Online: Northern California Chapter, Kumano Kodo Talk

Prior to October 2023, Andy Cohn and his wife, Kate Stewart, had walked the principal Caminos in Spain and Portugal, as well as multiple other long-distance trails throughout western Europe, but they had never ventured west of Lands End in San Francisco.

So with some trepidation, they set off for Japan intent on walking the Nakahechi trail of the Kumano Kodo, a 1,500-year-old network of pilgrimage trails in Japan steeped in Buddhist and Shinto traditions.

And what they discovered was enchanting, an immersion in a culture so different from our own — welcoming, ordered, non-linear, embraced in tradition and history. Plus, a trail experience equally diverse from the European Caminos — remote, rugged, wooded and wonderfully serene.

Not to mention lodgings and food that even the Caminos in France and Italy can’t match.

In this presentation, Andy will recount their adventures for us. In addition to presenting a travelogue, he will focus on the “How to?” logistics – lodging, transportation, difficulties of the terrain, etc.

Camino and Kumano Kodo veteran Jean Ross will also be present to lend her own perspective on the walk, and to answer questions.