Japan. Kumano Kodo Trek. EMF Charity Challenges

Transcription

1 Kumao Kodo Trek Japa A cultural experiece like o other: trek the aciet pilgrimage routes of Kumao Kodo, explore colourful markets, taste traditioal food, forge lifelog friedships A chace to make a differece: raise fuds that will directly help cacer patiets at Epworth receive the best possible care, ad have all the support they eed EMF Charity Challeges

2 taste explore Explore o foot the Kumao Kodo, a series of aciet pilgrimage routes ad sacred trails, liked by the aciet Japaese capital cities of Kyoto ad Nara Wader through exotic markets, the air thick with colour, music ad spices. Ejoy ew tastes ad culiary experieces, with traditioal meals prepared by local chefs laugh discover Forge ew friedships ad stregthe old oes through the commuity ad camaraderie of the trail, ad the mutual experiece of this extraordiary adveture rest Savour the fadig beauty of the sakura (cherry blossoms). Make your way over cobbled stairways, past aciet shries, across moutais, ad through forests give At the ed of a satisfyigly-hard day s trekkig, soak i traditioal ose thermal hot sprig baths ad rest your head i comfort i isolated rural hamlets With every step you take, you will be helpig to esure that cacer patiets ad their families at Epworth cotiue to receive the best possible care

3 What is this challege? The Epworth Medical Foudatio Kumao Kodo Trek is a eight-day adveture, set i the dese forests of the Kii Moutais overlookig the Pacific Ocea. The Kumao Kodo is a series of aciet pilgrimage routes ad sacred trails, liked by the aciet capital cities of Kyoto ad Nara. Eriched by more tha 1200 years of history, UNESCO calls this beautiful regio part of the livig culture of Japa. This is as much a jourey through local culture ad rural life as it is spectacular atural beauty. As you walk, you will breathe i the earthy scets of woods ad rivers ad flowers. You will taste traditioal meals, prepared by local chefs. You will step over cobbled stairways ad past aciet shries ad statues. You will soak i ceturies-old thermal sprigs. Ad you will be lulled to sleep each ight by the getle souds of the forest ad the sea. Where the moey goes The fuds you raise for the Kumao Kodo Walk will directly help cacer patiets at Epworth HealthCare. Your support will esure that they cotiue to have access to: cuttig-edge techology world-class facilities leadig ocologists ad specialists family ad fiacial support services groud-breakig research ad trials Fast facts Dates: Trip duratio: Days trekkig: Locatio: Challege grade: 1-10 April, 2016 or April days 6 days Japa s Kii Peisula (the Kumao Kodo pilgrimage trail) Moderate Hotels & small guesthouses Total cost: $ air taxes ($2500 is tax deductible ad the full amout ca be fudraised) Beeficiaries: Cacer patiets at Epworth HealthCare EMF ca help you The Epworth Medical Foudatio staff are able to aswer ay questios you may have as well as provide you with all the support you eed as you fudraise for your challege. Please cotact either Jaye Coates o phoe or Jaye.coates@epworth.org.au or Kathlee Lambrick o phoe or Kathlee.lambrick@epworth.org.au who will be happy to talk with you. EPWORTH MEDICAL FOUNDATION [ 3 ]

4 Full itierary The EMF Kumao Kodo trek is a fullyguided challege, suitable for ayoe who is a regular walker i reasoably good health ad fitess ad able to participate i five to seve hours of daily walkig alog moutai trails. Itierary highlights Walkig tour of Kyoto: Japaese gardes, temples ad shries, the extraordiary sights ad souds of the Nishiki market Day 1: Arrive Kasai ad trasfer to Kyoto We fly ito Kasai airport ad travel 1.5 hours by trai to reach our hotel i Kyoto. Kyoto was origially kow as Heia-kyo, the capital of peace ad traquillity, ad was the home of the Imperial Court for 11 ceturies before it moved to Tokyo i the late 19th Cetury. I its 1100 years as the Imperial home, Kyoto became oe of the great cities of the world ad the cultural heartlad of Japa. Day 3: Kyoto Taabe - Takahara Cobbled pathways ad stairs, aciet forests, seaside cliff-tops, 1000-year-old shries, statues ad highway markers Traditioally prepared meals, made with local igrediets Traditioal ose (hot sprig) baths Spectacular ad uforgettable Nachio-Otaki waterfalls, the highest i Japa Day 2: I Kyoto Today we explore this woderful city via a walkig tour. The city boasts a astoishig 2000 temples ad shries, 17 of which are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage sites, ad may beautiful Japaese gardes. We start with a walk up through the vermilio Tori gates of the Iari Shrie, a remarkable visual experiece. Afterwards we visit the Nishiki market, which is truly remarkable for the itricate myriad of uique food o offer. Cotiue to explore Kyoto i the afteroo, ad redezvous i the eveig for a traditioal Izakaya pub meal. breakfast ad luch provided approximately 8km After breakfast we take the trai ad head south to Taabe. Here the railway lie parallels the Kii-ji sectio of the Kumao Kodo, ad allows us to circumvet umerous steep passes. We ejoy luch i a local restaurat before a 30-miute bus trasfer to the start of our afteroo walk ad the Kumao Kodo proper. The climb up from Takajiri-Oji is short i terms of distace, but relatively steep. We allow two hours to reach the ope ridge lie, where remarkable views of the moutaious peisula ca be ejoyed. Historic remiders of Buddhist statues lie our route alog the aciet highway. Accommodatio toight is i Takahara, a rural hamlet oted for its aciet shrie surrouded by giat kusu-o-ki, or camphor, trees. Japaese i approximately 5km [ 4 } EPWORTH MEDICAL FOUNDATION

5 Day 4: Takahara - Tsugizakura After breakfast we leave Takahara o foot, headig ito the moutais alog the old trail. We cotiue to pass by remiders of the old highway, icludig a ichirizuka distace marker, before arrivig at our luch spot, which serves local delicacies. Cotiuig o a short climb, we crest the Hashiori-Toge pass. At the top of the pass is a uusual statue of a emperor sittig astride both a horse ad a cow. Our descet takes us alog a cobbled path ad staircase ito Chikatsuyu, a small village. The fial stretch of the day takes us o a climb to Tsugizakura-Oji ad our accommodatio for the eveig. Giat cedar trees ad a fresh water sprig are features of the area. Japaese i approximately 13km Day 5: Tsugizakura Hogu Yuomie Ose Forest paths ad moutaitop villages feature promietly today. Climbs over a umber of passes brig us to remote farmig commuities with paoramic views of the surroudig coutryside, before we reach Fushiogami. Here we have our first glimpse of the great Hogu Taisha shrie i the valley below. The path desceds to the shrie ad our eveig destiatio at earby Yuomie Ose. The ose thermal hot sprig baths are a importat part of the traditio here, with pilgrims performig hot water purificatio rituals i preparatio for visitig the Taisha itself. For us, the ose provide us with a fabulous way to slake off the day s exertios before ejoyig our sumptuous eveig meal, created from local igrediets. Today is a log day of walkig, but two-thirds alog our way for the weary, a regular bus service will take the strai. Day 6: Yuomie Ose Koguchi A optioal short-but-steep climb after breakfast will take us over a pass back to Hogu Taisha. For those who prefer a leisurely start to the day, a exploratio of Yuomie Ose provides a pleasat diversio. Walkers ad o-walkers regroup late morig to walk up to Hyakke-gura, which provides some of the most spectacular views of the tour. From here the trail cotiues o a forest track ad evetually desceds ito Koguchi, a isolated village surrouded by moutais ad rivers. Our accommodatio toight is the most uusual of the trip: a redudat juior high school that has bee reovated ito a comfortable lodge. Our hosts are, as ever, friedly, ad serve hearty, local food. Japaese lodge approximately 15km Day 7: Koguchi Nachi Taisha Kii Katsuura A early start for today s walk which is the toughest of our jourey, icludig a 2.5 hour uphill climb of 800 metres. The walk cotiues through forests ad alog ridges, the path ascedig ad descedig, util we reach the top, from where we see the sea. The trail the desceds to the Nachi Taisha shrie, the Seigato-ji temple, ad the spectacular Nachi-o-Otaki waterfalls, which are the highest i Japa ad a uforgettable sight. Those who do ot wish to walk this sectio ca travel o local buses to Nachi. Our fial walk today is 6.4 kilometres dow hill to Futarakusaji, from where we take a very short trai ride to Kii Katsuura ad a moder hotel complex with more ose baths. Japaese resort hotel up to 24km Japaese i approximately 21km with optioal bus trasfer after 14km Day 8: Retur to Kasai airport / depart Today ejoy a leisurely breakfast ad trasfer by trai to Kasai airport i the afteroo to depart for Australia. breakfast provided EPWORTH MEDICAL FOUNDATION [ 5 ]

6 Helpig cacer patiets with every kilometre By takig part i the EMF Kumao Kodo trek, you will ot oly ejoy the adveture of a lifetime: you will also be helpig to give vital support to hudreds of cacer patiets. Ofte, you will fid yourself walkig with past cacer-patiets, their loved oes, urses, surgeos ad specialists, because all of these people uderstad just how importat their support will be to other patiets ad families battlig cacer right ow. Cacer is the leadig cause of death i Australia, ad aother 128,000 ew cases are diagosed every year. A cacer diagosis is a truly frighteig time for patiets ad those who love them. It is a time of turmoil ad ucertaity, reachig ito every corer of life, from the emotioal to the social, ad the physical to the fiacial. Kumao Kodo was everythig that I expected it to be ad much much more. The trek was challegig at times but at the same time rewardig beyod words such a stuig walk full of history, breathtakig sceery ad magical little stops. The kidess ad hospitality of the local people was truly amazig. As a food lover, I will also eed to metio the delicious Japaese food. It is all local Japaese food o the trek the fabulous multi-course diers are a welcome sight after a log day of hikig, as are the rejuveatig ose baths. I ca t wait to go back! Heii Haapajarvi At a time like this, you desperately wat to kow that you ca get the best possible care, ad that is exactly what this trek helps Epworth provide. Epworth offers the most advaced ad comprehesive cacer facilities i Australia: Victoria s oly private provider of stereotactic radiatio therapy ad radiosurgery The first hospital i Australia to itroduce Calypso radiatio techology for cacer patiets The first hospital i Victoria to itroduce scalp-coolig to help breast cacer patiets keep their hair durig chemotherapy [ 6 } EPWORTH MEDICAL FOUNDATION A complete oe stop shop for world-class cacer care, from diagosis to treatmets, surgery, recostructive surgery, rehabilitatio ad ogoig care

7 Reserve your place o this adveture To take part i this extraordiary adveture alog Japa s Kumao Kodo pilgrimage route, you simply eed to meet a miimum fudraisig target of $6150. This covers all the costs of your trip, icludig airfares, ad provides vital fudig to cacer patiets at Epworth. Of course, we wo t stop you from raisig more tha this amout! You ca be cofidet that every cet will be used to help cacer patiets.cacer patiets. There are two ways to pay for your adveture: [1] Simply pay for it yourself, as you would ay other holiday (although this will be a LOT more memorable tha ay other holiday!). If you do so, $2500 of this cost will be tax deductible. [2] Fudraise some or all of the amout. Whe you do so, ay doatios that others make towards your challege will be tax deductible. If you d like to fudraise for your trip but do t kow where to start, our professioal fudraisers will provide you with the support ad resources to make it easy ad stress-free. Iclusios Retur airfares from Melboure to Kasai Twi share accommodatio at hotels ad guesthouses o trek (5 ights) Accommodatio at Kyoto Hotel (2 ights) Daily dier durig trek Meals as idicated i itierary i Kyoto Trai passes ad all trai trasfers Eglish speakig local guide throughout Luggage trasfers o Kumao Kodo trek Private bus trasfers from Kii Katsuura to Kasai airport Not icluded Air taxes Register ow Get started today To joi this challege today, or for further iformatio o this challege or fudraisig ideas o how to reach your target, please cotact the Epworth Medical Foudatio: Jaye Coates o phoe or Jaye.coates@epworth.org.au or Kathlee Lambrick o phoe or Kathlee.lambrick@epworth.org.au To sig up for this adveture please complete the form overleaf with your cotact details ad retur together with your $500 deposit to the Epworth Medical Foudatio. EPWORTH MEDICAL FOUNDATION [ 7 ]

8 make a differece today Yes! I would like to take part i Epworth s Kumao Kodo Trek 2015 (tick box) 1-10 April April 2016 I am uable to take part, please accept my taxdeductible doatio to the cause Name:... Address:... Telephoe: Date of Birth:... Eclosed is my o-refudable deposit of $500 Doatio of $... towards the cause Made by: Eclosed cheque / moey order made payable to the Epworth Medical Foudatio Credit Card Mastercard Visa Amex Diers Card Number:... Expiry:... /... Cardholder:... Sigature:... Please retur registratio ad deposit to: Epworth Medical Foudatio Reply Paid Bridge Road RICHMOND VIC 3121 Disclaimer: I uderstad that I am participatig i this evet at my ow risk ad I will subsequetly provide evidece of my travel isurace. Epworth HealthCare will ot be held resposible or liable for ay loss, damage, delay or ijury, icludig death, that may result from my participatio i this evet. Tel Fax Emfevets@epworth.org.au Web emf.org.au/challeges Your support saves lives.