This week, I spent four days hiking along an ancient pilgrimage route called Kumano Kodo. During those four days, every night the temperature went below freezing, and during the days it was only slightly above the freezing point. In fact, during the second day, there was heavy snow and strong winds while I was hiking. I was glad I had multiple down jackets to stay warm!
While hiking I spotted wild deer. At one of the inns, the owner had a pet dog called Haru, and I saw koi fish, or brightly colored carp, near one of the temples. Surprisingly, I did not notice any birds, which may have been because of the cold.
At the highest points of the hike, I was around 3,000 feet about sea level, so I had amazing views of the surrounding mountains and towns. Also, one of the temples had a beautiful waterfall nearby, which is, in fact, the god that the temple was originally built to worship.
