{Shikoku Hachijūhachikasho Meguri}

--Thoughts during Week Six--

I started out by going to the corner convenience store to buy a can of orange juice. I'm trying to drink more OJ (even if it is in cans) and eat more sandwiches instead of anpan and pound cake in an attempt to stop the weight loss. I checked again last night and it looks like i am now down to 74 kg (163 lbs). I started this at 78 kg (172 lbs). I definitely need my belt now, whereas i didn't when i started a month ago.

After leaving the convenience store i returned to Temple 53 (Emmyôji), which is just across the street from where i stayed last night. After getting my book stamped and taking a few pictures i headed down the road. I soon realized that i would play leap-frog with an elderly couple that is walking this part of the pilgrimage during Golden Week. At the beginning they were in front, but when they stopped to do something i got in the lead. Later, when i stopped at a phone booth to upload my journal through yesterday, they got in front.

When it looked like it was immanent that i would pass the couple again, i decided to take a coffee break. Coffee shops seem to leave their "Open for Business" signs out all the time - whether or not they are actually open. They way you tell if they really are, or not, is to look for a small flashing yellow light (like on a tow truck) on the top of the "Open" sign. If the light is on they are really open; if not, they aren't.

I saw a coffee shop that had the light on so i walked up and asked the lady who was washing off the front step if she had coffee. She said, "Sure, come on in. But, let me finish this first." I waited on the bench and we chatted while she finished hosing off the step.

When i got in the place was definitely not ready for business. Every table was full of food, trays, and this and that. I found it funny, but didn't think anything of it. I asked if she had toast as well, but she told me that she didn't so i settled on just coffee. But, she told me to take a banana on the table by the door instead - which i did.

When she brought the coffee, she also brought me an egg salad sandwich and said that since she didn't have toast, maybe this would do. I thanked her, but didn't eat it. We chatted for about fifteen minutes before i decided to leave. When i was leaving, she gave me a bag with 3 oranges, 4 bananas, and my egg salad sandwich wrapped up. She also only charged me 200 yen ($1.70) for the coffee. I guess all of this was settai. And to top it all off, as i was leaving i realized that she wasn't even open for business yet.

Since i don't eat oranges very often, i hurried a little to try and catch that couple again. I ran into them within about fifteen minutes since they were taking a beak on the side of the road in the shade. I gave them the oranges and two of the bananas.

I keep meaning to point out one service that will not ever come to the US. In Japan, when you get gas at a gas station, they still give you the full service. While it is rare, i have to admit that you still see that in the US, but the difference between the countries comes when you leave the station in Japan. At many stations here, when you are leaving the station, if you have to cross traffic to go the direction that you want, the station attendant will stop traffic going in the way that is blocking you from getting out of the station so that you can exit. There is no way that would ever work in the US.

On the far outskirts of Matsuyama, i had to climb the last few hills going out of town. As i came down the other side, i found myself in yokan country. The yokan is a type of orange. It reminded me that i haven't see any rice fields for several days. A man assured me in Kuma Town that they would plant their fields by the end of the second week in May, but they were still making the preparations in every field i saw. Here, north of Matsuyama, i didn't even see the fields; everywhere it was nothing but yokan trees, or fishing.

I spent the next several hours just walking along the road and the beach. Since we are still in Golden Week, the beaches were full and the shores elsewhere were packed with fishermen. I never did find a place to eat so simply had a piece of cake and a can of juice at one o'clock on the side of the road.

Shortly after eating and setting out again, i passed a mikan stand and the owner came running after me to give me a can of Oromin C Drink as settai. I have no idea what is in this drink, but the minshuku owner in Ozu City outside of Bangai 7 gave me a bottle each morning as settai as well. She told me it is supposed to make you Genki (energetic, healthy, strong, etc).

I thought i had come through yesterday unscathed since i felt just like usual when i left the minshuku this morning. But, when i passed twenty km (12 mi) today i could feel all the energy drain away. I ran out of gas early today and can only assume that the reason was yesterday's walk. I don't know if the Oromin C Drink helped or not, but i appreciated the cold drink. It was really hot today.

Today it was only supposed to reach 23 degrees (73 F), but i am convinced that it is always hotter than that on the roads. Maybe the air temperature only reaches that, but walking on asphalt each day it feels hotter than that. I think it is because the asphalt holds the heat and as long as you are walking on the road, it is hotter than elsewhere.

Shortly after the Oromin C Drink, a woman ran up and gave me another settai of two more oranges. I laughed and asked her about all the different types of oranges in Japan. You have Oranges, Mikan, Yokan, Ichiyokan, and Amanatsu Mikan (and maybe more that i haven't heard of yet). She explained that it all had to do with the time of the year that they are ready to pick and sell. Mikan are ready in October or November, then in the early part of the year you get Yokan, and then, etc... (I don't remember the order.)

Nothing much else happened after that. I arrived at the minshuku (which is called a hotel) at a little before four and relaxed until they called and told me i could get in the bath at about four forty-five. I did some laundry after that and then ate dinner (Tai sashimi and grilled Sawara/Spanish Makeral, rice, two types of soup, vegetables, and tea).

I made some more reservations after dinner. Tomorrow i'll walk 28 km (17 mi) and visit the temples from 54 to 59, stopping for the night in a minshuku just after Temple 59. For some bizarre reason, though, the woman there told me that there is no food so i'll have to bring my own dinner or eat out. It still costs the same, but i accepted because i didn't want to walk further than the 28 km. The next day i walk to just after Bangai 11, and then on Thursday, i visit both Temples 60 and 61.

I have nothing else to do tonight, so will watch baseball for a while and then read for the night.

Tonight was another example of what i mentioned last night. I have no trouble talking with the woman who runs this place. But, i have an incredibly difficult time understanding her husband. It is like he is from a different planet. She speaks clearly and articulately. He seems to slur and slide from word to word and the vast majority of it sounds like gibberish. He understands me, it is just that i can't understand him. And, if i can't understand what he is saying or asking, it is awfully hard to reply. I just don't get it.

Tomorrow's weather is forecast for rain all day. And heavy rain, too. They are expecting 150-200 mm/6-8 in. I think that is the same numbers as that rain i had four weeks ago. We'll see what happens; this should be interesting. But since i have the plastic in my pack this time, i should be able to manage better.

--5/4 Day Thirty-Seven--
I did not enjoy today.

It was raining when i got up this morning and it is still raining as i write this after seven at night. It rained, and it rained, and it rained. All day. It wasn't the downpour that they forecast (that went to the Kii Pennensula) but it was a steady, heavy rain. All day. I'd sure like to understand how some people think days like today build character.

I visited Temples 54 through 59 and have stopped for the night a few km (a few mi) past Temple 59. Because of Golden Week, even with the rain there were lines at some of the windows where you get your book stamped.

In addition to the rain, the clouds were so low in places that you couldn't see much other than what was immediately around you. That means i have very little to say today.

Every morning at six-thirty on NHK (the Japanese equivalent of PBS) there is half hour special on one of the 88 temples making up this pilgrimage. Each morning they visit the next consecutive temple. I rarely watch it because i don't get to see any of what they show for the television cameras.

This morning at Temple 56, i met the camera crew that shoots these episodes. They were there setting up to shoot the segment at this temple. After getting my book stamped and taking a few pictures, i talked for a few brief minutes to a few of the people setting up equipment where i had put my backpack at one of the two dry places in the whole compound. I was surprised when they said that to produce one 30-minute episode it will take four days - if they are lucky. I wished i had had the time to sit around and watch them, but i had to move on.

Around twelve, the rain had taken its toll and i was really tired. It was more a state of mind than anything physical, but i was really tired. I found the only dry place in the compound, outside of a building, under the temple bell and took a short twenty minute nap. I was wet and cold when i fell asleep and nothing changed between then and when i woke up, but i felt a little better.

Just as i was getting ready to walk off the road and onto a little trail leading up the mountain to Temple 58, a van that had just passed me stopped, backed up, and stopped next to me. When i turned and looked the man inside was just staring at me. I didn't know what else to do so walked over and said hello.

He then reminded me that we had already met and all i could say was my very diplomatic "huh?" It turns out that i do remember, and we had met at the gas station where i had stopped to ask directions as i was coming into town in the rain on my way to Temple 39. As i was mildly arguing with the station attendant about which direction to go (he turned out to be right) a man came in and looked over our shoulder and listened. This man today was that same man. We just asked how we each were, wished each other the best, and then went our own ways. Again, i'll point out that it is a very small world.

I never saw any restaurants or coffee shops until after four o'clock so it was crackers and a donut for lunch on the side of the road today. I ran into a coffee shop just fifteen minutes from my hotel so stopped for a cup of coffee to warm up a little. The waitress lived in Toronto two years ago and studied English for a year. She has forgotten almost all of it by now, but she was happy to practice with me for the 20 minutes, or so, that i was there.

I'm in a real resort hotel tonight. Big TV, two single beds, table, attached bathroom (although i still went down and used the big onsen/bath), and a really big room. It feels weird after what i've been staying in.

Walking in waterlogged boots and wet socks all day kept my feet wet all day as well. When i was taking a bath i found that that has taken its toll. The toenail has finally come off the small toe on my left foot. It is hanging on by a thread so i put a Band-Aid on it to hold it in place as long as i can while the new one is growing out. I knew it would come off sooner or later, i was just hoping for the later.

Tomorrow i am planning a short day. I'll visit Bangai 10 and Bangai 11 and then walk another 4 km (3 mi) and stop for the night. It isn't even 20 km (13 mi) so i'm planning on leaving the hotel late and walking slowly. The next day it is a climb up to a little over 700 m (2,300 ft) to visit Temple 60 and then back down to Temple 61.

It is supposed clear up and be nice again tomorrow and the day after. That makes me happier than anyone can imagine. Climbing in the rain suit is really hard work - you start sweating inside it as soon as you climb 2 inches (1 cm).

--5/5 Day Thirty-Eight--
Since i didn't have that far to walk today i really goofed off all day.

I was up at six as usual but hung around and watched the news and weather until about seven-thirty. I saved some crackers and a donut from last night to eat as breakfast this morning. Or, at least enough of a breakfast to hold me until i could find something more.

When i left the hotel at seven-thirty i walked about 1 km (a half mile) and stopped at some vending machines to have a can of orange juice to supplement my breakfast. I wasted about twenty minutes there just sitting and enjoying the warm and sunny weather. It felt so good.

When i started walking again, i ran into another henro who is walking the route backwards. We talked for about 15 minutes and he showed me a few things on the map to look for. After we went our own ways, i saw a coffee shop that was open so i went in and had an egg, a piece of toast, a piece of a banana, and a cup of coffee. That took another twenty minutes or so and then i was on the road again.

So, with all this goofing off and stopping, it was now going on nine o'clock and i was still probably not much more than 2 km (1.3 mi) from where i had started. I wasn't getting very far so i settled down and got serious about walking. That doesn't mean i walked very fast, i just stopped stopping.

I stopped around eleven at a grocery store to buy something for lunch and just after leaving there a man rode up on his bicycle and asked me if i was a henro. When i told him yes, he gave me a can of cold coffee as settai. It was terrible. Coffee in a can is bad enough (they have sugar in it) but to drink it cold is worse than worse. I drank about a third of it because it was settai, but threw the rest away.

I then continued until i got to Bangai 10 (Koryuji) at about twelve-thirty. I sat there and ate a ham and cheese sandwich and an apple for about thirty minutes before leaving again.

I spent most of the day walking on small country roads between fields of various kinds. They still haven't planted their rice here on this part of the island. Most fields haven't even been prepared.

I got to Ikikijizo (Bangai 11) at two o'clock and seemed to find no one there. I rang the bell several times but no one came to the Nôkyô office to stamp my book. I had plenty of time, so i just wandered around and took some pictures before trying again. This time a woman showed up and while she was signing my book several cars showed up and it got busy.

It was now only about two-fifteen and this was the last temple i was visiting for the day. Since my minshuku was only about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) away i had plenty of time to waste, so i sat on a bench on the side of the compound and opened my pack to let the last of the pockets dry out from yesterday's rain.

I had nothing else to do and had no intention of sitting there watching the pack dry out, so i just laid down on the bench, using the pack as a pillow, and figured i'd take a short nap before heading down the road towards my room for the night. I woke up at twenty-five to four. Man, am i getting lazy.

When i woke up (and got over the shock at the time) i put everything back in my pack and went to find my room. I found it with no problems and as i was checking in a Japanese woman greeted me in excellent English. She is another guest and is also a henro.

As i was putting some laundry in the washing machine, the English-speaking woman was heading out to the store to buy some breakfast for tomorrow. She is leaving before breakfast here at the minshuku so needs something to eat on the road. When she returned she handed me a bag with bread, rice crackers and some other treat that i don't know the name of and told me it was all a gift. I still don't know why she did it. She said she was impressed with my Japanese, but certainly that can't be the reason. I just told her she shouldn't have and thanked her a dozen times.

We had dinner together and it really felt strange speaking English with her. She speaks so well because she has studied in London and in Minnesota. She received a degree in Psychology at the University of Minnesota some time back. She is now a Graduate Research Student in Physiology at Ryukyu University on Okinawa.

Tomorrow she will leave before six and stop at a minshuku near Temple 61. I will eat at six-thirty and leave at seven. I'm stopping for the night at a minshuku near Temple 62. Somewhere in between i'm sure that i'll catch up to her; she says that she walks very slowly.

It is supposed to be clear and sunny again tomorrow. Wonderful news. I have a reservation for tomorrow night, but nothing after that. I need to work on my schedule tomorrow when i stop for the night and get some more reservations made.

Sometime in the next few days i'll leave Ehime Prefecture and enter Kagawa Prefecture - the last of the four prefectures i walk through. That is going to feel strange; knowing that i am in the last prefecture, the last two weeks, and just about finished. Days go by so fast lately. It seems as if i check in for the night just a few hours after checking out in the morning. Everything that happens in between is going by in a blur. Every day is so similar that they all seem to blend one into the other and i have lost all sense of what day it is. When people ask me how long i have been walking i always have to ask what day of the week it is before i can answer them. It is going to be hard to adjust to living by the clock again when i return.

--5/6 Day Thirty-Nine--
Was awake a little before six this morning but stayed in bed until the neighborhood speakers played the six o'clock wake up music. I packed my pack, watched the news and weather, and read my guidebook until six-thirty when i went down for breakfast.

In the guide book i was reading the author tells how hard it is to climb to the top of the mountain where Yokomineji (Temple 60) is located. I quote a short section of what he writes.

"The temple is located at the top of a mountain 2,340 feet above sea level. A perilous, unpaved steep path makes you fear for your life. Recently several pilgrims died on their trip to the temple."

When i got downstairs, i noticed that the slippers were still in front of the door of the room where the woman i ate with last night slept. I wondered why but just assumed she forgot them there. She wasn't in the dining room when i ate but that didn't surprise me since she wanted to be on the road before six.

I ate and paid my bill and was on the road at seven. As i left, i also noticed that the woman's shoes were still by the door so it was obvious she hadn't left this morning. When the proprietor was showing me a map she had drawn to get me through town to the road to Temple 60, i asked and she confirmed that the woman hadn't left.

This is another one of those "How do you explain that?" I didn't buy any food for today before checking in last night because i figured i'd buy it on the way out of town this morning. Yet, when i checked in this woman soon went out to buy herself some food for breakfast this morning, and in the process, also bought me enough food to get me all the way to my minshuku tonight. Yet, she never ended up leaving and didn't, after all, need her food. On the other hand, i didn't pass any open shops and ended up relishing the food she had bought me. I thank her one hundred times.

It took three and a half hours to get to the top of the mountain and Temple 60 (Yokomineji). Luckily i made it alive and all in one piece. It was a beautiful walk up the mountain. The first hour and a half was on the highway, but the rest was on a mountain trail on a beautiful forested mountain. And, by the way, i never saw anything i would call a "perilous" path. I never saw anything i would have even classified a scary.

I gave some of the sembei (rice crackers) that the woman had given me to the two people that stamp our books. As i have said before i try and share most of the settai that i receive. But, since i gave them something they felt compelled to give me a can of lemon drink in return. When i tried to refuse it saying that i had already bought a drink, they just said to take it with me then.

I left after a little more than a half hour and headed off for Temple 61 (Kounji). The walk down was just as beautiful as the walk up the mountain, but was hard on the knees. On the way down i stopped at the Okunoin (Inner Temple) of Kounji since it was on the way. I was the only person there and it was very calm and quiet with just enough trees to give a lot of shade but not to block out all of the sun. And, because the temple is not one of those regularly visited by henro and doesn't have the traffic that the main temples have, it was wide open. The doors were full open and everything was out to be seen.

While there i asked how far it was to go the rest of the way to Kounji and found out that i was an hour ahead of schedule. Of course that can mean only one thing. Ahead of schedule, clear and sunny skies, and warm temperatures equals only one thing - a quick nap. I admit i have taken a liking to quick naps when i find myself at quiet temples or secluded rural areas with lots of time to spare.

I am going to have to dig out my Basho (a Japanese author) when i get back home and reread some of his writing. Today i decided that this it probably what he felt like on his wandering trips around the country when he had no schedule, no deadlines, and great weather. This isn't haiku, and i don't pretend that it is, but as i was laying there this came to mind and i think Basho would have approved of it.

Laying in the warm sun,
A butterfly on the sunny temple wall,
I'll bet i fall asleep first.

From the outside this temple would pass for any western church. It is a brown concrete, is perfectly rectangular, and actually looks very nice. Inside, completely contrary to tradition, there are chairs lined up for people to sit in. And, there is carpet on the floor instead of tatami. A very interesting temple to visit - even if it does go against every tradition that exists in Buddhist temple construction.

After a quick stop at Temple 62 (Hojuji) i went off to find my minshuku (Business Ryokan) for the night. I also gave some sembei to the people that stamp books here and, sure enough, they had to give me something in return. This time i got some anpan for tomorrow and a pen that has the name of the temple on it. I really didn't need either, but decided it was better to accept than refuse.

When i got to the minshuku, i knew it was only three-thirty, but my intention was to check in and then make some phone calls for reservations at other minshuku. Tonight's is the last that i have. Unfortunately, though, i found out they don't have a phone where i can use my phone card and i don't have a bunch of ten yen coins. I guess i'll have to make the calls tomorrow morning from a pay phone by the side of the road somewhere.

My plan for tomorrow (assuming i get the minshuku reservation i want) is to visit Temples 63 and 64 tomorrow and stop for the night before reaching Bangai 12, which is on the way to Temple 65. It is supposed to be clear and warm again so should be another great day for walking.

--5/7 Day Forty--
Day forty started out as a slow, quiet, and not particularly interesting day. I was up at six and out at seven as usual and left thinking that i would walk about 25 km (16 mi).

Last night i found out that the couple i had given some of my oranges to the other day (after the coffee shop a few days ago) were also staying at this minshuku. We didn't chat that much at dinner because we were at different tables.

This morning, though, we were at the same table and chatted about this and that (but mostly about me) for the better part of 30 minutes. After eating i excused myself and went to finish packing so i could leave. A few minutes later, the woman appeared at my door and asked if she could take my picture. Of course i agreed, but i always wonder what they will tell others when they show them this picture of a stranger and foreigner that they met on the trail.

On the way to Temple 64, i stopped at a convenience store for a donut and a can of OJ. As i was leaving one of the men who works in the store came running out after me. He gave me about 5 used telephone cards and said he wanted to give them to me as settai. He pointed out that i couldn't use them (they were all used up), but they each had a picture on it and those might be of interest to me, he thought.

The most convenient way to use a phone here is with a prepaid telephone card. They are so prevalent that you can by them almost anywhere and they come with pictures of famous places and landmarks on them. In fact, some people collect them. I thanked him and will stick them in my pack for the trip home. I still haven't decided how long i'll keep them. I find it interesting that he even thought to offer me used telephone cards as settai. I never would have thought of it.

After visiting both Temples 63 (Kichijoji) and 64 (Maegamiji) i found a phone and tried to make reservations for tomorrow night and Sunday night. That is when the day started to get interesting.

For tonight, the minshuku i wanted was already full. I was able to get a reservation at the next minshuku on the map, but that meant i had to walk another hour and was now going to walk 32 km (20 mi). Argggg. Then i called Temple 66 (Umpenji) and asked to make a reservation for Sunday and was shocked when he told me they don't put people up any more. I was so shocked i just said OK and hung up. I should have asked why - since both guide books i have say they have an inn. But, i didn't. I pretty much think in Japanese a lot of the time now and when i do that my reaction time is a lot slower, because it is still a foreign language for me.

So, as i walked away from Temple 64 i had a reservation for tonight but still nothing past that. I am at wits end trying to figure out how to get from where i am now to Temple 67. There are precious few minshuku and the temples are all telling me they are booked. I think tomorrow is going to be a 13 km (8 mi) day. That is the best i can hope for and only if i can reserve at the minshuku the furthest from here that i can. Then i don't know what to expect. I'll worry about that tomorrow.

For the rest of the day i just walked and walked. On asphalt, on the side of roads. It was hot and it was noisy.

Then somewhere round two o'clock a man in his thirties (?) rode up beside me on his bicycle and asked if i was a henro. I said yes and one question led to another. Somewhere along the line he said something that led me to believe that he spoke English so i asked him. When he said yes, i switched because that is what most people like to practice with. He did speak it fairly well and we only sprinkled a few Japanese words in the rest of the conversation.

He ended up riding next to me for the next 20 minutes or so as we talked, and when we got to a large pond that was marked on the map (Ikeda Pond), said that it was famous (for what i never found out) and that i should take a break and let him show it to me. When i told him i wasn't sure i had the time, he persisted so i relinquished and we took a break. It wasn't a matter of going out of the way, it was right off the main road, it was just that i wasn't sure i had the time. I had told the inn that i would be there around four.

As it turns out the pond was pretty, but nothing spectacular and i wouldn't have missed anything had i not stopped. But he enjoyed himself and i supposed that was all that mattered.

He is a fairly interesting person. He worked for three years for a Japanese company in Taipei. While there he studied Chinese (in addition to the English he studies at home by himself) and even took a few courses at a local Taipei university. He told me he has only been to the US once, but has been to China about ten times. He seems to like it as much there as i like it in Japan.

The company he worked for in Taipei went bankrupt so he had to come back to Japan. I didn't ask all the why and wherefores that i would have liked to ask, but when he returned he didn't get another full time job. He is a private mathematics tutor and teaches Junior and Senior High School students in night classes. He helps them get ready for the university entrance exams.

After the pond we each went our own way - me to my inn and him home to prepare for classes tonight. I really hustled to get to the inn because i had lost a half-hour sitting and talking at the pond. I really didn't know what to expect when i got here since i had reserved a room at a place called the Ehime Truck Station. I assumed it was a truck stop and that is a first for me in Japan.

I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a restaurant on the first floor with a few very small, but clean, rooms upstairs. And cheap, only 2,800 yen for the night. I arrived at just past four and found that they only accept male guests and that i will be the only customer for the night. I sat in the restaurant talking to the proprietor for a while and had a few glasses of water and a cup of coffee.

I also took the time to call Temple 66 again and try to reserve a room. I thought maybe i had dialed the wrong number this morning when i had called from Temple 64. As it turns out, he remembered me and this time took the time to explain that they stopped running the inn many years ago. If i have two guidebooks that say they have accommodations, then both are wrong. Sorry. I thanked him and apologized for bothering him. When a customer came and ordered dinner (around four forty-five) it looked good so i ordered Tonkatsu and ate as well, even though it was a little early.

As i was eating, low and behold, who should walk in the door but the man i had walked and talked with. I asked him what happened to his classes for tonight and he told me his mother was going to teach them for him (she used to be a high school math teacher so is qualified). He said that i was the first foreigner that he had ever met walking the pilgrimage and that he couldn't just let that pass without showing me around a little.

He wanted to take me and show me three places of local interest. When i told him i was much too tired to walk anywhere, he said that he had left the bike at home and brought his car so we would use that. I could think of no reason not to go, so accepted and finished my meal while he talked to the owner about our plans.

We started by going to a little museum dedicated to the copper mining industry that used to be in the area. Apparently the Sumitomo Corporation was born right here in the town of Niihama when they discovered copper in the mountains back in the early 1600s. They worked those mines until just about 20 years ago when it became too expensive to keep digging deeper. So, like all corporations, they shut everything down, laid everyone off, and left town.

Around the museum was still the original water wheel driven generator house, a lot of pictures, and some of the railroad stock that moved the cooper down to the port in Niihama. It was very interesting.

From there, he told me that he wanted to take me to a very famous Zen temple in the mountains above town. Since i was walking the pilgrimage he thought it would be good to get a view of a Zen temple in addition to the usual Shingon temples. I gladly agreed and we were on our way.

The temple is called Zuioji, and i had never heard of it before. It is of the Soto Zen sect and i have been to most of the important other Soto temples around Japan so was thrilled at the chance to visit here. When we got there, though, and were looking around the interior of the courtyard, he surprised me by saying something like "shall we go in and ask them if they'll show us around the inside?"

I couldn't believe this but there was nothing i could say but Sure, why not. Let's do. He did, and after their shock at the request they asked us to wait a minute and disappeared. I asked my friend why he thought they would agree and he said because i was a foreigner and i had come all the way from Chicago to see the Shikoku temples so that demonstrated a certain amount of sincerity. If it were him alone, he said they would tell him to get lost.

And, sure enough they came back in a few minutes and said OK, come on in. I was now in heaven. We received a personal guided tour (from a young twenty-something monk who has been here for two years) of all but the living quarters for the next 45 minutes with any and all questions thought about and responded to in great detail. And when it when it became clear that i'd been to the other big Soto temples he even took the time to make comparisons and distinctions between them. I had a wonderful time.

He also wanted to show me a well know onsen (hot springs) in the area, but after the temple tour we just didn't have the time. On the way back to my Truck Stop he stopped at a discount grocery store so i could buy something for lunch tomorrow. He said this was the best place to buy it as it would be cheaper than anything i would find tomorrow.

I got back at seven-thirty, took a shower (no baths at a truck stop) and headed to my room for the night. Breakfast is at seven tomorrow.

Tomorrow is supposed to be hot and sunny again. But, as i said, i probably only have 13 km to walk. After that the next minshuku is somewhere around 45 or 50 km and i don't want to do that. Unless something becomes obvious tomorrow that wasn't yesterday or today, the day after tomorrow is also going to be short with the next day super long. I'll spend several more hours looking at different alternatives tomorrow. Once i figure it out, i'll update the schedule.

--5/8 Day Forty-One--
Since i was the only customer at the truck stop, it was very quiet this morning and i slept until about six forty-five. Yet, even though i slept late, i've been tired all day. Can't say that i know why, i'm just plain tired.

Bangai 12 (Enmeiji) was just around the corner from the truck stop so i was there within a half hour. The man who stamps our Nôkyô books, decided that i needed a piece of cloth with a picture of Kôbô Daishi and the Heart Sutra on it. He gave it to me as settai. If i pass a post office i'll send it home instead of carry it around. If it rains it could get spoiled.

I am obviously getting closer to Takamatsu. I am no longer anywhere near the countryside and have been walking on streets full of cars and trucks for two days. Tomorrow i return to the mountains as i go to a few Bangai temples and head to Temple 66.

After leaving Enmeiji, i walked until about eleven-thirty when i stopped at a small train station and had lunch (ham sandwich and an apple). After eating i took the time to call and get directions to the minshuku i'm staying at tonight. For some reason, while the address and phone number are listed in the back of the guidebook, it isn't shown on the map so i had no idea where it is located. I also called and made reservations for tomorrow night near the base of the mountain going up to Temple 66 (Unpenji).

I was so tired today that it took me until nearly two-thirty to walk the 18 km (11 mi) to Temple 65 (Sankakuji). That has to be a record setting slow pace. Once there i relaxed and just sat around until a little past three.

The man who signed my Nôkyô book looked to be the priest of the temple; or, at least, one of them. He really took his time signing it and, unlike other temples, used a much smaller brush to write the date on the side of the page. When i could actually read it (the date) he took the time to explain a few things about why he wrote it the way he did. He showed me how a character is usually written and how it evolved from the original Chinese character that was imported to Japan in the 6th century.

I thanked him and went out in the compound to sit around and take a few pictures. After a few minutes he came out and gave me something he had written for me in a free hand style of writing. It looks very nice, but i can't read what it says (not because it is in kanji, but because of the free hand style). He read it to me but i don't remember what the words are now. The sentiments are that when you pray or worship (inoru and ogamu) they are only valid and you will only get the results you hope for when they come from the heart (kokoro). Again i thanked him and he had to return to work as more bus henro had showed up.

I left a little after three to head to my minshuku (Ichinoya). Unfortunately for me, i had to drop all the way back off the mountain where Sankakuji is located and in the opposite direction from which i have to leave tomorrow. Once i got back down and into town, i lost the trail and spent about twenty minutes bouncing from person to person, following their directions, until a woman finally just walked me to the front door. The bad news is, the first thing i have to do tomorrow is reclimb the mountain to get to the road i need to follow.

Tomorrow i eat at six-thirty and hope to be on the road before seven. I have several days of over thirty km (19 mi) coming up in a row, assuming i get the reservations i want (which is far, far from certain).

As i said, tomorrow it is off to Bangai 13 (Senryuji) and Bangai 14 (Jôfukuji) before heading off in the direction of Umpenji (Temple 66). There, i'll stop at the foot of the mountain for the night. I already reserved a room for tomorrow night, but i'm going to call them again tomorrow morning and see if i can stay on Monday night as well. Then i will leave my pack there and make the round trip to Bangai 15 on Monday (about 34 km/21 mi). That would also allow me to just make the climb to Umpenji from there on Tuesday morning.

Umpenji, as it turns out, is the highest climb of the trip. The temple is located at 910 m (3,033 ft) and it will take most of the morning to get up there. Then i drop down the back side to Bangai 16 and on to Temples 67 and beyond. After getting to Temple 67, the hardest part of the trip is over, i think. There are so few minshuku here that it is really a problem. Once i get closer to Takamatsu i think this is going to be less of a problem and the temples are all located at lower elevations.

As an aside, i saw several meat shops today as i walked. When i lived in Tôkyô over ten years ago, i remember beef still being a rarity. I was never served beef in the almost two years i lived there and was only once taken to a steak house. And, at the time it was obvious that it was done on my behalf (all Americans love beef, it was assumed). Now, it seems as if beef isn't so rare. Did i mention that two days ago, at my minshuku after Yokomineji, i had yakiniku (fried beef) for dinner again. In addition they served me beef sashimi- raw beef sliced thin just like fish sashimi and eaten the same way. It wasn't bad, but .....

--5/9 Day Forty-Two and the End of Week Six--
The last day of week six was spent in the mountains, but walking on the side of the roads all day. Therefore, on one hand it was beautiful, and on the other hand my feet are killing me. All this asphalt these past many days is really getting to them.

I was up and had the standard breakfast at six-thirty. After eating, the owner asked me to sign the guest book that we frequently have to sign. While doing so, she pointed out that an American woman from California had stayed here (at Ichinoya) some time in February or March. That just goes to show that i am far from the only foreigner walking the pilgrimage this year.

I left just after seven and spent the next hour and a half reclimbing back to Temple 65 where i had been yesterday afternoon. After a short break and a couple of cans of Pocari Sweat and Aquarius, i left to continue on the way to Senryuji (Bangai 13). To get there i had to climb over a pass at a little over 700 m (2300 ft) before dropping right back down to get to the temple.

You wouldn't believe the size of the bees that i saw while walking to Bangai 13. They were the size of golf balls! They were huge. But, luckily, they seemed harmless and never came too close. In fact, when i approached, they would usually drift off to the side.

Senryuji is located along a beautiful river that i gather is made by the presence of a dam somewhere in the area. It is one of the few rivers that is completely natural and has no cement banks and no artificial rock walls. It appears to be deep and slow moving and would be a great place to spend the day relaxing. In fact, many people do just that since there were fishermen and women out on boats up and down the stretch of the river i walked along.

The temple itself looks very old, but well maintained. The main temple is located inside of a large building that also serves as the temple shukubo (inn). It is the only temple that i can remember where you are allowed to go right inside and sit down. All but myself and one other man, though, didn't; they got their Nôkyô books stamped and then left. I sat for a while because i wanted to take a few pictures and i didn't feel comfortable doing so until the other man had finished his prayers.

His prayers seemed to take forever, even though they probably only took fifteen minutes, or so. He chanted a few sutras for a while and then he sat there quietly and motionless. In fact, i thought he might be meditating. But then, all of the sudden, it looked like he was having seizures. He would burst from his quiet state into a frenzy of shaking his rosary in front of him and then beat his chest a few times. Then he would just as suddenly stop - only to repeat it all over, and over again. It was quite the scene to see. When he was done and was leaving, he really looked tired, like it had taken a lot of energy from his resources. Interesting.

In the temple, one of the little rooms off the main hall had an 8x12 picture of each of the temples comprising the 88 main temples on the pilgrimage. I asked and was told that they had been taken about 20 years ago and the changes in some of the temples was easily apparent. Where 20 years ago there had been dirt on the ground in the compound, now, when i visited, there was nothing but cement. Some even had new temple buildings. It was quite interesting to see the changes.

After leaving Senryuji i headed back up (and subsequently back down again) the mountain to cross back again to the valley where i had started (but a little further Northeast) and to head towards Bangai 14 (Jôfukuji, but usually called Tsubakidô).

This temple is an extremely small temple tucked in amongst a lot of other houses. In fact, i missed it as i passed it the first time. Luckily for me, i saw a sign only 100 m (300 ft) downhill saying that it was behind me. After fighting a brief state of disbelief, i turned around and went back up the hill i had just come down and, sure enough, there it was.

When i got my Nôkyô book stamped, the man gave me a can of coffee as settai. Of course i accepted it and thanked him, but i gave it to another guest in my minshuku tonight. I just couldn't drink it (sorry Georgia). I ate a little lunch there and after a few pictures and a short break headed out to my minshuku for the night (Okada) at the base of the mountain going up to Temple 66. To get there, i had to yet again climb back up to 300 m (1,000 ft) to cross the pass and then decend back down into another valley. Just before getting there, i passed a sign that said i'm back in Tokushima Prefecture again. Bangai 15 and Temple 66 are both in this prefecture. I get to Kagawa Prefecture sometime as i am climbing down the back side of the mountain after Temple 66.

I'm tired, but really happy tonight since the May Sumo Tournament started today. That means that for the rest of my trip i can watch sumo on TV from the time i check in until six o'clock each night.

Here is a question for all of you Japanese speakers. How would you translate the word "Erai?" I am told every single day of the week by numerous people that i am "erai" for walking the entire pilgrimage. I know that the dictionary translation is 'good' or 'superior,' but there must be another implied meaning since i am also called this by other walking henro. Why would they call me erai when i am doing nothing more, or less, than they are?

When i checked in tonight i asked if i could also stay here tomorrow night as well. Luckily they agreed. I will leave my back pack here tomorrow and only carry my money, camera, Nôkyô book, and the onigiri the owner has told me she will give me as settai. Tomorrow i visit Bangai 15 (Hashikuraji) and then return here to spend the night. The round trip will be 35 km (22 mi) so i'm sure i'll be tired when i get back, but without the pack it will make a big difference on the feet.

Tomorrow i will also try and make a reservation for Tuesday night. They say i can make it to the top of Unpenji (Temple 66) in three hours on Tuesday, but i have my doubts since it is at 910 m (3,033 ft). But, just in case they are correct, i am going to reserve a room in the vicinity of Temple 68 (Kanonji) for that night. That should allow me to get to Temple 75 (Zentsuji) on Wednesday and Bangai 17 (Mannôike) on Thursday.

Thursday i am meeting a fellow American at Zentsuji (but i have to call him if i want to walk to Mannôike) and then in the evening will be staying at the house of friends of my Japanese teacher. I have been led to expect quite a feast.

The forecast weather is still holding at sunny and warm through all next week. That is good news because there will be no rain, but it has been hot the last few days and that eats a lot of my energy.

On of the more interesting things about today is that apparently Don Weiss (someone who walked the pilgrimage several years ago and wrote a book about it) and his wife stayed at this minshuku as well. In my room is a book of newspaper clippings of articles they wrote about their pilgrimage for the local paper when they lived here in Tokushima. The book also contains a newspaper article about, and a picture of, Jeff Hackler and his pilgrimage in '96.

It is interesting to read what other henro have to say about the pilgrimage. Not just about the temples, but also about what they did, what they saw, and who they met, and how they felt from day to day as they walked. I makes me anxious to see what memories i will have, and what sentiments i will have, of this trip after time has passed and i can sit back and look at the forest instead of the day to day trees.

As anyone can predict, only time will tell.

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