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 on the rocks.
Each temple is unique.
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.
The gate was right off of the street.
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.
It was as tasty as it looked.
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