Photo: Zairon / CC BY 4.0Open in Google Maps · Directions from your berth
Checked · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada
Kumano Hongu Taisha is the Kumano grand shrine in the mountains, about an hour up the Kumano River from Shingu: dark cypress-bark roofs against the forest.
Its old ground, Oyunohara, lies on the river flat nearby. The shrine stood there until the great flood of 1889; a great torii now marks the place among the rice fields.
Four things the plaques won't tell you
- A metered taxi is about ¥15,200–15,400 each way by distance alone (our estimate): ask for a fixed day rate before you set out.
- By bus, Shingu Station to Hongu Taisha-mae takes 80 minutes (Hongu Tourist Association), and you still have to reach Shingu Station from the berth. We have not confirmed the timetable.
- Hongu and Nachi are 54 km and about 1 hour 30 apart by road: both in one day means about 4 hours in a car.
- Check whether your ship sells this as a tour: on a call of 8 or 9 hours that is the safer way to do it.
The shrine stood there until the great flood of 1889; a great torii now marks the place among the rice fields.
Questions people ask here
How long does it take to reach Kumano Hongu Taisha from Shingu port?
About 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 15 by road each way, by our estimate: the Hongu Tourist Association gives 35 km and about 1 hour from Shingu city, and the berth is 7 km further south.
Can I do Hongu and Nachi on the same call?
Only on a call of about 10 hours or more with a car for the day. The two are about 1 hour 30 apart by road, and the loop from the berth is about 3 hours 30 of driving before any visiting.