Shosanji Temple 12

August 25, 2024

Feb. 25

Today we are taking the path to temple 12. In our research, this temple is often mentioned as being one of the more difficult temples to reach because of its location. It is also early in the pilgrimage so one doesn’t have their legs in shape. A word that is used to describe this temple is Korogashi. The meaning of the this word is “where pilgrims fall down”. One story is told that in the olden days if a pilgrim fell down and died they would be buried where they fell. Their white clothing would become a burial shroud. We have been told by several Japanese people to be very careful on this trail.

We awoke to rain pouring on the roof of the guest house. Two things to be thankful this morning were that we didn’t have to pack up a wet tent nor carry our backpacks up the mountain. Our host provided as an osetti breakfast meaning there was no charge and it was a gift to us. More about osetti later. Our guest host whose name is Masuda-san provided us with his telephone number and said to reach out to him if we have any problems. We packed some items in a light backpack, grabbed our umbrellas and headed out the door. We walked back up to Temple 11 and as our host described it walk out the backdoor of this temple and you will find the path to 12.

We found the path and were surrounded by forests. The day was overcast and most likely going to remain like that for the rest of the day. There are good views of the valleys below, but we wouldnt’t see them today.

The leaves were just beginning to bud out.

When we get to the location of the temple we will have climbed over 3000 feet.

It was nice to have these boards making steps on the path.

We came upon a spring that was said to bave been used by Kobo Dashi.

It was good place to fill water bottles.

Another memorial along the way had a straw Sandal. This was the footwear that early pilgrims wore,

As the path continued upward, we passed thru thick forests.

With more rain falling, the trail became slippery and we were careful not to experience Korogashi.

There were many old stone statues along the trail.

It definitely gave us a feeling for what it must have been like when the pilgrims many years ago made their way up to the temple

About half way up we came upon a large statue of Kobo Dashi and a rest area for pilgrims.

We took a rest break here to check out some of the memorials. We wish we could read the words on the stone sculptures.

As we continued along the trail, we walked thru Bamboo forests.

We were glad that the wind wasn’t blowing.

As we neared the top, the pathway had numerous statues beside the trail.

Before reaching the gate to the temple, we walked along a pathway that had an array of stone lanterns similar to Koyasan.

And then we saw the gate to Shosanji, Temple number 12

Not sure if it was the weather or if it was early in the day. The only people here were the the two men from France who were at the same guest house last night.

Some of the buildings are over 1000 years old. There are cedar trees that surround the temple and have been thought to have protected the buildings from lightning strikes.

Don and I found a vending machine that had both hot tea and coffee. This was not the day to do much exploring of the grounds.The rain conintued to fall and at this elevation, it was cold.

It was all down hill to our accommodations tonight. We got confused trying to follow the arrows and our maps, but eventually the correct path was found and downward we went. Part of doing this trail is getting lost so they say. The trail was steep going down and the trail was slippery. We were glad when we reached the bottom and walked a road to our lodging for the night. We are staying at Sudachin tonight. The host speaks English and gives us a tour of the house. Don and I have an upstairs room. I can easily wear the inside slippers provided, but Don has to take them off when going up stairs If not he will be known as Korogashi, the pilgrim who fell down. Clark, who we met the first day arrives a little later. It is fun to catch up with him. Our next days are not long days and he is going to be on the move. We decided to keep in touch and he will let us know what he discovers. Another Japanese woman called Tomo who is in the room across from us is doing the route in reverse this year. She will soon complete the route. Her English is excellent and she provides us with great information and also as a contact if we have any problems. She is a guide for places in Japan and has led groups on parts of this trail. She told us that when we are near Temple 77 to get in contact with her and she will give us Osetti. Osetti is the gift that people give you on the pilgrimage. You need to take it and shouldn’t refuse it. You are a representative of Kobo Dashi so in reality it is a gift to him. We were given forks tonight along with chopsticks. Don and I are beginning to think that chopsticks may be in our future. They definitely make one slow down while eating.

Acommadation Sudachin

Miles hiked 8 (lots of elevation)

Dainichiji (13) , Shinto Shrine, Ancient Castle

August 24, 2024

Feb. 26

We had breakfast at 6:00 with 2 other pilgrims. There were 8 pilgrims staying here last night and since the dining room was small we ate in shifts. One of the services provided at this inn is taking your luggage to your next lodging free of charge. We like that offer. Our shins are adapting to walking on lots of pavements so giving them a day without our heavy packs is a good thing. After eating we all gathered to have some pictures taken. Tomo and I took photos inside then headed out.

We also took a photo of Clark who will be walking on ahead of us today. He looks great in all of his Henro attire.

The last phot we took was of an older Pilgrim who has done the pilgrimage many times. He was dressed in all white and was an excellent walker.

Clark walked with us for awhile before hiking on. We were only visiting one temple and he had 3 or 4 that he was going to see. The pass today was only 1500 feet.

Always enjoyable to walk thru the woods.

When we reached the top, we could look down the valley to see the river at the bottom that we were going to cross.

Many houses were scattered alongside a very narrow road. We continued down a winding road to get to the bottom where we crossed on a concrete dam.

We are using guide books with maps and the Henro Helper to stay on route. We are always happy to see a sign like the one below to confirm we are on the right path. We are also happy to see one of the three main convenience stores that we can replenish our food supplies. Today though we had another surprise when we passed a small French bakery called Fugi. The bakery goods were supreme. We will be on the look out for more of these.

At an indoor rest area. a man who had stayed with us last night stopped in for a break. We did some communicating with our google app. He was surprised that we were older than him. He called Don and he the Old Man pilgrims. He was only going to Temple 23 which is all the temples in the Tokushima prefecture. He had recently retired and this is the one thing that he was looking forward to after retiring. On the table inside the rest areas were fluorescent belts that you could tie on your packs. They will make us more visible when hiking the roads. We both took one and commented how thoughtful that was. Our new friend, like Clark is visiting more temples than us today. We say our good-byes. By early after noon we are near our lodging and temple 13. With plenty of time on hand we take our time to visit some of the places nearby.

The first one is a Shinto temple that sits opposite of Temple 13. The name of the shrine is Ichinomiya-Jinja. It has many things to look at including rocks and a horse sculpture.

Going thru the entrance. The temple is not in great repair, but definitely worthwhile to look around.

We were intrigued by the large bells hanging on the ropes in front of the temple. They remind us of the bells that some people carry on their staff.

This reminded us of the lanterns we saw in Koyasan . It seemed ancient. So did the bridge across a small creek

We crossed the street and headed to Dainichiji. (13)

There were many things to check out here and since we had plenty of time we used it to take it all in. We are thanking the host from Ovelda 11 who made our accommodations. Otherwise I think we might have made a push today to see more temples.

After one bows at the gate and walks up the stairs they are greeted by the “Kannon of Joy”

In one hand she has a lotus flower and in the other one a handful of smiles.

These little doll Henroes were placed around the temple.

We also like the sculpture of the praying hands.

Our last stop of the day is Ichinomya Castle that was built in 1325 There is a brochure at the bottom explaining the history and that one should be prepared to climb up a lot of steps We were glad that the day was cool. The remains of the castle are located on the top of a mountain with 360 degree views all around. It is easy to see why this location was selected. Enemies would be in plain view for quite awhile. In a warmer season this looks like a popular place to visit.

We can’t even imagine the effort that went into building this castle.

Time to head to our lodging. Our packs are sitting inside the door and an older woman greets us. She shows us to our room and tells us that she will ready the bath for us. After that dinner will be served.

There is only one other pilgrim here. He is an older gentleman that seemed to be having difficulty when walking. He is being taken by taxi to visit the temples. Dinner was served with the usual menu of pickled vegetables, miso soup, rice and fish dishes. It was a relaxing day and our feet and shins recovered.

Accommodation Kadoka ryokan hotel

Miles walked 11

Temples 14-17, Shinto Shrine, Tokushima

August 23, 2024

Feb.27

Our breakfast was served in a dining room with the host watching us while we ate. It was the usual rice, miso soup and pickled vegetables. There was a whole fish fried, a piece of salmon and battered shrimp. Don was excited to dig in, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the fish. Occasionally the host would turn to watch TV and at that moment the fish on Don’s plate grew larger. By the time breakfast was over, both of our plates were clean. In the future, if we can we are going to try to share one bowl of rice. We are now carrying our full backpacks. It has been nice the last two days to give our feet and back a reprieve.

Jorakuji (14) is a little over a mile away and we will be walking on the streets. We have tied our green florescent belt on to the back of our pack. Japanese drivers are very courteous to walkers and it is appreciated. When we arrived to the temple we were mostly by ourselves. This small temple is built on rocks. It didnt take us long to check it out and complete the rituals.

Temple 15 Kokubunji was only a 1/2 mile away. This is another temple run by Zen Buddhists . It is also on the outskirts of the city and blends in on the street. We saw the top of the temple from the street then went into check it out.

Most of the Temples are very neat and well cared for. We are amazed when we look into the main Hondo and the Dashido. They are all so different and elegant.

Kannonji (16) is another small temple.

The colored wooden display under the roof added to the beauty of the temple.

To get to the temples today sometimes involved getting away from the streets and walking on paths thru the fields.

Lots of work goes into maintaining the fields.

The last temple that we visited today was Idoji (17)

We are inside the temple grounds looking out the gate. We usually leave our backpacks near one of the benches. before exploring the ground.

This photo below shows the cabinet that holds the candles that we light.

The two candles burning are the ones we put there. From the amount of candles burning, it wasn’t a busy day here.

There is a pink vase displayed here called Eternal Blossom. It was designed by the well known sculpture Kano Tomorhiro. It is said to memorialize the souls of the dead. It was so delicate and beautiful as the light shone thorough it.

The temple is also famous for a well which is inside a little house. The saying is that if you see your reflection in the well you will have good luck. We both saw our reflection so we are feeling pretty lucky. The next stop is to our lodging, however as we were walking down the street, a colorful Shinto shrine bade us to come in.It was one of the most colorful displays that we have seen so far.

A row of umbrellas were in from of the main hall.

A man with the typical Japanese broom was sweeping the sidewalk

We are appreciating all of the signs praying for peace.

Another colorful display

The orange arches are the signs that this is a Shinto Shrine

Now we are ready to go find our lodging. We have reservations for tonight and tomorrow that was made by the host from Olevada 11. After this we will be on our own. On the way to the guest house we pass by a bakery and see this in the window. It was calling our name to try it and we did.

We head down the street walking past the JR station and numerous restaurants. We make a note of one that we would like to try for dinner. We are no longer in a rural area, we are in Tokushima

We find the street of our guest house and see this sign.

We are staying at Sakura So tonight. Sakura means cherry blossom. We ring a bell at the desk and a young man answers and after we tell him our name. He says that our room is ready.

First though we find a pair of indoor shoes. Good luck Don. We clack up the stairs to our room and take off our packs. Soon after there is a knock on the door and when we answer it an older women who has a plate of cookies and hot tea for us. She tells us that the bath will be ready for us shortly. Guess we will take a bath and then go out to dinner. This lodging does not provide meals.

Another Japanese rule that we have learned is about the bathroom shoes. When you enter the bathroom, you remove your indoor shoes and slip into the bathroom shoes. When you leave you make sure that the shoes are pointing in, ready for the next person. We thought that it was appropriate that this bathroom shoes had cherry blossoms on them.

After the bath and feeling really clean, we headed out to find food for the night. We saw one that offered beef curry. After eating lots of fish meals we were ready for a different taste. It was another learning curve as we learned how to use a machine to order dinner and pay for it. When you walked in the door, there was a ticket machine with food items displayed. You selected the one you wanted and pushed a button. The cost of the meal would show and you would put your money in a slot. After paying for it out came a ticket with your number on it. Next was finding a booth and watching numbers come up on a screen, When your number came up you walked to the front and got your meal. There was a place to get water if you hadn’t selected another type of drink, After you finished there was a tray to put your dishes. It was impressive of how automated it was. Our next stop was a 7/11 store to use their ATM and buy a couple of items for tomorrow.

Our last and very important task once we got back to our room was to find lodging for day after tomorrow.. We had found the name of Panda House that had some potential. One of the descriptions said that English was spoken. We called and ended up talking to two different people. We repeated the message to both of them several times that we were looking for a room not tomorrow, but the day after.. For several minutes they would ask the same question and we would answer with the same statement. We weren’t sure that we were making our need known. I am sure if someone was listening in, there would have been some laughter. Finally in our best slow English we think we got the point across that we would see them not tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow.

Great day and we are ready to snuggle into our sheets and go to sleep.

Accommodation Sakura So

Miles walked 12

Onzanji (18) Tatsuegi(19)

August 22, 2024

Feb.28

We both fell into a deep sleep last night.. We are enjoying experiencing the futon on the floor. For breakfast this morning we decided to go to a French bakery located in the train station. We have stopped there several times and have never been disappointed. The only challenge is limiting yourself to what you really need. Everything looks so good and it seems they keep bringing out trays of newly baked goods. We grabbed a couple items for the walk today and headed back to get our backpacks.

For the next mile and half we will be walking on city streets. It is a weekday and the streets are crowded. Most bicyclists and there are plenty of them share the sidewalk with us. Most are school age students heading to school. It is fun to check out all the different uniforms. We especially like the younger age children who have great hats for their grade level.

We haven’t seen many campers or vans so it was interesting when we passed by this show room. We have mainly been on very small streets which would be hard for a larger motor vehicle to use.

After being on the flat city streets, it was nice to get away from all of the noise and head up to the temple. It seems like a lot of temples are located on a hill often surrounded by trees. It also seems like most of the temples have a good number of stairs involved to reach them.

A couple things at this temple that stood out to us was the large statue of Kobo Dashi and many small Buddha statues.

The bell tower was also unique.

We took a break after spending some time here and had some lunch from the bakery. Then it was walking to Temple 19. We were glad to be back in a rural area again. The path took us thru a bamboo forest and then on to a smaller road,

It seemed at one time the bamboo trees were harvested as there were rusty conveyor belts that could remove the trees. We were glad the wind wasn’t blowing as it felt like in a windstorm it would be like walking thru a game of pick up sticks. The Henro trail took us right by a barn yard that had cows with huge horns inside the barn. We have been fascinated by the route. Often there are several options. One route tends to take more of a wilderness path.. We often try to do that trail, unless we have been warned that is is in bad shape. Eventually our trail comes out of the forest and onto a small paved road. In a nearby field we notice almost a dozen wind vanes that are made using animal shapes.

As we are watching the animals move in the wind. A man on a motorcycle going in the opposite direction stops and comes across the road to talk to us. He speaks a little English and we understand what he is saying. He told us that he was a Buddhist and that when we visit the temples and pray that we should pray for peace. We agree and will make that one a priority when we visit the temples.

We pass by a unique rest area. This one was built by the Henro Goya project that is a privately funded project that builds open rest huts along the route.

Rest areas are often noted by the red Henro figure.

Our next stop is Tatsueji (19)

Colorful banners hang over the entrance gate.

This temple also had many origami shapes of cranes which are a peace symbol

Next door to the temple was a fruit and vegetable shop. Soon we are eating ripe strawberries and crunchy carrots.

Further down the street was a table with a box of oranges, offering then to pilgrims.

The next stretch of highway was busy and not much berm. Glad we had our fluorescent green belts on. Finally we reached a small town that holds an annual doll festival. The hall where the festival and displays of dolls wasn’t real close, but most of the stores had displays of dolls in front of them.

The displays were so colorful. Nearby was a parking lot filled with cars and a sign promoting the beginning of the cherry blossom season.

In a couple of weeks there is a prediction that the cherry blossom season will be in full force.

On the other side of the town is where we are staying for the night. We know we are getting close when neighbors of the host start pointing the way. A woman appears behind a fence and shows us the way to her house. She is very welcoming and uses a translator to speak into to give us directions. First she show us our room.

After she served us a cup of tea, it was time for a bath. She and her husband have both been to all of the temples. A beautiful scroll showing the names of the temple was in our room.

Dinner was served at 6 and it was a 5 star. We had never tasted a battered shrimp so fresh.

She kept a running conversation with us while we were eating using the translator.

After dinner she tried to explain the difference between white rice and brown rice.

There was a lot of laughter as we realized that the translator was not correct.

Her son in law and grand daughter stopped to say hi.

Her daughter had helped to cook the delicious meal. By 8 we were ready for bed.

Accommadation Milan no Yada

Miles walked 16

Kakurinji(20),Tairyuji(21)Byodoji(22(

August 21, 2024

Feb.29

We heard noises in the kitchen at 5 as the food preparation for breakfast at 6 began. Our hosts, daughter had come into help. It was a delicious breakfast consisting of miso soup, pickled veggies, salad, eggs and ham, yogurt with fruit and nato(fermented soy beans)

We love the small quantites and the varieties of food that are served. Our host also gave us as osettai( rice wrapped in seaweed) for lunch today. There are not any food sources today so we are carrying food that we purchased yesterday. we appreciate the rice as well.

The path between Temples 20 and 21 is known as another hard hike. Along with the hike to temple 12 this section is also known as a Korogashi (where pilgrims fall down) in other words travel carefully. We wave good by to our very hospitable host.

We start out on pavement, but then turn and head up on a steep trail.

As we travel upwards, the view below us opens up. After climbing to the top of this mountains and visiting the temple we will then head down to the valley and up the other side.

At a little over midway, we came upon this map of the trail. It shows the trail that we will take to the next temple.

The faint white line is our trail to temple 21

We continue up a very steep trail appreciative of the built ins wooden steps. When we reach the top there are a number of volunteers working on the trail. This temple is known for having volunteers to help keep up the temple.

When we reached the top of the stairs and noticed a man sweeping near the gate. He gave us a big smile and we recognized him as the son in law of the host that we had stayed with last night. He must be one of the volunteers as well.

When we came to the gate, we noticed that there was something different about the two deities that are usually found on both sides. This temple has cranes on both sides of the gate.

We walked thru the very clean path to the main buildings.

Old cedar trees and old buildings make up the Temple grounds. The main hall was built in 1604.

Cranes were placed throughout the Temple grounds. Two bronze crane statues were situated on both sides of the main hall. There was also a linen cloth with a crane drawn on it.

Again we appreciate the variety of the temples. It is so easy to see why the Japanese people return time after time to visit here. We met a couple of non-japanese pilgrims who are going to be at our lodging tonight. They thought that the climb to this temple was difficult. They were both smoking cigarettes that probably didn’t help. One of them has a sore knee and may take a bus instead of hiking. We will talk more with them tonight.

Time to head down the steep trail to the river. We both thought the trail down was steeper than the way up.

Tomo had told us about this route and we were glad that we took it.

We made it to the bottom and crossed the bridge. Apparently in the olden days of walking this trail, there was no bridge.

When we reached the other side the climb up began. We were surprised to find that most of the trail was paved.

We were so surprised when we encountered a vehicle on this road coming down the mountain. We had to hug the cliff when it passed us. There was a very steep drop off on the other side. Glad to say there was no incident from the encounter.

Temple 21 Tairyuji This temple is one of the most visited due to the fact that you can take a cable car to here and avoid the hike.

We spent quite a bit to time exploring all the different memorials and buildings scattered throughout the mountain top.

Often the main halls are covered by a lattice that you can look thru to check out the elaborate inside. No photos are allowed.

The rain began falling and the temperature was dropping. Don headed over to the office to get his book signed. The head monk signed his book and when he found out that we were from Alaska, he came out to take our picture. We got one of him as well.

He told us that a rain storm was coming and we should get off the Mountain as soon as possible. On our way down, not to far from the temple we should take some small side trails to see some sculptures. There were both impressive, but the one of Kobo Dashi sitting looking over the valley was amazing.

We thought we were going to see the Kobo Dashi statue, but came to this one first.

On the other side was Kobo Dashi,

Th statue was looking over the mountains.

Great view, but the rain was coming so we didn’t stay long.

Before we got to the bottom, the skies opened up and the rain poured. We had our umbrellas out as well as putting on our rain jacket and rain pants.

A rest area on the way down gave us a little respite from the rain.

We were on the move. we wanted to get to Byodoji (22) before it closes and still arrive to our guest house tonight. We picked up our pace and arrived to the Temple. We were struck by the colorful banner going from the gate to the main temple.

This one has the deities on both sides of the gate. One always has their mouth open and one has their mouth closed.

We thought that the banner was for a special occasion, but it is always up.

The colors at the main hall match the colors of the banner.

By now, we are wet and ready to find the Panda House. We have vague directions and head to the general area. Then we see a huge panda painted on the side of a house. This has to be it. We are hoping are telephone calls two days ago resulted in a reservation. We knocked on the door and found out, yes they were waiting for us. We went to a garage to take off our very wet outer clothing. The two guys that we had met at temple 20 had arrived shortly. before us. There was a hot bath waiting for us and soon our cold bodies were warm. Dinner was served soon afterwards. It seemed to be a combination of western and Japanese food. There was a lot of it and we finally said we were full.

The two guys thought our packs looked big, and when we explained we had camping gear with us, they were somewhat surprised, When they stayed with someone in Tokushima at the start of the trip, theywere recommended to leave camping gear behind and they did. We are hoping that iour gear will give us flexibility when we get to more rural areas and there are designated campsites. I guess we will find out.

Accommodation : Panda House

Miles Hiked 14 miles

Yakuoji (23)

August 20, 2024

March 1

We awoke to a breakfast is ready call at 6 and joined the other two Henoes. Like last night our host wanted to keep giving us more food. The white container above the tomatoes is nato. It isn’t our favorite food, but we are learning to like it and we figure anything fermented should be good for you.

Last night we slept in a western style bed, listening to the rain hitting the roof. This morning the sun is our and we are ready to begin our hike. Temple 23 will be at the end of the hike today. Our host wanted to make sure that we didn’t get confused going thru the town so he drew us a map.

He retrieved our shoes. When we took them off last night they were wet and very muddy. He had cleaned and dried them. We need to pass on the kindness we have been shown.

Today’s walk will take us over several passes and down to the coast. First though we follow the map that he has drawn thru the streets of the town. At a street corner we were greeted by a woman who almost seemed like she was waiting for us. She had a big smile on her face as she handed us two rolls of bread and said osettai. She spoke no English and about all we could say was arigato gozaimasu (thank-you) We have been carrying stickers from Alaska and some are pictures of the Northern Lights We handed her one and she motioned for us to stay while she went into her house. She returned with a little green drawstring bag which she gave to us and said Osettai. That was a great way to start the morning. We stopped at a rest area before heading up to the pass. We also got to experience going thru tunnels today. From some of our readings, one should always use caution when walking thru a tunnel. These however had sidewalks and were lit. Not bad! They are noisy with traffic noises echoing along the walls. We picked up our pace to get thru the tunnels faster.

The benches are in a circle, not a good place to take a nap.

A friendly figure telling us we are on the right path.

The trail was a bit overgrown as we headed up to the pass.

Sometimes these are words of encouragement, other times just stating that this is the Pilgrimage Trail.

There is a sign pointing to a view point that is off trail. With a clear blue sky day it seems that is the place to go.

Not only was the view stunning, there was a swing there as well to use while looking at the ocean.

We both took turns. When we arrived to the view point we met a Henro from England called Connie. She was doing a year of travel and falling in love with Japan. She has been visiting extra temples along the way called Bekkaku. There are 20 of them. Some of them are close to the 88 route and others will take a day more to travel to visit them. We plan to see couple of them.

Connie is staying in the same town that we are going to, but not the same guest house.Not sure if our paths will cross again. She takes our photo as well.

This day is such a contrast from yesterday when we were wearing most of our clothes and the rain was dumping.

Eventually we had to give up the swing and move on to town. The trail takes us down to the coast and the path varies from walking on nature trails or on pavement. This part of the trail is going to be scenic! In the distance we can see the temple. We know there is a lot of stairs there and it would be nice to leave our packs somewhere before arriving there. Almost on cue a woman across the street who has a white vest on, asks if we are going to the guest house. There are several guest houses so we say yes and the name of it is Oyado Hiwasa. She said, “I am staying there as well, it is down this street and you should leave your packs there before going to the temple. “ I guess that was Kobo Dashi looking out for us. We head to the guest house and meet the owner. We can put our packs in our room and head to the temple. The male owner is from France and his wife is Japanese. They both speak English which is always helpful. They have remodeled the house, but have kept the design as close to possible as the original. Since the temple closes at 5, we head to it, but plan on talking more to the owners about lodging for the next several night when we return.

On the way to the temple we see this painting on the side of the building.

It is a warning about tsunamis! We are going to be in an area that they could occur.

Yakuoji, is a well visited temple. It is also the last one in the Tokushima prefecture. The next temple that we visit will be in the Kochi prefecture. It is known for all the stairs that lead to the different buildings, We enter the gate.

There are stairs for females as well as males. I begin the ascent on the female side.

Some steps take you to the main hall. Other steps take you to a single tower that is square on top and cylindrical on the bottom. It is supposed to show the harmony between Earth and Heaven.

An interesting observation was seeing money that people put on the steps as they climbed to the various buildings.

An older women near one of the halls approached us and began bowing to us. She spoke a little English and said that she had seen us walking on the road. She was very animated and gave us several pieces of candy for osettai.

We had a long conversation with the owner on our return to the guest house. When we told him that we had a tent, he said that we should have no problem camping for the next three nights. We are looking forward to that. This guest house doesn't serve meals, but there was an excellent restaurant near by. We meet Andreas from Germany who is staying in the same guest house.We agree that it was a five star. After dinner we headed over to an ice cream store to have a fitting end for the day.

The room we stayed in had thin walls, but we were either too tired to hear our neighbors or they were very quiet.

Accommodation GH Oyado Hiwasa

Miles walked 15

Next temple in 50 miles

August 19, 2024

March 2

We were up by 5:30 and after a breakfast of bread and jam provided by our hosts we headed down the road. We had debated about which route to take, one that was off the pavement or one following a lesser used road. Our host convinced us to take Highway 147, he thought it was about 4km longer but not much traffic. The route that took you off pavement in places, had some major areas washed away. We took his advice and headed out. The sun on the Temple Tower made the tower seem that it was glowing.

Great view of the Tower sitting about the town

Japan is serious about the cherry blossoms. Even the lampposts were cherry themed

On the out skirts of town we saw the sign that indicated the next couple of days were going to be just hiking.( 76km =50 miles)

During this next section, we will be leaving the Tokushima prefecture and heading into the Kochi Prefecture, Kochi prefecture stands for Ascetic Training. I guess it begins by having us walk 50 miles before stopping at a temple. We have checked out some camping spots for the next couple of days and are looking forward to that. Our hosts from last night told us that camping on the beach is allowed. We have also been told that if a rest area has a bathroom and one gets permission from the surrounding houses, it could be okay. to spend the night there. All property in Japan is private so one needs to use their judgement about where to camp. Some rest areas with bathrooms are not near houses so I guess we will use our best judgment if we decide to camp. The temperature is a good for walking. We pull off at a view area and check out another example of cherry blossoms.

Blossoms were painted on the pavement. We keep seeing buds on trees so know that we won't have long to wait for the bloom.

When we came to another sign stating the distance to the next temple. It seemed that the road we took was more like 6 miles longer than the busy highway route. We figured that the peace of our quiet highway was worth it.

We enjoyed seeing this sign and also enjoyed knowing that we are near Lawson’s a convenience store.

There are three main convenience stores. Lawsons. FamilyMart and 7/11. We quickly learned that the convenience stores in Japan have a lot more choices than most of the small stores in the United States. They provided a lot of our lunch and snack meals. If we were camping then they provided a good source of food.

This Lawson had indoor seating as well. There were two older gentleman there that wanted to start a conversation. Don pulled out his phone and found the talking translate app. they wanted to know where we were from. They wanted to tell Don that he looked like Steve McQueen. Another couple of young girls were getting a smoothie. They knew a little English and were excited when we told them we were from Alaska.

An older gentleman came in to get some coffee and when he saw us he immediately walked over to us and became way excited, waving his hands as he was talking to us. He spoke a little English and began telling us about himself. He had two sons that lived in Canada and he had walked the pilgrim trail several times. He was so happy that we were experiencing it. He went out to his car and brought in an article then he had the store make a copy of it.

We will translate it later using google translate. The main gist was that an 86 year old man had done the pilgrimage after his wife died and was overwhelmed by the kindness of the people he met. His name is Shigeru Saegusa and he continues to do pilgrimages. He has made and handed out over 7000 dolls hoping they will bring healing and happiness. He has also given these dolls to other people to give to pilgrims they meet. Our new friend, Takumi, has one to give to us.

It is about 2 inches tall and is hand crafted.

As we were leaving and figuring out which way to go another man in a car points to a road and motions. We appreciated all the help we are getting from local people. Meanwhile Takumi has gotten in his car and pulls along side of us. He says follow me and I will show you where the trail begins from the road.l He slows his car and we follow, soon we see the signs for the turn off. Takumi wants to take more pictures….creating memories for us.

The black route follows the road, the red one goes thru the woods. Takumi was adamant that we take the red route. We thank him and head down the trail. It was a fun encounter and most likely the only one we will have with him The trail heads up to a highpoint. When we arrived to an intersection and are ready to head back down, here comes Takumi. He motions for us to put down our packs and follow him higher. He wants to show us a view of the coast where we will be walking in a couple of days.

Takumi continues to walk with us, pointing out flowers and showing us which plants one can eat. We find out he has a site called Takumni Nature. It is obvious that he does indeed love nature . On the way down the trail we pass this small memorial.

We assume that these sandals were worn by pilgrims in the past.

We say good-by again to Takumi and he gets in his car and says” I hope you have great memories.” Back to walking on the pavement and checking out new things. One was a billboard of vehicles that not only can go on the road but also a train track.

Another interesting sculpture was this dragon. It was in front off a restaurant .

We are also seeing boats in harbors, protected by seawalls in case of tsunamis.

We see a sign for our campground and when we arrive to where we think it is. We find an open bathroom, but no office or any information about the campground. Then we see the Henro who stayed with us at the Panda House. He is walking towards us and stops to talk. He tells us that his friend took the the bus and he thought that he had made a reservation here, but he hadn’t. There was a hotel/spa at the end of the road. He found out that he has to walk another 5 miles. He wasn’t very happy. He thought that we could check in at the office for camping. We walked to the end of the road and there was the office.. They said it was 2000 yen for camping and to put our tent anywhere. We found a spot and then walked over to the sun setting over the mountains. We are happy to be using our tent tonight.

Spot with running water and clean heated bathrooms.

Accommodation Isaribinomori Campground

Miles hiked 20

No Temples, highway walking

August 18, 2024

March 3

Last night it was great to sleep in our tent snuggled in our sleeping bags. The morning was frosty so we had to smile when we headed to the bathroom and sat on heated toilet seats. We walked up to a view point behind the tent and watched the sun rise. A great way to start the morning. Today’s walk is straight forward. We will be walking on highway 55 till we reach our destination for the night. On the way we stop at a 7/11 for breakfast. One can buy a cup of frozen fruit and make a smoothie in a machine. It is a great find. The food selection is great and after resupplying for the day we are back on the highway again.

We are walking thru towns that are adjacent to the ocean. We notice that there are quite a few of these signs.

We also notice these structures that are close to the water.

Japan is known for being in the pathways of tsunamis so they have put a lot of money towards infrastructure to save people’s lives. Along the sidewalk are also signs telling us how many meters one is about the water line. Another thing we have observed is that three times a day there is an announcement over a loud speaker. Sometimes there is singing and other times there is an announcement. We wonder if it is to be sure everything is in working condition if there is a dangerous situation. We make note of the various evacuation paths and structures.

When we walk thru a small town, we notice a store that looks like it might have oranges for sale. It is the season and the ones we have had are delicious. The door is open so we walk in. No one is in the front so we say konichiwa and an older women comes to the front. She seems surprised to see us but after communicating we would like to buy some oranges she writes down a price and we pay for a bag. She then hands us three oranges for osettai. We eat them in the store. They were so good. We continue our walk stopping at a rest area and sharing some oranges with another Henro.

The walk continues until we see a man who looks familiar coming towards us. It is Takumi, the Japanese man that we met yesterday. He is carrying a shopping bag and motions for us to turn around and go a short distance back to a rest area in the shade. He asks,”Do you like surprises?” Of course “we say” and he proceeds to take out a package wrapped in brown paper. While we are eating our surprise , he hands us a paper that he wrote on. It said that yesterday he was sorry that he had taken up so much of our time. We assured him that he hadn’t and that we enjoyed our encounter yesterday.

After we have eaten it and confirmed that it was tasty. He tells us that it was Takoyaki. (Octopus in a batter) Then he pulls another item out of his shopping bag wrapped in newspaper.

This one we know. It is an ice cream bar covered with a cone material. This was also much appreciated.

He walks with us for awhile, pointing out plants and wanting us to taste them.

We said good-by again to Takumi wondering if he will show up again. We notice that there is a temple marked on our map that is not associated with the 88 temples, so we decide to check it out. We didn’t have any success, but did see a small shrine up on a hillside in a cave. Later we learned that this area was a place for meditation.

The next stop for the day would hopefully be our camping location. We head heard that Riders Paradise would allow one to camp there. We saw the brightly colored building and turned in.

A group of motorcyclists were sitting in a circle having a drink. The sign made sense to us. The owner saw us and came over to talk. He spoke English which for us is always appreciated. He showed us where to camp which had a view of the ocean. We responded “Perfect” He also asked if we would like dinner and our response was “yes” Dinner was served at 6. We soon discoverd that our host was a surfer, a motorcyclist. and a lover of vintage vehicles. He had spent time surfing in the states where he learned his English. He talked to us while we ate. He was joined with some of the 10 cats that live here. All of the cats come when called by their names. It was impressive.

His wife cooked the meal which was delicious. Plus the wood stove made it cozy.

While we were eating, we asked him to make a couple of calls to some lodging possibilities for tomorrow night. The first one he called he said no thank you. He explained that they wanted way to much money. That sure was nice of him..The second one sounded good and we have a home for tomorrow. After eating he asked if we would like to check out the three story build that was opposite of the office. Of course we said yes. It was way more than what we expected. It was three floors of cars and motorcycles that were in various stages of repair or completely restored.

The first floor

The next floor.

The last floor seemed to have the motorcycles that were almost finished. One day he hopes to have a restaurant on this floor. Scattered thru out the floors were other items of a vintage era.

We had a feeling that these items might belong to him.

He told us that he was going to keep the wood stove going till 8 and we were welcome to sit by the fire. That sounded great so more good conversation and being warm before heading off to our tent.

We fell asleep recalling all of the amazing things that happened to us today.

Accommodation : Camping at Riders Paradise

Miles hiked 18