s long been called a “landlocked island.”

But maybe because it’s so hard to reach, there aren’t many tourists, so you can visit quietly and peacefully.

There is also a route to Kumano through mountain roads in Nara Prefecture, which is more fun to drive. But since we had a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old in the back seat, we thought the long mountain road would be too tough for them, so this time we chose to take the more relaxed coastal route.

In other words, we drove all the way to the southernmost tip of Wakayama and then looped around.

Day One of the Drive

Originally, we planned to leave leisurely on Saturday morning, stay overnight in Shirahama, and visit Kumano Nachi Taisha on Sunday. However, checking the weekly weather forecast in advance, Sunday was predicted to be heavy rain as usual (typical rain woman, haha), so we changed plans and headed to Kumano on Saturday instead.

We planned to leave at 7 a.m., and I got up at 5 a.m. to get ready, but the girls woke up with me, so nothing got done quickly… We finally left the house after 8 a.m. I strapped the reluctant youngest daughter into her child seat,

and off we went.

Though it was the weekend and traffic was heavier, the Hanshin Expressway Bayshore Route was flowing relatively smoothly.

…So far, so good, but the real problem was the single-lane section of the Hanwa Expressway. From the Arida Interchange to Nanki-Tanabe, there is a single lane stretch that goes on for a whopping 50 km.

Of course, there are a few sections where it becomes two lanes, but those two-lane stretches are unusually short. Also, if there are cars ahead, even if you move to the passing lane and speed up, it’s difficult to merge back into the driving lane. So you end up just staying in the slow lane and driving slowly…

It makes you want to ask, “Can this road still be called an expressway!?”

As expected, once we entered the single-lane section, there was a slow car ahead, and the following cars were forced to crawl along.

My husband kept the Panamera’s ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) on the whole time, but

“There was really no point in coming here in the Panamera… I heard this kind of single-lane expressway only exists in Japan. I guess it’s limited to 70 km/h with no passing for safety, but crawling along on a modern comfortable car on a road that feels like a train track just makes you sleepier and actually more dangerous!”

he grumbled. Still, having autonomous driving features is handy even in a sports car for times like this.

Glancing at the “Beware of Drowsiness” signs, the warm, cozy weather and my 5 a.m. wake-up hit me with a strong wave of sleepiness. When I suddenly snapped awake, the car had already exited the expressway and was driving along the coastal road.

The weather was nice that day, and the sea was a deep blue, making the scenery very beautiful.

However, since this road is also used frequently by locals, traffic was heavy and we couldn’t really enjoy driving the Panamera freely… My husband said,

“The scenery is quite similar to Shikoku, but for some reason the coastal roads in Shikoku have fewer cars and wider lanes, so you can drive really comfortably. Here, it’s not quite the same.”

He sounded a bit disappointed. The drive was so monotonous that I tried turning on the sport exhaust and switching to sport mode, experimenting a bit while driving the Panamera for about an hour.

Finally, we left the coastal road and headed into the mountains.

As we got closer to Nachi Taisha, I felt a mysterious sensation as if the whole mountain was inhabited by gods, and the whole area felt very sacred. In the past, the roads weren’t as developed as they are now, so making a pilgrimage to Kumano must have been truly difficult.

After arriving, we parked nearby and went to see Nachi Falls.

Nachi Falls has long been revered as a sacred object of worship, and its drop is said to be 133 meters.

When we saw it, the water flow wasn’t very strong, so it felt more like a sacred, serene waterfall rather than a powerful one. I imagine it must look completely different during the high-water season.

(The girls were very curious too.)

After that, we drove up to the free parking lot near the main shrine (there was an 800 yen toll to drive up to the main shrine) and went to pray. When my husband and I came before, we walked up the mountain path, which was good exercise, but with kids it’s easier to drive up to this parking lot.

Personally, I like Kumano Nachi Taisha because it doesn’t feel overly touristy. There are souvenir shops and local Kumano specialties, but since there aren’t many shops, you can quietly and slowly enjoy your visit.

Heading to Shirahama

After a leisurely walk and my husband generously tossing coins into the offering box so our family of four could pray properly, we headed back the way we came. I drove toward our accommodation in Shirahama.

Trying out sport mode, the Panamera didn’t immediately shift up to 6th gear like in normal mode, but stayed in 4th, producing a higher-pitched, sportier sound and allowing me to enjoy a lively drive. It was a brief moment to savor the Panamera when there were no cars ahead. My husband remarked again,

“The Panamera is really a car you want to drive in sport mode. That’s when it feels like a true sports car.”

I agreed. After nearly two hours from Kumano, we finally arrived at the hotel. My husband went to park the car and said the 997 was parked furthest from the hotel entrance. When he came back, he said,

“I didn’t do the ‘tonara’ (parking right next to another car even though there’s plenty of space) thing. I left a space and parked properly!”

He seemed quite pleased, haha.

However, later when we looked down at the parking lot from our room, there was a minivan parked perfectly between the 997 and the Panamera… (facepalm) Even though there were other spots open, why would someone choose to park there? I really wish they could understand how we feel (–_-).

Cheering up, the sunset in Shirahama that day was very beautiful.

The next morning, we went to Shirarahama Beach,

took a few photos of the Panamera,

and visited the famous tourist spot Senjojiki.

Even though we parked at the edge of the parking lot, when we returned there was again a tonara parker (well, it’s a tourist spot, so I guess it’s unavoidable),

and the weather gradually worsened, so we headed home, crawling again on the single-lane Hanwa Expressway (and I fell asleep again),

and safely arrived home. After we got back, my husband said,

“If only access to Wakayama was better… There are great roads like the Ryujin Skyline in Wakayama, but it’s so hard to get there that it’s tough to want to go often.”

I thought about that and checked online, and apparently there’s a plan to widen the Hanwa Expressway to four lanes by 2021, and construction is underway! ＊Hanwa Expressway widening to four lanes progressing to reduce fatal accidents and congestion

That would definitely make Wakayama more accessible.

Driving to Wakayama in the Panamera this time made me realize again that

when going on touring or driving trips, you have to consider not only the local roads but also the access routes to get there.

The slow crawl on the Hanwa Expressway was really helped by the ACC, and if we had come in a Boxster or an air-cooled Porsche, it would have been tough (though obviously not everyone could fit in those cars).

Also, since the Panamera lets you enjoy sporty driving modes once you arrive, I felt once again that it was great to come in a Panamera that balances driving pleasure and comfort.

When the Hanwa Expressway becomes four lanes (haha), I want to visit Wakayama more often.