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