Hotsumisakiji (24)

July 30, 2024

March 4

Our tent glowed as the sun rose and we greeted the new day.

The waves were restless last night and the noise hitting the shore kept us awake for part of the night. No complaints, we love the feel of the fresh air. We packed up and headed over to have breakfast in the office with the owners and the 10 cats. The cats are all kept inside at night and were lounging on the chairs when we arrived. The fire was going and warmed us up. Our breakfast was eggs and toast, felt very American. We have become fond of the Japaneses bread. It was a chilly morning, but the sun will soon be up and the day will become warm. The three story building holding all of the items has amazed us. We are so glad that we had the time to just stop here and enjoy this place.

The contents of this building impressed us!

As we headed down the highway we were excited to visit the first temple in the Kochi prefecture. We also had an ongoing conversation about whether we would see Takumi today. It was anyone’s guess until we saw a Henro walking toward us and realized it was Takumi! He wanted to share more things with us and we were excited to learn more. Today he had parked his van further down the road and rode his bicycle to a rest area, where he left it and started walking till he found us.

The rocks behind Takumi are called the Meoto Rocks or married couple. They are significant in the Shinto relgion Takumi wanted to make sure that we spent some time here and he would tell us about them.

We have seen the rocks from a distance so it is nice to be closing in one them.

The rocks are connected by a thick rope. It must have been quite a climb to get the ropes around the rocks. Apparently there are other rocks similar to these rocks around Japan. Takumi interpreted a stone plaque for us.

It is such a blessing to learn so much about this place from a person who lives here.

We have a ways to go before the next stop and Takumi walks with us. He loves music and has a lot of songs recorded on his iPhone, Picture this….the three of us (70 plus year olds) walking down the side of the road singing Country Road by John Denver. We had one of John Denver’s songs sung at our wedding so having just passed the married couple rocks it seemed appropriate to be singing songs by John Denver. Takumi said that he wanted to practice his English so he has enjoyed walking with us. We want to learn some Japanese. Starting with the numbers from 1 to 10 is our goal. Whenever we pass a sign with a number we get quizzed .

With song singing and number learning the miles go quickly. We come to a rest area where Takumi has left his bike. He tells us about the tall white statue of Kobo Dashi that we will pass before arriving to the temple. He has a plan of meeting us at the bottom of the path leading up to the temple and then taking our packs in his van so we don’t have to walk with them up the steep trail. (sounds great to us). We say good-by and move towards the large white statute that we see in the distance, This isn’t a temple, but placed here as a memorial to where Kobo Dashi spent time meditating and became known as Kukai. Kukai means sky/water. There is a cave nearby that is reported to be where he spent time.

The first thing that we notice is the two deities aren’t in a wooden cubical. (like they are at most of the temple gates.) They are on both sides of the path way leading to the statue.

We follow the stairs ending at the statue.

The statue stands over 68 feet tall. I am standing at the foot of the statue,

There is also a large statue in a prone position behind Kobo Dashi.

We are almost to the trail leading up to the temple when Sylvia, from Quebec rides up behind us. We met here several days ago at the guest house in Hiwasa when she told us where to leave our packs. She had been planning this pilgrimage for several years and had to postpone it due to Covid. She is excited to be here. She wanted to do some of the trail by bike and was given a bike. (osettai) It functions except the brakes may not be perfect. There is a road to the temple, but it is steep and Sylvia is wondering if she should leave her bike at the trailhead and then walk back to get it. Then Takumi pulls up in his van. He solves her dilemma. He can put the bike in the van with our packs and meet us at the top.

The trail up to the temple is steep, but not long and soon we are at the top and see the gate. We will be leaving one side of the peninsula and going down the other side to see the large bay of Tosa.

After having no temples for 50 miles, we are looking forward to getting back into a routine of visiting temples again.

After washing our hands, ringing the bell, and visiting both halls we are ready for Takumi to show us around this temple. We did learn something new about lighting candles today. For the previous temples if there was a candle already burning, we would light ours from it. Takumi informed us that the reason you carry a lighter is to light your own candle so it comes from you. He quickly bought us a lighter so we will be using it from now on. At the halls while we were meditating, we listened to Takumi and others say sutras. It is powerful just to listen.

Takumi motions for us to come and stand around a rock that had small holes on the top with rocks in them. Using these rocks you could hit the rock and a ringing sound would occur. It is called a sonorous rock.

We walked around as Takumi described a variety of items and buildings.

Sylvia, Don and I enjoyed all the information that Takumi shared with us.

We learned that Sylvia is going to be staying at the same guest house. The only way down from this temple if you are going to Temple 25 is to go down the steep road. Sylvia didn’t have faith in her bikes brakes and decides to catch a ride with Takumi. .Don and I walk admiring the view of the bay. It seems like we are going on to a new part of the Island and are looking forward to what we will learn.

Our guest house is in one of those homes below us. We arrive to find our packs waiting for us and Takumi gone.

We are welcomed into the home and showed our room. Don and I along with Sylvia are the only ones staying here tonight.

Our host takes our laundry to wash and gives us a yugata.(robe) We take a bath before dinner and then are ushered into a dinning room for a delicious meal. We meet three generations of women here. There is a younger girl, her Mother and we assume the grandmother. The two older women speak limited English so we use our translator and do the best we can to communicate. The younger girl has just completed high school and wants to go to college to study English. Her Mother asks me, if after dinner I will sit and talk with her. I gladly agree and we have some basic English conversation. Another good day has us smiling as we enjoy the futons on the tatami mats.

Accommodations. Uname-Noki

Miles hiked 15

Shinshoji(25) Kongocho-ji(26)

July 29, 2024

March 5

We had our breakfast at 7 and lingered while we drank our tea and coffee.

We had a choice between rice or bread. This morning we chose bread, a thick slice with jam.

The wind blew through out the night. We have a short day today, mainly because of the availability of lodging that we were able to get. It will be a day that we can take our time. There was a map of the pilgrimage trail in the hallway. We have rounded the first cape and are making our way to the second cape. As we headed down the street, the rain was falling. We had on our full rain gear and when the wind wasn’t being gusty we even used our umbrellas.

We have a long way to go. We mainly look at it on a day to day basis. We try to get lodging for the next night often by having the host call ahead for us. That is why we are staying at at minshuku tonight. A minshuku is cheaper than a Ryokan and is more like a mini hotel with meals.. So far we have been amazed at our cell service. We have kept the AT&T international plan and have good cell service in most places. We often spend the night researching information about the temples, the route and where might the convenience stores be located.

We are often walking by the sea front and checking out the numerous fishing boats. We are amazed at the sea walls that have been built for protection against tsunamis.

Fishing is a very important part of Japan’s economy so we understand all the money that is spent on protecting the fleet.

Shinshoji (25) is located in the middle of town. We were following the red arrows when we missed the turn and had to back track a little. It was flat walking till we came to the stairs leading up to the temple.

Let the stairs begin. We found a place to put our packs at the bottom of the stairs.

This temple is dedicated to the fisherman. It sits high up on a hill where there is a good view of the sea.

One can look out to sea to check on returning fishing boats and fishing boats use the temple to orient themselves where they are along the coast.

There was quite a few old stone figurines along the pathways.

Before we left the temple, I was waiting on the bench in front of the office while Don was using the bathroom. A woman who was sitting at the desk saw me and brought out a small change purse to give to me as osettai. We will be putting it to good use, holding all the change that we get. Back down the stairs and walking thru narrow streets.

We pass by several fish markets selling the catch of the day.

Convenience Stores seem to be lacking on this stretch so we are looking for small food markets that could supplement our food supplies. Then we hear music that reminds us of a ice cream truck driving around town in the states. Ice cream would be good so we follow the music and see mostly older woman with shopping bags heading toward the sound. There it was! Just what we needed! It was a small grocery store on wheels.

Plenty of staples plus some fun treats. Our need for food was answered.

Temple 26 was off of the main road. One of the reasons that we wanted to stay for tonight at the minshuku, is that we can hopefully leave our backpacks at the minshuku and walk to the temple with a light day pack. Fortunately the host was there and we were able to leave our packs in the lobby. We can check in at 3. The temple Kongocho -ji was a male only temple till 1872. Tomorrow not far is the women’s temple. We head down a paved road and soon turn off the road to begin the climb up. Once again we are thankful that we are not carrying our backpacks. We have some of the heaviest packs that we have seen. Much more than the suggested weight. We are used to carrying the weight and like the flexibility of having shelter if we need it. It seems like most of the temples have burned down in the past. Some due to natural causes, others caused by man, often in times of war. This temple had previously burned.The temple was supposedly founded by Kobo Daishi in 807.The trail up to the temple is quite steep and is on a dirt path. One of the national treasures here is the big bronze bell.

We also noticed that the deities were made our of unpainted wood at the entrance of the gate.

The weather was turning for the worse and before we got down the trail to the road. it began pouring. There was a rest hut across from our lodging and it wasn’t yet 3 so we ducked in out of the weather. An older pilgrim was there who looked like he had found a home for the night. We shared some food with him. Our host saw us sitting in the hut and motioned for us to come over and check in. She drew our baths and soon the cold wet chill was replaced with a feeling of warmth. Dinner was served at 6 and worthy of a photo.

Andreas, from Germany is staying here. We last saw him in Hiwasa. It is always fun to catch up with people we have met.

Today we consider that we did a nero. This term is from our thru hiking days. A zero means one didn’t hike any miles while a nero means you only did a short walk.

Accommodation :Minshuku

Miles hiked 6

No 88 Temples, trying new food

July 28, 2024

March 6

We had breakfast at the inn before heading out on a misty overcast day. Don and I tend to be some of the early people out the door and this was the case today. Andreas was enjoying his cup of coffee when we said good by. We have no 88 temples today, but there is a smaller temple as well as some memorials that we will pass, that we want to check out.

First though we are intrigued by all the tetrapods lined along the shore creating a barrier for waves hitting the land.

At least we should have enough time to move to higher ground if there is a tsunami warning. The waves will be broken up by these stone structures.

The first temple that we come to is the women temple.

The temple that we visited yesterday, at one time was only permitted for men to worship so this temple was for women.

Next to the temple is Fudoiwa, the description is below.

A small water contraption was in front of the small temple. It looked interesting.

Behind this temple was the rock and a steep path leading to a cave.

We cautiously worked our way around the rock.

Back to the road and checking out the bountiful gardens of peas.

We like the use of bamboo for the stakes.

We are seeing fields of trees with the fruit bagged in yellow bags. We learn that the bags are covering the loquat fruit which is famous for its sweet succulent fruit.

This must be so labor intensive as each fruit must be bagged by hand.

We are also in awe of several different magnolia tree blooms.

We took a bike path by the sea and when we came out to the Main Street to stop at a convenience store. A vehicle honks their horn at us and we see our friend Takumi behind the wheel. He wondered what path we were on as he had been looking for us. He had brought us another surprise.

It was a fish shaped pastry with a filling made out of red bean paste. I am not sure we would have tried it, if Takumi hadn't showed it to us. The name of this delightful food is called Takiyaki. We were near our accommodation, but first Takumi wanted to show us a well known train station that had more Japanese specialties in a small store. We didn't want to take a ride, because one of our goals is to walk the entire route. He wanted to take our backpacks which always sounds good to us. The food he wanted us to try was cherry flavored rice with a strawberry on the inside. This treat is only available during the strawberry season. Takumi wants to make sure we have so many good memories of our time here. He is making that happen!

We arrive to our lodging tonight and meet the owner Miss Misona.

She showed us our room and as soon as we had put our backpacks in our room she said I am taking you to the local onsen which is the public bath. She grabbed some towels for us and explained the procedure. We told her that we would walk back. Hope we remember the way. Don went in one side and I the other. This one had indoor baths, outdoor hot pool and a sauna. There were a line of showers that you sit in front of to do your major scrubbing. The more you scrub the better.. I was the only non Japanese in the onsen. The pools had different temperatures so you could pick which one you wanted. After the soak it was to return to the showers and shower again. I must admit getting clean here takes some technique. Don and I met outside and proceeded to walk back to the guest house, We only took one wrong turn, but realized quickly where we needed to go.
Dinner happened soon after we returned. There are seven people here not all are pilgrims. It is a bit chaotic, but it all works. Andreas is here.

And so is Takumi. A woman called Amy is also here. She speaks some Japanese having spent some time here as an exchange student. She was recently laid off from her employment after 30 years of work. The pilgrimage is giving her time to think of what is next or just to enjoy the moment. We enjoy talking with her.

Takumi spent the night here as well.

He knows the host very well and sounds like he stays here often. He tells us that if we need anything or have any problems, just contact him. We tell him that we will keep in contact with him and let him know where we are.This sounds like a true good by. He does say that he would like to get together when we finish and celebrate with us. That seems like a far off day. Miss Misono is on the phone trying to find accommodations for tomorrow for us. She finds one for tomorrow, but not for the next night. Day by day is how this travel goes.

Accommodation Misono guest house

Miles walked 15

Konomineji (27)

July 27, 2024

March 7

We had breakfast at 6:15 and were out the door by 7 saying goodby to Takumi, Andreas and Amy. People passing in and out of our lives and making it so much richer because of meeting them. This is one reason we enjoy doing longer hikes where meeting people adds so much to our experience. It will be interesting to see when and if we cross paths again. A bonus of staying here was that Miss Misona has offered to take our luggage to our tonight’s lodging. Today we are going to be visiting another temple that is known for having a steep approach. The path to the temple involves going up a trail and then returning via the road. It is highly recommended to try to find a place to leave your extra luggage so you don’t carry it the whole way. We are glad that we were able to take advantage of the recommendation. The route starts on the flat road next to the ocean. We pass a shinto temple, before we begin our walk up to temple 27

The day is sunny, a nice change from some of the rainy weather we have been having.

Once we turn off of the highway, we begin walking on a narrow paved road that is a gradual climb up. In the beginning we pass quite a few houses, but the higher we go it becomes less populated. We are still surprised though of the houses that are still being used. Having just a light pack we get to the intersection of the path to the Temple, earlier that we had predicted. Another option is to continue on the road and check out the observatory at the top of the mountain. We decide to check out the observatory first. As we reach the top there is a field of hedges. No one to ask so not sure what of if there was a particular usage for this plant.

In the distance we see the observatory which was our goal for the morning. We climb up to the top and get a 360 degree of the surrounding area.

We got a good view where we had been.

Checking our the mountain ranges behind us.

This island is more mountainous than we originally thought.

Leaving the observatory, we headed down to an older Shinto Temple. The path down was steep. We were glad we had our trekking poles.

We always appreciate being on a dirt trail.

We are approaching both the Shinto temple and Temple 27 from above. The Shinto temple appears to be old and in okay condition.

We enjoyed checking out the bells and colorful fabric.

The stonework was impressive leading up to the Hall. It is hard to imagine how the rocks were trimmed to fit so well.

Below us we can make out some of the buildings on the grounds of Konomineji. It is another steep path down to reach the temple. We have heard that this temple is known as The God Summit Temple. For those walking it is is known as one of the harder temples to reach. The temple is arranged vertically. This temple is sponsored by Mitibushi and the results are elegant. Below is a photo of the path to one of the Kobo Daishi statues.

Everything was clean and all the bushes were well trimmed.

There were steps to the various levels often with a well manicured garden of shrubs beside the steps.

One of the Hondos

Just as we were getting ready to leave. We see Connie who we had last seen swinging on a swing at a view point. about a week ago. Sylvia and Amy are here as well. Sounds like we will see them again as we are all staying at the same guest house. We head down to the gate and then head down to the road.

The main gate. We go thru it and pick up the road that will take us to the bottom. The road down goes quickly and we are soon walking back beside the ocean again.

The day is beautiful with the sky and sea both being have blue hues.

As we were walking along the road, we noticed a sign indicating a road side rest. It appeared to be a couple of shops plus a restaurant. It also was very busy. We took that as a good indication of good food. A sign showed one of their specialities.

A brownie with ice cream and syrup. We decided to share one which was a good idea. As we were eating Andreas and then Amy walk by the window. We encourage them to join us, which they do. It was a 5 star stop.

We aren’t far from our lodging for the night so we head in that direction,. There is a sign on the door saying they will open up at 3. Since we have some time before three we decide to go check out Ioki caves. The water level of the stream running thru it determines how far in one can hike. The water level was low so we just meandered in the stream bed for awhile.

There are no meals served tonight so we head to Lawsons to buy some food. Don and I have an upstairs room while four ladies are sharing the bottom floor. Another great day on the route.

Accommadation Mikeneko or Ioki hostel

Miles hiked 16

Dainichiji, (28)

July 26, 2024

March 8

We woke up at 5 nd left at 7. One of the women that was staying here last night left at 4 this morning. She came in after we were in our room and left before we went downstairs. It sounded like she was on a schedule to hike the route quickly as her time was limited. We are enjoying our slow but steady pace. Since there was no meals at the guest house, we decided to walk to Lawson’s. We keep trying new food items there and are enjoying the variety. of choices. We passed this vehicle near our guest house. We wernt’t sure what it was, but it looked like it might be used in a celebration.

We also passed this display that we figured had something to do with time.

We have been enjoying checking out the boats moored near the highway. The reflections were great this morning.

Another observation that we have been making is the variety of man covers. It seems like each town has their own design. Some are even colored.

We know that we are in a new town when the man covers change.

Today the route took us on a bike path. It was a great change from hiking on a sidewalk next to a street. Sylvia passed us on her bike today.

We passed by a Christian Church today. We have only seen a couple of churches so far.

We are walking thur a large agriculture area. We have to be careful following the route. We are thankful that we have the Henro Helper App.

We reach Dainichiji by walking up a ramp to the gate of the temple. Temple #4 was also called Dainichiji. They share the same deity, Dainichi Nyorai This is a small temple with the Hondo rebuilt in 1997.It was constructed using the wood of cypress and pine. No nails were used in the construction,

There are only a few other people here so it is very peaceful We actually can say that about most of the temples we have visited, there is a sense of peace.

It is around 4 when we go to the office to get our book signed. We haven’t figured out where we are going to stay tonight. When we left the Misona guest house several days ago we were told that pilgrims can sometimes stay at a room in this temple. This is called Tsuyado. The women in the office didn’t understand English so as were trying to translate our question, Amy walks to where we were standing. We told her of our situation and she was able to ask the question of the possibility of us staying there. The women replied of course and if they are ready, I can show them the room. When we said yes she grabbed a platter with a tea pot and tea bags plus some snacks. She walked to a nearby building and unlocked the door. Inside were benches, a heater and electricity. The heater is going to feel good, the temperature has been dropping at might.There was a bathroom just outside. We are feeling quite blessed with having a place to stay tonight as well as Amy showing up when we needed a person who spoke Japanese. There is a feeling that we are being watched over during our pilgrimage. There were so many things that tied together that allowed us to stay here tonight.

We are thankful that we have our sleeping bags and mattresses with us. They have been worth carrying along with our tent. We are also carrying a small stove, a pot and fuel canister. We have good cell service so tonight we look at some options of how we are going to spend the next couple of days. We are nearing the town of Kochi, where there are numerous places to stay. Our friend Clark who we met the first day has been keeping us updated of his progress. He tells us that he used the train system when he was in the area around Kochi. He would hike than take the train back to his lodging. The next day he would take the train to where he had stopped hiking the day before. We may try something like that starting tomorrow. Tomorrow night we do not have a room, but there is an option to put our tent up at a Guest House in their yard. Miss Misona arranged it for us. She has been quite helpful in this section.

Accommodation Dainichiji Temple

Miles hiked 18

Kokubunji(29) Zenrakuji(30)Chikurinji(31)

July 25, 2024

March 9

We felt so blessed when we woke up this morning and were warm! It was so quiet and peaceful here surrounded by the temple buildings and the trees. Soon we will be in the city of Kochi and experiencing city life. It will be quite the contrast. Now though we have to figure out if the plan that we came up with last night will work. We are heading to a guest house called Suisan. There isn’t a room available tonight, but we were told that she has a yard where we can pitch our tent. Again Miss Misno came to our rescue by organizing this lodging. We want to visit three temples today, so our plan is to stop at Suisan guest House and see if we can leave our packs there, while we walk to temples 29, 30,31. After temple 31 we will catch a bus and then a train, back to the station that is with in walking distance of the guest house. Our logistics need to go smooth. Really that is the only option. We don’t have an alternative plan.

We arrive to the guest house and using our translator app, explain that we want to leave our backpacks here and then we will see her later tonight to set up our tent in the yard. She shows us where to put our packs and we are off heading to Temple 29.

We walk past more agriculture areas marveling at the well kept fields.

From backyard gardens to large fields the earth is preparing for the season of growing.

We keep on the lookout for signs telling us which way to go. Sometimes it seems like we are walking in someone’s backyard. The route tries to follow the original pilgrim trail and sometimes it does go thru someone’s backyard.

We are figuring out the characters for temple and the characters for the Ohenro Pilgrimage trail A beautiful rest area is on the way to the next temple. There is a sign there for no sleeping, but welcomes one to take a break. As we are taking a break a Japanese pilgrim shows up and wants to take a picture with us and his stuffed animal with a sedge hat. Even though we can't speak each others language , a smile goes a long way.

Soon we approach Kokubunji (29)

This is the main temple of the Kochi Prefecture

A beautiful walk way lined by cedar trees is part of the temple grounds.

There are more people at the temples today. We are getting close to Kochi which is a large city.

All the bell towers are different as well as the sounds they make. Several Japanese people have told us to ring the bell loudly, but just once.

Heading out the temple and going to the next one.

We were glad to see this sign, so far we have stayed on route today.

Once again we walk on paths going thru the fields.

Temple 30 has some beautiful statues.

In front of the hall we see Amy. We thank her for being our interpreter last night and tell her what we experienced sleeping at the room on the temple grounds. As we are sitting talking to her we are approached by an older couple. They hand us an red osame-fuda (name slip) The red color signifies that they have done this pilgrimage 9 times, Our name slips are white.

We take pictures together. She then hands each of us a bag of candy as osettai. We give her a a sticker from Alaska.

We check our map and feel pretty good about going to the next temple. Amy is staying near here so once again we say good by and are not sure if our paths will cross again. The next temple is about 5 miles away. At least that is what we think. We have misjudged the distance before and unfortunately it always seems to be longer than we think. This time it was due to making a wrong turn. There was a long tunnel ahead and we thought that we needed to go thru it. When we reached the other side we realized our mistake. We had to go back thru the tunnel and take another road. This was probably the longest tunnel that we walked thru and then we had to do it twice. We hope not to make that mistake again. The other challenge we had getting to the last temple was that it was located on top of the mountain. We just kept going up and more up. Not sure how we missed that information about the approach to the temple was steep. We passed a view point and got a great view of Kochi. If all goes as planned that will be our destination for tomorrow. Today is today and we still have some major logistics to figure out. The main one being returning to the guest house where our backpacks are located. Just as we arrived to the top of the mountain and before entering the Temple grounds we saw a bus stopping at a sign. We walked over and checked the schedule using our app. From what we could figure there would be a bus here in a hour to take us to the JR Train station in Kochi. From there we could catch a train to the station near the guest house. Our logistics might just work our. With only an hour to check out temple 31, we walk briskly to it.

Kochi is the only large city on the south coast of Shikoku. The population is around 328,000. We will look forward to visiting it tomorrow. Now though we have our last temple to explore and the grounds are huge.

We entered at the back of the temple so we worked our way thru the grounds to find the front gate.

This is a beautiful temple and location. We can see why it is so popular.

The deities protecting the temple look ancient.

Colorful banners are hung in front of the Hondo

We are enjoying looking at all of the statues.

Even cats are included in some of the statues.

I will be checking the stomach of cats more closely!

Another statue was half enclosed in glass.

The flower arrangement in front of the statue added to the peacefulness.

This pagoda was built in 1980. It is the only 5 story pagoda in the Kochi prefecture.

An hour was barely enough time to explore this temple, but we knew we had to make the bus arriving soon. About 5 minutes after arriving to the bus stop, the bus pulled up and we were on our way to the train station. There were several more stops along the way which completely filled all of the seats. Soon we were unloading from the bus and heading to the train station. We needed to find where to buy a ticket for the Noichi station. It seemed the signs were lacking in English so we asked the man in the ticket booth to help us. He came out and showed us which buttons to push. He told us that we would need to change trains, and that we should play attention. He pointed us to the right platform and quickly after we boarded the train started moving. We pulled out our Google Map app and it showed us moving on the train. We watched for where we needed to depart from the train and get on the next one. It was a smooth transition and soon we were chugging along to the Noichi station. We were the only ones getting off here and the station was empty except for a food vendor that was selling baked goods and fruit. We will need to buy tickets here in the morning and there is a good possibility that no one will be around. As we were looking at the ticket machine, we noticed that there was no English button to help with the purchase.. The woman from the little food store came over to see if she could help us. When she figured out our dilemma , she showed us how to purchase the tickets in the morning. We bought some food from their table for dinner and headed to our guest house about a half mile away. It was getting dark when we arrived. The host apologized for not having any rooms and said she would take us to an onsen. We assured her that we were fine and taking a bath at her house would be adequate. It has been a long day and the tired factor is creeping in. She showed us where to put up our tent. Just as we were finishing putting it up, she arrives with numerous blankets and pillow. She wanted to make sure we would stay warm. We told her that our sleeping bags would keep us warm, but she insisted that we keep some of them. She also told us that tomorrow she would make breakfast for us and take us to the train station. Sleep came quickly!

Accommodation sleeping in our tent outsider Suisan Guest House

Miles hiked 18

Kochi-Sunday Market-Castle

July 24, 2024

March 10

Sleeping in our tent, snuggled into our sleeping bags always feels like we are home. Home currently is where we are! We love traveling and seeing new places and meeting people. We were up before first light and packed up quickly. We both slept soundly. Our host served us an egg and toast breakfast as osettai and offered to take us to the train station which we accepted. The Japanese people are so kind. The station was empty, but since our friend last night showed us how to use the ticket machine, we were able to purchase our tickets and head up to the train platform to wait for our train. The train is without an conductor so glad we know what we are doing.

The sun rises as we wait for the train. It is exactly on time. the doors open then shuts and off we go.

The train is for all people including the Henro in the front with the sedge hat and staff.

We didn’t have to do any transfers so we just had to disembark at the Kochi Station. We booked a business hotel near the train station called Comfort Inn. We were able to do this online thru the Booking App. It was straight forward and easy for us to use. When we are in cities this might be the way to go. We headed to the Hotel to drop off our luggage for the day.

We passed a painted man cover

And a bunch of bikes near the train station. The lack of locks on the bikes reminded us that this was not the USA.

Before we arrived to the Sunday Market we checked out these three statues overlooking the front of the train station .

We knew the market was nearby when we saw the white tents and the crowds of people gathering. The Kochi Sunday Market is the largest Sunday Outdoor Market in Japan.

It was a crisp cool early spring day. We walked up and down the street before purchasing our lunch for the day. It was a difficult choice as there were so many options. We settled on tempura covered vegetables.

The other food that tempted us was the Japanese pancakes. We had to wait till the chef was satisfied they were done well. They were filled with a bean paste or fruit filling. So delicious!

We had fun looking at all of the other items for sale. We bought several kinds of citrus fruit.

And saw the fish that we had eaten at one of the guest house.

And of course there was plenty of bonsai plants for sale.

We saw Andreas here today as well. He and Don are taller than most of the Japanese so they are easy to pick out. Andreas, like us is spending the day enjoying Kochi.

Next stop is to check out the Kochi Castle which has a strong presence located high above the town,

It was mostly used between 1601-1871. We were able to visit outside the grounds as well as check out the interior for a fee.

Lots of people were enjoying the blue sky day.

Inside the castle were actual artifacts from the castle as well as dioramas depicitng early Japanese life.

By three we were were ready to head back to the hotel and get a plan together for the next couple of days, We wanted to do laundry and upon checking the information on the TV, we realized that we could check when the machines were available and when the laundry was finished. We were on the 11th floor, the laundry was on the second so it was great to know that we didn’t have to go down to the second floor to check on the laundry, we just had to turn on the TV. The machines included soap and also had the ability to wash and then dry your clothes in the same cycle.

We knew that we wanted to see if we could get a taxi to take us to where we finished yesterday at temple 31. Don reserved a taxi for 8 in the morning. Now we have to figure out our lodging. With laundry done and a maybe plan we felt that we had accomplished lots today. It was our first day off from walking so it was refreshing.

Accommodation Comfort Inn

No miles hiked, just exploring the town of Kochi.

Zenjibuji(32)Sekkeiji(33)Tanemaji(34)

July 23, 2024

March 11

The Comfort Inn lived up to its name and we had a comfortable night. Breakfast was included with the price and it was quite the spread.. We weren't hungry enough to enjoy all the choices. Our taxi driver was coming at 8:10 so we were in the lobby before 8. He showed up at 8. It was a short drive to where we had stopped two days ago at Temple 31.We remembered not to open the doors of the taxi and we were glad that we had clean clothes. This taxi had white lace seats just like the other taxi we had been in. Temple 31 is located on Mt. Godasian where we were dropped off. To approach Temple 32 we head down hill for awhile and then encounter a steep ascent to the temple.

There was a round circle with golden feet. We were told we should rub it and that should help our legs. It was worth a try.

The view of this temple on a clear day is spectacular. Once again you can see where you have been and where you are going.

There are so many objects that we are sure have a story, but for now we are just enjoying looking at them.

We decided to take the road from this temple down the mountain. We decided that it was the safest route.

Before we can reach the next temple we need to take a free ferry across the bay. We aren’t sure of the schedule , but as we approach the dock the ferry is on our side. They motion us on and to take a sat.

A motorcycle joined us as well as an older pilgrim.

He told us that this is his third time doing the pilgrimage. He has a heart condition and walks slowly.

Temple 33 is the last temple run by Zen Buddhist.

The pilgrim that had been on the ferry with us arrived just as we were leaving. He told us that we had a fast walking pace.

Our last temple for the day is Tanemaji. As we were walking along the road, we were fascinated by the yard art in one of the yards. Somebody was quite creative.

This Temple was an easy walk, being mostly flat. The weather is starting to deteriorate with rain in the near future. We are going to ask if we can stay at the temple. We would be happy to set up a tent or stay in a room if one is available. This temple is known for blessing children and to have an easy childbirth.

These objects were around the side of a building.

There was also a place for toys and stuffed animals.

The temple for children and easy childbirth.

We wrote down our question about staying here and gave it to the woman in the office. She told us yes, but we should return close to 4;30 when they are closing. There was a nice bench to sit under a shade tree. It was a good place to watch pilgrims come and go. A van pulled up filled with a group of pilgrims. They jumped out and walked quickly to the hondos. They said a sutra and returned quickly to the van. It seemed like they were on a mission to get the visit to this temple over quickly. They all had staffs which they pounded on the ground as they walked in unison. At 4;30 we returned to the office and were told that we could stay in a room, but it didn’t have a bathroom. There was a bathroom close by which totally worked for us. She unlocked the door for us and we were happy to have a place to call home tonight.

Again we are thankful that we have our sleeping bags.

Accommodation Temple 34 a Tsuyado

Miles hiked 14.5