The journey of summer beauty continues with a connection with Japan’s spirituality and religious landscape and the wonders of natures.

Our next stop will bring us to Yamadera, officially known as Hojusan risekushi. This ancient mountain was founded 1200 years ago by Master Chikaku En-nin. Visitors will be greeted by a flight of steps, 1100 of them to be exact, that retrace the path of famous haiku poet Matsuo Basho’s path. Reflect on his famous line, “Quietly, the sounds of cicadas penetrates the rocks” while appreciating the tranquility of the surroundings.

Rest your weary limbs at the tea-house offering a great view over Yamadera. While appreciating the vast scenery, reward yourself with the eye-pleasing en-nin san. Eat it together with soy bean flour to get a more enriching flavour. It will leave you a pleasant taste that is not too sweet but very tasty.

After the rest, continue your way up to the rocky mountain top. Odaidou, standing at 350 metres tall, is worth all the effort. A beautiful world of green leaves with an enormous view of the surroundings; it is indeed a wonderful natural environment.

The night ends at the Megasuzu hotel in Kaminoyama. The recently renovated hotel is recognised as a top-ranked hotel by tourism board. Re-energized your body with a relaxing hot spring bath in your own privacy. The deluxe room includes a hot spring which is pumped directly from the source. An 18 dish meal consisting of an array of Yamagota county dishes awaits you for dinner. The Yonesawa beef is a must have. The prime beef, which originates from the prefecture, melts instantly in the mouth. Don’t miss out on the Gassan Bamboo shoots and Braised Potatoes (imoko). Consumed the shoots with your hands and savour its delicateness and tenderness. Imoko is a popular dish among the locals. It is a stew of mixture of potatoes and beef that guarantee a tasty meal.

The next day, visit Gatusan,formerly known as Asahi-mura, and now part of Tsuruoka city. Time appears to have stood still in this forgotten village that used to have impressive 50 multi-level cottages, joined together in a row. Although now reduced to only two cottages, the three-level cottages are spectacular. Visit the Endo family house, which is now opened to public, to experience the lifestyle of the typical country family.

An hour's flight from Haneda Airport brings you to Nanki-shirahama Airport, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kumano-kodo. It is recommended to visit this site early in summer. The journey begins from from Tanabe City, and if you’re worried about getting lost, catch the airport taxi which offers convenience to travelers making their way to the sites.

Before visiting the Kumano’s shrines, stop by the Yunomine Hot Spring, one of the oldest natural hot spring villages in Japan. The 1800 year-old hot spring is a popular spot among tourists and couples. Costing at an affordable 750 yen (S$10.70) per person, this hot spring promises to revitalise anyone... even dead people! The magic is in the spring water which changes colour several times a day. The downside would be the limited bath time. Visitors have to take turn using the bath and each session lasts for 30 minutes.

The Kumano shrine welcomes visitors with an ancient passage meant initially for samurai and aristocratic worshippers. It linked up Kumano's 3 temples Hongu, Hayatama and Nachi. The enormous entrance at Hongu Oyunohara appears to swallow you up as you stand at the feet of 150-step staircase. At the top is the Kumano Hongu Shrine, the main shrine of over 3000 Kumano shrines. It also houses the God of the Pledge.

To reach the next location, the Hayatama shrine, travelers have to negotiate their way across the Kumano-kawa by canoe, just like in the old days.

 Lovebirds should make their way to the Hayatama shrine the youngest among the 3 temples in Kumano, as it promises to enhance romantic relationships.  Another attraction of the shrine is the Naki, a sacred tree believed to be approximately 800 years old. Naki leaves are amazingly stretchable and don’t tear apart easily, symbolizing a couple’s unbreakable relationship which couples may want to pick up as a special gift. Not too far, another flight of stairs. The 538-step stairway leads you to the old Kamikura Shrine, the origin of Hayatama, standing 100 metres high on a hilltop. The 20 minute climb will be rewarded at the summit with the breath-taking sight of the Pacific Ocean.

Rejuvenate yourself after a day of climbing at the Katsuura Tourist Hotel located in Kiikatsuura, where each room is equipped with a private hot spring bath. Dinner which is served in a private room sees a fine variety, ranging from fresh sashimi to charcoaled Kumano beef. Be sure to try the hotel’s signature dishes, a whole Ise lobster which is steamed in a wooden box, and fresh steamed sea bream served together with homemade vinegar soy sauce.

The feast continues the next day with a visit to Katsuragi where you can treat yourself to the finest quality bluefin tuna. Katsuura is the biggest tuna fishing port in Japan and Katsuragi is an acclaimed nationwide tuna specialist where chefs demonstrate their culinary expertise with dishes such as pan-fried tuna cheek, tuna red meat and otoro made from one whole fish.

Complete the pilgrimage with a visit to Nachi Shrine. Don’t miss the Daimonzaka Teahouse, an interesting place reminiscent to the Heian Period with its collection of costumes. There are forty types of female dresses and small accessories called the kake-mamori.

The Nachi Shrine, the final stop of the trip around the 3 Kumano shrines, is home of Nachi-no-taki, one of Japan’s top three waterfalls. The spectacular 130m waterfall originates deep in the Kumano mountains and is one of Japan’s biggest waterfall.

Those who love sweets should make the trip to Nikko and Ose. A must- see for any summer trip is Nikko’s renowned sweet jellies at Hishiya, store with over a hundred years of history. Hurry along as the sweet jelly is so popular that it sells out by noon every day.

Nikkio's World Heritage Sites are the Toushougu and Futarasan Shrines, the usual travelers’ destination. Those seeking an alternative can head towards the sound water that lead you to the Takio Shrine. This waterfall shrine is Nikko’s best kept secret. Founded in 820 AD, Takio Shrine is filled with a spiritual atmosphere and is called the spiritual land. Seek for greater fortune at the fortune testing gate by throwing three stones through a ring.

Next, hop on the train to embark the journey towards Fukushima and try the award winning Nikko trout sushi made with top quality trout and bean curd skins shredded onto the rice. The sushi is then wrapped in a bamboo leaf and pressed.

Spend the night at Maruya-shinkan in Hinoemata-mura, a nature resort in Ose. The hotel was founded in 1869 and was the only hotel in the village back then. Its soba menu is so popular that it opened a soba house right next to the hotel. The hotel has only five rooms so check for vacancies before heading down. It’s situated in the hot spring vicinity, so you can relax yourself in a hot spring bath.

Dinner offers many traditional soba dishes like hattou, made with soba wheat and glutinous rice, vegetable buns made with soba wheat, and most importantly tachi-soba. The soba wheat is beaten into thin sheets, then stacked together and cut into soba noodles. The master’s skill is reflected in the perfect precision cutting of the noodles. This hearty 20-dish soba meal definitely let you taste the real flavor of soba.

The final destination will be Ose which will satisfy hitchhikers crave with its streams and forest. To protect the environment, there is only one bus authorized to enter Ose. The surreal abundance of cypress trees will reminds you of Norwegian mountains and forests, an endless and never-ending picture of nature’s beauty.