March 24
The rain continued all night and was pouring as we looked out the window this morning. Don was working on taxes and after some frustrating moments, happy to say that we have an extension. We headed down to breakfast and had another delicious buffet with a good variety of food. We each took a small bowl of rice and were determined to use our chopsticks to get the last grain of rice out of the bowl. The table next to us was filled with Japanese people that were getting quite the kick out of watching us use chopsticks. I think they would have given us a standing ovation when the last grain of rice was taken out of the bowl. Around 9:30 we couldn’t delay our departure any longer. So with full rain gear and umbrellas up we headed out into the elements, trying to avoid the many streams flowing down the sidewalks and streets. Today is going to be pavement only walking so we are prepared to getting splashed.
High above the town is Ozu Castle. With the rain still pouring we decided to walk on and just look at it from afar. We also took note of the colorful man cover. Don has now started an album of man covers and is getting quite a few of them
We passed a group of boats that we weren’t sure if they were for tourists or if they were used for fishing.
It was mostly flat walking today so by early afternoon we had arrived to our hotel. We were relieved when they told us we could check in. We washed our socks that were quite filthy from all the rain and the puddles that we had walked thru. The rain has finally slowed down and is mainly just a slight drizzle. We headed down to Eitokuji Temple which is one of the 20 Bekkau temples. This temple was destroyed in 2018 and in 2020 was started to be rebuilt.
This is definitely one of the most modern temples we have visited. One of the notable things about this temple is it is located near a bridge that Kobo Daishi slept under during his travels. Over 1000 years when Kobo Daishi visited this area there was no lodging for the night so he slept under a nearby earthen bridge. Near the temple there is a statue of Kobo Daishi sleeping under the bridge.
There is a bridge that you can walk across and then walk down a flight of stairs to where Kobo Daishi laid. Even the bridge has Kobo Daishi on it.
Down under the bridge are several memorials to Kobo Daishi. One statue is even covered with warm blankets.
One thing that we have read about and actually do is not to use our trekking poles or staff when we cross a bridge. One may waken a sleeping Kobo Daishi.
It hasn’t been a long hiking day, but it has been a very wet one. Time to go check out some restaurants. The first one we look at is a sushi restaurant. It is busy and we are not sure we understand the process of how to order the food. It seems to be totally automated. Not ready for the challenge we head to a restaurant called Joyful. This is a chain restaurant as we have noticed them in other towns. The menu is colorful with lots of pictures. It is easy to point and order. Pizza and steak dinner were our choices. Followed by an ice cream Sundae. We were treated well and enjoyed eating here. Back to our hotel to plan the next couple of days. Our hotel is called Super and when we see that we have a choice of pillows to take to our room, we can see how it got its reputation.
Accommodation Super Hotel
Miles hiked 12