Daimonzaka Chaya – The Ultimate Costume Experience in Japan
Have you ever dreamt of travelling back in time to travel to Kumano Nachi Taisha (熊野那智大社) from Daimonzaka (大門坂) as an aristocrat? Look no further than Daimonzaka Chaya (大門坂茶屋) or Daimonzaka Teahouse; a shop where you can rent Heian period costumes and explore Nachi Taisha and its surrounding.
Today, I will be sharing the overall experience and how it adds a unique flair to your travel experience at Nachi Taisha.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you book after clicking on one of these links then I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Table of Contents
About Daimonzaka
Daimonzaka (大門坂) or ‘large gate slope’ is a path filled with cobblestone steps that connects the base of the valley to Kumano Nachi Taisha (熊野那智大社). The path goes through the lush forest of the region; filled with centuries-old towering cedars, cypress and camphor trees.
The length of the path itself is about 600 metres long and has a total of 267 stairs; with the overall journey from the base to Nachi Taisha taking around 1.5 to 2 hours depending on one’s pacing. The path itself is part of the Kumano Kodo trail (熊野古道); an ancient pilgrimage trail that connects various sacred sites around the Kii Peninsula (紀伊半島) including Kumano Nachi Taisha.
And while the common way to explore the path is to hike, I will definitely recommend renting a traditional costume from Daimonzaka Chaya to enrich the overall travel experience!
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Renting a Costume from Daimonzaka Chaya
A Bit About Daimonzaka Chaya & the Heian Period
Daimonzaka Chaya is located at the entrance of the Daimonzaka path; and its hard to miss with its wide range of display of traditional Heian costumes. The Heian costumes are easily identifiable with the vibrant colours and refined artwork style; and also having multiple layers of clothing.
In fact, there is a term that originated from the Heian period itself (AD 794 – 1185) that is called the Junihitoe (十二単) or twelve layers. Aristocrats back then used to wear multiple layers of kimono-like robes with various colours to reflect their feeling for the season.
It is not surprising that ladies used to wear colourful and elaborate costumes back then; as the Heian period was when arts, literature and poetry were prioritised. Due to the many layers of clothing these women had to wear, they often had no choice but to walk slowly step-by-step.
To get a better idea of the pain, just imagine yourself walking with 45 pounds of costume on you! Clearly, the focus of the costumes are on the elegance and the grandiose.
Renting & Dressing Up the Costume
When renting a costume from Daimonzaka Chaya, first we select our rental duration. The price is 3,000 Yen for 2 hours and 4,500 Yen for 3 hours. For our case, we took the 2 hours option as we arrived late afternoon (if you have the whole day, then the 3 hours option is better for value of money). To return the costume when you are done, simply head back to the same venue by the designated time.
The owners of the costume rental are some of the friendliest we have met in Japan; as they take their time to dress us up and also to explain the background details of the costumes. Men’s costume have less layers to wear so it was generally easier to dress up.
For the ladies costume however, there are at least 3 layers to setup, including the inner wear. In fact, the fitting time took at least 10 – 20 minutes for my wife’s case. I did imagine the fitting must have taken way longer in the ancient times as they have many more layers to wear during that time!
The ladies costume overall also features more vibrant colour options (mainly red and orange) and the patterns of the costume are more elaborate. This style of dressing is called the Tsuboshozoku (壺装束), literally means ‘vase clothing/closed-up clothing’ as its shape & cutting resembles a vase.
The Tsuboshozoku was often wore by aristocrat women when they are going on a pilgrimage or visiting a shrine/temple. And it generally has less layers compared to the costume they wore in the Imperial Court. Also, you will notice there is a red-coloured robe tied around the upper part of the costume. This is the Kake-obi (掛け帯) and it serves to signifies the wearer’s status of going to the pilgrimage.
There is also the Kake-mamori (掛け守), an amulet that is wore around the neck which serves as a protective charm against bad luck. The uniquely-shaped straw hat for ladies is called Ichimegasa (市女笠) and it comes with a veil known as Tareginu (垂れ衣) that serves to cover the ladies faces so no one can see them.
For men, there will be a long hat as part of the costume called the Eboshi (烏帽子). These hats are coloured in black, and their shapes varied depending on the wearer’s rank in society during the Heian period. Each of us are also given a small pouch to keep our mobile phones and accessories; in which I love the contrast between the intricate designs vs the vibrant colours of the pouches!
After about 20 – 30 minutes, we are finally done dressing up and ready to explore Daimonzaka & Kumano Nachi Taisha!
Exploring Daimonzaka
Right at the entrance of Daimonzaka stands the towering Meoto-Sugi (夫婦杉) tree which translates to the ‘Husband & Wife’ trees. The pair of cedar trees here has stood for over 800 years, and there used to be an entrance gate to this ancient route. Now, only the pair of these magnificent trees stood here; symbolising the entrance to the route itself.
Daimonzaka route itself is no less impressive, as the path is shaded by the various towering ancient trees here. Traversing along this path certainly does feel like travelling into the realm of the spirits and deities; albeit similar to how Chihiro enters into the spiritual world in Ghibli’s Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し).
And the experience of walking the path became even more immersive with our Heian period costumes! It certainly does require some effort to get use to walking along the cobblestone stairs given the weight of the costumes.
The path itself is very picturesque and there are plenty of photo opportunities; even more so when we were in our costumes. I could imagine how much effort it takes for the nobles to go on a pilgrimage with such elaborate clothing during the ancient times!
Alternatively, if you are looking for some wonderful photo opportunities with the costumes at the shrine & Nachi Falls itself but you are short of time; there is a way to arrange this and that is…….
Getting to Kumano Nachi Taisha
Driving up to Nachi Taisha! This is an alternative to consider if you have a rental car; which is my personal favourite method to travel around rural Japan. Simply drive the car up to Nachi Taisha or Nachi Falls and park at one of the designated parking spots.
Another method is to climb halfway and then catch a bus ride from here to Nachi Falls/Nachi Taisha for about 3 – 6 minutes. Of course if you have the time and stamina, by all means hike through the route up until the end the old fashion way as that is the most satisfying way to experience the entire route itself.
If you are visiting the Kumano region and hiking the Kumano Kodo (熊野古道), visiting both the scenic Nachi Taisha & Nachi Falls is a must. And visiting the shrine and the falls with the Heian period costume is undeniably a once-in-a-lifetime experience not to be missed.
The shrine itself has a couple of photogenic spots to look out for; such as the Torii gate entrance and the front of the shrine. And the Heian period costumes synergise wonderfully with the vermillion colours of the shrine. At the shrine grounds and the waterfall, you can capture plenty of scenic shots together with the Heian period costume.
Here is also an Instagram post from Daimonzaka Chaya’s official account of someone taking a photography in front of the magnificent Nachi Falls in their costume:
Prefer to watch a video about our experience? Check out my latest Instagram reel below detailing our wonderful experience!
Also for more travel tips of the Kumano Nachi Taisha, check out my separate article here! Overall, I would definitely say the costume rental experience here is worth trying for its authenticity and how it creates an immersive travel experience!
Getting to Nachi Taisha
By Train from Osaka
Nachi-Katsuura can be accessed by train from Osaka (大阪); where you will need to catch the limited express train Kuroshio (くろしお) from Shin-Osaka station (新大阪駅). This limited express train serves to transport passengers across the cities in Wakayama Prefecture up until the town of Shingu (新宮).
To get to Nachi-Katsuura, simply disembark at Kii-Katsuura Station (紀伊勝浦駅). The entire journey from Shin-Osaka takes about 4 hours. Do note that NOT ALL Kuroshio trains commute all the way until Shingu; hence it is advisable to check the schedule via Jorudan first prior to boarding the train.
If you are travelling from Osaka, then the Kansai Wide Area Pass is a great cost-saving option to consider as it covers the Kuroshio rides.
From the station, board bus 31 of the Nachi line and disembark at Daimonzaka (大門坂) bus stand. From the bus stand, walk for about 8 minutes to Daimonzaka Chaya. Bus ticket costs 480 Yen one-way but you can also purchase the Nachi Area World Heritage Free Pass Ticket (那智エリア世界遺産フリー乗車券) here for 1,200 Yen here which allows unlimited ride for a day!
By Train from Nagoya
There is also the option to travel from Nagoya (名古屋). From Nagoya Station (名古屋駅), catch the limited express train Nanki (南紀) and then, disembark at Kii-Katsuura Station (紀伊勝浦駅). Similarly to Osaka, the entire journey takes around 4 hours as well.
In this case, the Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Tourist Pass is the go-to pass as it covers the Nanki line. Another plus point is that this pass covers the bus fare from the station to Daimonzaka & Nachi Taisha as well; meaning you don’t need to purchase the Nachi Area World Heritage Free Pass Ticket (那智エリア世界遺産フリー乗車券).
By Car to Nachi-Katsuura
Another option for those who prefer to drive and enjoy the scenery along the way is renting a car. This is the method my wife and I used to explore the coastal area of Wakayama prefecture as well as towns and cities such as Wakayama (和歌山), Shirahama (白浜) and also Nachi-Katsuura (那智勝浦).
RENTING a car allows us to to enjoy the mesmerising ocean view of the coastal road; an experience certainly not to be missed especially if you are driving around Wakayama Prefecture. Having a car also allows you to drive up to Nachi Taisha with your costume easily as highlighted here! Keen in renting a car for your next Japan road trip? Check out Tocoo for more info here.
Where to Stay Nearby
Despite being a small town, Nachi-Katsuura features a variety of accommodations that caters according to different budget levels.
- There are a variety of budget accommodations near the Kii-Katsuura station such as Why Kumano, Jiyujiya and Minshuku Wakatake. Affordable and conveniently close to the station.
- If you looking for a more luxurious option on the other hand, look out for options such as Kamenoi Hotel and Manseiro are solid accommodations with onsen hot spring options.
- For a more unique onsen experience, look no further than Hotel Urashima and Nakanoshima. These two majestic hotels offer refreshing onsen experiences as their outdoor onsens are right next to the Pacific Ocean itself. In fact, my wife and I stayed at Hotel Urashima and were lucky to have experienced their trademark cave onsens that are known for their scenery. Check out my separate article here for more info!
Other Nearby Attractions & Relevant Articles
As Kumano Nachi Taisha is one of the three Kumano Sanzan shrines; I recommend checking out my separate article here for more travel tips. It is also definitely worth checking out the other two mystical Kumano shrines; Kumano Hongu Taisha (熊野本宮大社) and Kumano Hayatama Taisha (熊野速玉大社) respectively (which I will cover in future articles).
Also, you might also be interested in these other nearby attractions……
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