These are some of the cultural experiences we enjoyed on our two hiking tours with MT Sobek: sake tasting; a tea ceremony “ cooking class” (we learned to properly make the matcha tea, and it is more difficult than one might think); a group travelers’ blessing ceremony with a Shinto priest; overnight in tatami mat private rooms at a Buddhist temple, and option to attend morning chants with the monks; seeing a little rice shrine in a secret alleyway in the fancy Tokyo Ginza shopping district; lunch of handmade soba noodles in a countryside cafe where the proprietor, a national champion in the singing of traditional work songs in the forest, sang his award-winning logger’s song to us; and sushi-making ( hand rolls) at another lunch.
Also walking a forest trail with a charming and funny Shugendō monk and mountain guide, then meeting him the following day at his wife’s pizza/Thai food fusion cafe. Shugendō is a mountain religion, and the monks are free to marry and to work independently. Our guide Katsu is an experienced mountaineer and mountain guide, sponsored by Patagonia ( a very popular brand in Japan, we noticed). It was raining that day and Katsu wore a Patagonia Torrentshell jacket over his monk outfit. My husband and I both wear that same rain jacket, and I have a photo of the three of us in our Torrentshells. You can see photos of Katsu in his monk’s regalia, including one in front of his wife’s cafe in this blog I found on the web—- scroll down to the 2d photo below “Looking toward the Future” near the end.
https://blog.gaijinpot.com/learning-the-way-of-the-monks-in-wakayama-prefecture/
The following day, nearing the end of our Kumano Kodo trek and the most important of the shrines, we visited another shrine where the head priest, a friendly man who spoke good English, showed us around the room dedicated to the Japanese soccer team’s awards and momentos. The shrines in this area have as their emblem the yatagarasu, the magical three-legged crow, which led the mythical first Emperor to this place. One of Japan’s star soccer players is from this area, and the three-legged crow emblem is part of the national team crest. They come here to pray and send memorabilia to the shrine for display.
https://letseatjapan.wordpress.com/2016/09/26/trekking-the-ancient-japanese-pilgrimage-route-kumano-kodo/
We also did the traditional boat ride down the river mentioned in that blog.
I enjoy this type of tour so much because it is not just about “seeing”, but doing and experiencing these unique aspects of the culture. With the small group (8-10 people) and a very knowledgeable guide, we learned so much more than we would have traveling on our own.
