Hi there!
Shingu can make for a perfect part of your Kumano Kodo itinerary if you’re doing the Kumano Kodo by bus, or a combination of bus and hiking.
Kumano Kodo is a UNESCO world heritage pilgrimage route, and there are different Kumano Kodo routes.
Shingu can be towards the end when you are doing things near the Nakahechi Route by bus.
Shingu often gets skipped on one’s Kumano Kodo itinerary.
And if you are short on time, then it’s fine to do that. You can feel like you had a great Kumano Kodo trip even if you skip Shingu.
But Shingu is where one of the “big 3” grand shrines of Kumano Kodo is located.
So if you want to complete your visits to all 3 of the grand shrines, then Shingu would be a must-visit!
Shingu is also home to a shrine with a big rock that overlooks the ocean, so you might want to go to that to
You don’t actually need a full day in Shingu.
If you want to see 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Shingu by walking it all, you could do it quickly in 2.5 hours of time in Shingu.
It would be much better if you have at least 3 to 4 hours however, as 2 hours is really rushing it!
But I can tell you that you can do it all in 2.5 hours, because that is how much time I had!
Of course, the more time you have, the more you can take it all in!
This time also doesn’t include the transit time to and from Shingu which will depend on where you are coming from and where you are going afterwards.
Walking the streets of Shingu is flat, but there are a couple of sites that do require stairs.
I did a trip to the Kumano Kodo area and went to Shingu! Here’s what you need to know!
Shingu travel guide
- Where is Shingu?
- Best things to do in Shingu in one day
- How to get to Shingu Station
- Kumano River boat tour to Shingu
- How to get around Shingu
- Yunomine Onsen to Shingu
- Shingu itinerary: How much time in Shingu
Where is Shingu?
Shingu is located on the Kii Peninsula in the prefecture of Wakayama.
Where is Shingu Japan: Explore the map.
You can make Shingu a part of your route as you travel the Kumano Kodo in Wakayama prefecture.
It can make sense to go to Shingu on your way from Yunomine Onsen to Nachi Falls or Hongu to Nachi Falls.
Best things to do in Shingu
1. Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine (world heritage site + one of the “big 3” Kumano grand shrines)
2. Kamikura Jinja Shrine (world heritage site)
3. Asuka Jinja Shrine (world heritage site)
4. Shingu Castle ruins (Tankaku Castle)
How to get to Shingu Station
👆 Shingu bus terminal: If you are already in the Kumano Kodo area, then you can get to Shingu by bus.
You can get to Shingu by bus or train, depending on where you’re coming from.
The official Kumano Kodo tourism website has bus schedules, but it’s best to verify locally to make sure you get the most up-to-date schedule.
Shingu bus: General tips for taking the local bus to Shingu (and most local buses in Japan)
If you are already in the Kumano Kodo area, there is a local bus to get to Shingu.
You can consult google maps to guide your way! It makes knowing where to get on the bus and where to get off the bus super easy!
You pay for the bus as you get off the bus. You don’t need to buy a ticket ahead of time.
You will get on the bus from the back door, not the front. As you get on the bus, you need to look for a little ticket to grab. This will have a number on it, and it will allow you to determine how much you need to pay when you get off the bus.
Once your bus stop is the next bus stop, you will press a little button to signify to the bus driver to get off next. There will be an announcement, and there is a display sign at the front of the bus that will tell you the next bus stop.
Then, you will also look at the front of the bus to find out how much the bus fare costs. You will look for the number that’s on the ticket that you grabbed as you got on the bus, and that is how much you need to pay for the bus fare.
Once the bus arrives at your bus stop, you’ll go to the front of the bus. You’ll put exact change into the fare box. There will be no change given to you.
If you need smaller change, it is also possible to break a 1,000 yen bill in the coin machine at the front of the bus. You can do this as you get off the bus. You cannot break a 5,000 yen bill, so be sure to have coins and/or 1,000 yen bills for the bus to Shingu.
More about how to take the local bus to Shingu
For the visual: here is how to take the local bus in Kyoto, which is similar to how to take the local bus to Shingu and other local buses in Japan.
Kumano River boat tour to Shingu
A fun way to get to Shingu that I missed out on is by BOAT!
It was booked up when I called the day before I wanted to do it, so be sure to make reservations in advance!
There is the Kumano River boat tour with a final destination of Shingu.
You can get to the starting point of the Kumano River boat tour by bus, which is the Michi-no-eki Kumano-gawa bus stop.
👆 If you want to ride the Kumano River boat to get to Shingu, you will get off at the michi-no-eki Kumano-gawa bus stop. You need to make reservations for the Kumano River boat tour in advance!
The starting point of the Kumano River boat tour is west of Shingu.
Because of the flow of the Kumano River, the boat only goes in one direction.
So it’s ideal to get the boat if you were thinking about going by bus from Yunomine Onsen to Shingu for example!
How to get around Shingu: WALK!
The best way to see Shingu is to walk!
You can start your walk at Shingu Station.
👆 You can start your walk from Shingu Station by walking past Jofuku Park that is nearby.
Or, for a little less walking, there is a bus around Shingu. (Like if you wanted to take a bus back to Shingu Station at the end of your walk.)
👆 There is a bus that goes through Shingu.
Google maps can work out fine for taking the bus around Shingu.
Yunomine Onsen to Shingu: What I did in October 2022
After spending time in the Kumano Kodo area along the Nakahechi Route (Tanabe, Takahara, Nonaka, Yunomine Onsen), I went from Yunomine Onsen to Shingu by bus.
👆 It was a scenic bus ride from Yunomine Onsen to Shingu along the Kumano River!
Then I walked around Shingu for a few hours, and then went from Shingu to Nachi by bus.
If you plan out your day well, it can be reasonable to do both Shingu and Nachi in one day.
I did not plan out my day that well in advance, and therefore was really rushing around Shingu because of the limited bus timings.
I didn’t realize the effect of the limited bus timing until I got to Shingu.
But still, it worked out well enough!
I stayed 2 nights in the Kumano Kodo town of Yunomine Onsen at the backpacker’s guesthouse of J-Hoppers Yunomine.
This is a few minutes walk from the Yunomine Onsen bus stop, and it’s also a few minutes walk from access to the Kumano Kodo trail that goes right through Yunomine Onsen.
J-Hoppers also has a private onsen (mineral hot springs) available for your use 24/7!
There are dorm beds (aka this is a hostel) and there are private rooms available. It’s around 3800 yen for a dorm bed (less than $35), 10,000 yen for a private room for 2 people (less than US$100), 13,800 yen for a private room for 3 people (less than $130).
I checked out of the guesthouse, and then got on a bus to Shingu. I stored my luggage in a Shingu Station coin locker. (This is the train station across the bus stop.) It’s 500 yen for a medium size locker (less than US$5).
Then, it was off to walk through Shingu.
My last walking stop in Shingu was the Kamikura Jinja Shrine.
There is a bus stop near the shrine, and I got on a bus to Nachi from there. (Because… I forgot I had to go back to Shingu Station for my luggage… 😱😵😑😂🤦🤦🤦 And with the limited bus timings for both Shingu and Nachi, it meant careful timing was required to go back to Shingu and leave Shingu afterwards!)
After Nachi Falls (and picking up my luggage back in Shingu), I took a train to Ise.
A note on Japanese yen to USD conversion: For a quick and easy conversion in my head, I had always done 100 yen = US$1. But, the reality of late 2022 is that 100 yen is much less than $1. When I did this trip to Shingu in October 2022, it had hit 150 yen = US$1. 😱 So the approximate USD is actually much less than the above listed approximate USD figures! Of course, the amount you will pay will depend on what the exchange rate is when you go, but this can start to give you an idea. For easy conversion, you can simply type into google “8500 yen to usd” for example. When I checked just now on this October 2022 day, it said 8500 yen was less than US$60.
Shingu itinerary: One day in Shingu
Of course, your day can vary based on how much time you decide to spend in different places.
As mentioned, I was rushed in Shingu!
But, to give you an idea, this was how a couple of hours in Shingu was for me!
- 9:50am: Arrive at Shingu Station
- Shingu tourist information center near bus stop (get Shingu tourist map and bus timetable!)
- Shingu Station coin locker to drop off luggage
- Jofuku Park near Shingu Station (you can just walk by it)
- 10:20am: Walk around Asuka Jinja shrine
- 10:35am: Walk around Shingu Castle ruins (Tankaku Castle)
- 11am: Walk around Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine
- 11:30am: Walk around Kamikura Jinja Shrine
- 12:20pm: Walk to bus stop
- Bus to Nachi Station or Kii-Katsuura Station to go to Nachi Falls!
Stop by the Shingu tourism information center that is at the Shingu bus terminal to get a Shingu map! (And local bus schedules if you need it!)
👇 My Shingu favorite was the Kamikura Jinja hike!
👇 There was a little old man at the top of the Kamikura Jinja shrine whose purpose seemed to be to take pictures for people. He instructed my dad and I where to go and how to pose so he could take pictures of us. 😂
HAPPY TRIP TO SHINGU!
NEXT UP: NACHI FALLS!
NEXT UP: HONGU!
NEXT UP: YUNOMINE ONSEN! (private onsen hot springs!)
NEXT UP: ISE!
Traveling around Japan and can't read Japanese? No problem! Just use the camera on the google translate app!
Is a JR pass worth it?!
- Google maps can make it easy to figure out whether or not you should get a JR pass!
- In google maps, type in your departure and arrival city, and choose the transit icon. The route will come up, and so will the estimated cost at the bottom!
- Here is an example of a train route with cost on google maps.
- So do that for all of your long distance routes to figure out how much it might cost.
- Next, go here to see how much a JR pass costs.
- And compare!
- Not all forms of public transportation are JR, but long distance shinkansen bullet trains are, and that's where the most cost savings will come.
Best of Kyoto (and Japan!)
👇 Explore the best places to visit in Japan!
There are affiliate links on this page.