What the sacred fire lit - The Night of the Goto Festival, Kumano
Following last year, we participated in the "Goto Matsuri" in Shingu City again this year. The Goto Matsuri is an annual fire festival held on February 6 at Kamikura Shrine, which has a history of more than 1,400 years and is forbidden to women. It is still carefully passed down to the present day as a ritual to crown the Kumano deities with a new flame and pray for peace in the year ahead....BLOG
New Year’s Greetings and Our First Year Begins
Happy New Year! We started the new year with a first ascent of Mt. We worshipped the first sunrise at the top of the mountain, and the curtain rose on a new year in the quiet, clean air. For us, this year is a memorable year as COZY guesthouse will finally start...BLOGGuesthouse COZY Finally Open!
We have received a business permit. COZY guesthouse will finally open. We started with the property search, then the renovation work, and in between, we gained experience while working at an existing guesthouse, and many people taught us their know-how about the operation of the guesthouse. Up to this point...BLOGChikatsuyu–Nonaka Autumn Festival 2025
This year, too, we participated in the "Chikaruro-Nonaka Autumn Festival" from the preliminary preparations. Last year, many of the greetings were "Nice to meet you...," but this year we received a lot of "Hello! Long time no see! I feel that I have been accepted as a member of this town...BLOGA New Breath on the Kumano Kodo — Walking the Restored Route After 14 Years
On October 1, 2025, a portion of the Kumano Kodo Nakaheji Route, which had been closed for 14 years, was finally restored and opened to traffic. Fourteen years ago, this route was damaged by a large typhoon and was closed to traffic for a long time. I was on the road at that time...BLOGWalking the Akagigoe Pass on the Kumano Kodo
In mid-September, when the heat finally abated, I hiked the "Chikano-Akagikoshi - Yunomine Course" of the Kumano Kodo Nakaheji Route. At this time of year, the forests are shrouded in fog in the morning and eventually clear up under the sunlight, creating a fantastic sight. At 7:00 a.m., we set out in the fog. Still...BLOGSummer in Chikatsuyu
When you think of your childhood summer vacation memories, what comes to mind? Last year, the "Children's Summer Festival" was held again this year, organized by volunteers from Chikaruro. There, the scene of a good old Japanese countryside summer festival is spreading. Local people who knew those days...BLOGOne Year Since Moving to Chikatsuyu
A lot has happened, but I never expected things to go so far as planned for the opening of the guesthouse this fall. I left the company I worked for for many years and came to this place to pursue a new dream. I was filled with anxiety. I moved into a one-year limited short-term municipal housing...BLOGWalking the Kumano Kodo in the Rain
June, the rainy season has arrived. There are many rainy days, and the laundry doesn't dry very well... I sound like a housewife, but when you run a guesthouse, washing clothes and drying bedding is an important part of your daily routine, so you are very sensitive to the weather. Even in such a situation, the Kumano Kodo...BLOGThe Kumano Kodo is a gradient of green.
May is a beautiful season when the Kumano Kodo is covered with various kinds of greenery. Natural forests have beautiful gradations of green, while plantation forests are impressive with the dark green of trees neatly lined up in rows. Rice paddies are filled with water, reflecting the scenery like a mirror. Furthermore, one of the features of the Kumano Kodo is the fog...BLOG
