Shikoku Henro Michi // day 6 // Kushibuchi - Byōdōji

Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage, day 6.
Temples: #20-22 (Kakurinji, Tairyūji, Byōdōji).
Distance: 25.6km (147.9km), time spent: 10:38.
Weather: Magnificent.

I had not slept long last night before I woke up by a sound outside the hut, whereupon I shortly could see some light outside through the windows. Then the door went up and someone came in, all I could see was a light shining at me as I sat up slightly horrified. I voice in the dark tried to calm me, I was not. The man then set about installing himself in the hut, making food and preparing a futon, all the while I tried to get back to sleep again. Eventually, after a long time, he went to bed and fell asleep almost instantly, while I remained awake for a long time.

Looking up at the mountains I am about to venture up into from Katsuura, on the way to Kakurinji.

The next morning I woke up to discover that the other man was an older henro on bike, though he wore rather ragged clothes and had a musky smell about him. I suspect he was a kind man, he had made some food and coffee that he shared with me, though I did not relish it as the cooking facilities in the hut looked very unsanitary and dirty. He boiled up a huge amount of eggs, of which I got three of upon my departure. I needed to get an early start, as I knew I had a long day ahead of me, therefore I did feel kind of rude when I left.

The path to Kakurinji.

View of the valley below with the Naka river running through, from the path up to Kakurinji.

It turned out that I did the right thing staying at the zenkonyado, I would not have made it to the Hinanosayo michi-no-eki in Katsuura before it got dark. There are no places there where I can pitch my tent, though I could probably have spent the night in the henro hut outside of it. As planned, I eat a large breakfast at a nearby convenience store, I need it, it is from here the fun of the day begin. The fun is not flat.

The old pagoda at Kakurinji.

The next and twentieth temple is another of those located at the top of a mountain (though, there are many that would call it hills). As is the norm here, the path up is steep and this will not be the only steep ascent that I have to do today. It is also marked as Henro-korogashi on the map, literally meaning henro fall down. On a rainy day, this would be a hard and tedious climb. With or without rain, the walk up is beautiful and atmospheric, on a mixture of natural surface and wooden stairs struck into the ground to aid the climb. There are great views of the valley below at the beginning of the climb and later on there is a wonderful view of the valley you will descent to after visiting Kakurinji, with the Naka river running through it.

Ingrid and Laura at Kakurinji.

Kakurinji (Crane Forest Temple), is an ancient looking temple that has escaped being burned by fire throughout the years. The pagoda there looks old. With the danger of repeating myself, this temple is also very nice, most of them so far has been. Just before arriving at the gates of the temple, I meet Ingrid and Laura from Holland. I had seen their names on an osamefuda in an henro hut yesterday, wondering if they actually were from Norway (a far-fetched hope of course). They have a long time available to do the pilgrimage, and will take their time enjoying their walk. That is a luxury I do not fully have, be able to take my time that is, I hope I still will be able to enjoy my pilgrimage of course. So far I have done so.

Kakurinji.

The Awa Henro Trail (National Historic Site) between Kakurinji and Tairyūji.

Getting to Tairyūji involves another steep ascent, after having to walk all the way to the bottom of the valley again, all elevation gain lost. The path up is on a path devotedly maintained for hundreds of years and a Place of National Historic Site, called the Awa Henro Trail. It start off on a small paved walk, almost crumbling, next to a small river with small waterfalls, before it changes to a soft surface underfoot. Sunlight through the trees adds to the wonder of the walk, and a nice hut on the way is good place to take a breather underway.

Inside the hondo at Tairyūji.

Temple number 21, Tairyūji (Great Dragon Temple), carries its name with pride it appears. Ingrid and Laura had warned me about the beauty of this temple. They are spot on, it is quite amazing and a new favorite. Also called 'Western Kōyasan' since the temple buildings are constructed in a similar way to those at Kōyasan, and are scattered around on top of the mountain, not located closely together. Another legend about Kōbō Daishi is that he performed the Gumonjihō here when he was 15, this is done by reciting the Mantra of Kokūzō one million times. (Is it just me, but when I read about all the things Kōbō Daishi should have done in the guidebook and other places, I cannot help getting a sort of Chuck Norris facts about them. When I read about this one, all I can think of is the 'Chuck Norris has counted to infinity. Twice!' fact.)

Tairyūji hondo.

It is now that the egg crisis occurs. I have completely forgotten about the eggs I got from the old henro this morning, I put them in a side pocket of my backpack. Looking at my backpack when I am about to leave, I notice that the bottom of it are full of egg yolk. The eggs were not hard boiled, and had cracked. This is going to smell later if I do not do anything about it, I clean the worst of it at the temple.

Tairyūji daishido.

Shashingatake, the okunoin of Tairyūji.

I say goodbye to Ingrid and Laura, I will probably not meet them again unfortunately (though, you never know). Most henros seems to take the path down from Tairyūji that goes on the road. I cannot fathom why. There is another path that goes through the woods and mountains that I choose, on the Iwaya and Byōdōji trails. All natural underfoot and on the way I get a good look out from the mountain, where I can see the ropeway going up towards the temple. However, the gem of the walk is Shashingatake, the okunoin of Tairyūji. Here is a wonderful statue of a sitting Kōbō Daishi overlooking the verdant mountains, another beautyspot. A big black snake slithers across the path when I am getting close to Asebi.

A jizō statue on the Iwaya / Byōdōji trail.

Determined to go further, under threat of not having any place to sleep, I cross over another pass after reaching Asebi. Ōne pass is on the other hand not as steep as the previous two. The pass has also given name to an unusal henro hut, that looks like a tower, quite cool actually. I arrive at temple 22, Byōdōji (The Temple of Equality), just before the nōkyōchō-office closes. So, I get my stamp in my book, but seeing this as the end of my day, I choose to wait performing the rituals until tomorrow (they were also closing off the temple halls at this time).

Old age at work, an old women sitting in the field, but still keep on working.

With the help of the temple staff, I get a room at an accommodation some kilometers away from here, Emoto. They will come and pick me up, great. Yesterday, I had originally tried to book a room at the Japanese inn next to the temple, Sazanka, but they were fully booked. Now, although too late, another henro that I met comes out to tell me that there had been a cancellation and it was a room available. There is also another free hut nearby, but I yearn for a shower now, and it looks like there are no places to eat nearby. The dinner at Emoto is good though, a traditional meal consisting of fish, rice, pickles, miso-soup, but also with meat that I prepare myself on a small burning pot.

The Ōne Henro Hut.

Probably the best day of my walk so far, even if it got off at a bad start and the first part of walking was not that interesting. Once I took to the mountains for the climbs to Kakurinji and Tairyūji, it was all rewarding. Now for the task of cleaning the bottom of my backpack.

Byōdōji.

<- KushibuchiHiwasa ->

Shikoku Henro Michi // day 5 // Kokufu - Kushibuchi

Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage, day 5.
Temples: #18-19 (Onzanji, Tatsueji).
Distance: 25.5km (122.3km), time spent: 9:47.
Weather: Wonderful.

From here the official route goes through the centre of Tokushima. Which means a long and monotonous walk with little change of scenery along the way. I do not look forward to it. Instead I look forward at the map and locate the Jizō-goe route crossing over Mount Bizan. All the more alluring to me. I am more drawn towards landscapes than cityscapes. So my plan is set, except where I will end up when I stop walking today.

A pond next to the Jizōin temple before the start of the Jizō-goe route. On tables next to the pond, there were old people sitting, talking, and playing cards.

The weather is in an equally good mood as I am after a good nights sleep. It is a little noticeable walk to the small pond and temple (Jizōin) that marks the beginning of the Jizō-goe route over the mountain. The path up appears to be little used, with numerous spiderwebs blocking the way. All of them with nasty spiders crawling in them, not so charming as the surroundings. On the way, a man sits in a makeshift rest hut, trying to convey something to me, as if the path is closed or something. I clearly misunderstand and continue walking.

A statue with a broken umbrella sits guarding over the Jizō-goe route.

I doubt many other henros are walking this way, mostly sticking to the official route through Tokushima, though I could be wrong. The path over is disused, tight and steep at short times. At the top a small convent of statues. A short final brush down through the trees, and then a walk on road trying to locate the main path again, but I do not stop there. By returning to the main path.

One of the clear passages on the path over the Azuri pass.

There is another alternate route, going over another pass, Azuri, that I take. It is a mistake. No one goes on that path. By the look of it at least. Constantly brushing aside vegetation and the now ever present spiderwebs, it is not a fun ride. I really do not want any of those spiders to crawl around on me. The tiny statues at the top of this pass though, was cute. Emerging out from the forest on the other side, I hope to be finished with this path. Only to find out that there is more to come, and even more overgrown. I have no clue to what things I brush past as I push through the thick vegetation blocking my way. Broken and lost buildings in the trees. Finally, I arrive at a road again. Next to a nice Shinto shrine, Jizōin.

Tiny Buddha figure at the top of the Azuri pass.

Returning to the fold again, I meet another henro almost immediately. His name is Tomoyoshi Kubo and should influence my pilgrimage at a later stage, although I do not know it at this time. We keep company from here on. Now here is an interesting (and funny) fact, although an disputed fact. Next to the trail lies what is noted in the guidebook as the lowest mountain in Japan, Mount Benten at 6.1m. I just have to climb it. It is barely more than a large boulder, but there is a small shrine at its top. With my successful ascent, I can now add my name to the (probably very long) list of the conquerors of this mighty mountain.

Picture taken when summiting the lowest mountain in Japan at 6.1m, Bentenyama.

Coming down from the high altitude, I join up with Tomoyoshi-san and head for a place to eat lunch. He wants to give it to me as osettai, but instead we both end up being given lunch as osettai from a woman at the place we stop at. The long walk through the outskirts of Komatsushima is of course not as tense as my excursions over the Jizō-goe and Azuri passes. Plenty of wind though, which makes wearing the sedgehat quite tedious.

Horse and fierce samurai warrior statues at the top of Hatayama.

The path up to temple 18, Onzanji (The Temple of Gratitude Mountain), is a wonderful old path on stairs of stone covered by moss. Women was originally not allowed to enter the temple, but when Kūkai's mother came to visit the temple while he was training there, he performed an esoteric rite that lasted for seventeen days. Upon his completion of the rite, women was allowed to enter. Good thing that is, for it is a lovely temple, which should be open for all.

Leaving the temple, the path goes through another of those bamboo forest that I like. This one, like every other carries the consent that what happens is to be, so there are fallen bamboo trees crossing all over the place. There are however no ninjas in them when I look up though.

Statue of Kōbō Daishi at the entrance of the Onzanji temple.

Tatsueji (The Temple of Arising a Bay), #19, is an uneventful, but hot, four kilometers after Onzanji. Not surrounded by trees this time, but by buildings. Although all temples are like small oases in their surroundings. I find this one wonderful too, then of course, having a pagoda at a temple increases my admiration of it. There is one thing that unfortunately bothers me here, the kids running and screaming around all over the place. I thought the temples was a place for quiet contemplation.

Onzanji, the eighteenth temple.

On any walk that I do, I expect to meet other people, from different places. What I had not expected was to meet a group of henros coming from no other than New Caledonia. Julien and Didier are sitting at a bench next to the temple gates and I join them for a while, conversing in a mix of english and french (they speak french at the tiny island). There is another of the group, Yves, who is resting back at the place they will spend the night at. It is a nice meeting.

Tomoyoshi-san going through the bamboo forest after Onzanji.

For my Japanese friend, Tomoyoshi-san, it is also the end of his day. He will take a train back to Tokushima from here. Before he go, he gives me his card and tells me to give him a call when I am either at temple 68/69, 70 or 71 and he will come and pick me up for a stay in his zenkonyado. Such wonderful hospitality. I have still a lot of kilometers to walk and temples to visit before I get there, so I hope I will not forget it.

Ornaments and lamp in the roof at Tatsueji.

I am however not finished with my day, I have a small hope to get to Katsuura and the Hinanosayo michi-no-eki (road station) there, it should have a place to camp and a restaurant to eat at. Time is not on my side, so for safety, I stock up on some few provisions in a small nearby store (and two beers from a vending-machine, teenagers would go wild about these back home).

At Tatsueji.

Near Hosenji, a rather uninteresting temple in Kushibuchi, there is another zenkonyado. It was marked in the guidebook and was my plan b if the time got tight. It has, but the free hut is extremely hot inside, messy, dusty and not very inviting. Although, I see no other choice than staying at the place. I let the two fans get to work, while I sit outside waiting for it to cool down.

Inside the zenkonyado near the Hosenji temple in Kushibuchi, my home for the night.

I eat my meagre dinner and drink my two beers, then relax. There are cockroaches crawling around on the tatami-mats. I only use the futons available as underlay for my sleeping madrass and sleeping bag. Still grateful for these free shelters though. A far from uninteresting day.

<- KokufuByōdōji ->

Shikoku Henro Michi // day 4 // Nabeiwa - Kokufu

Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage, day 4.
Temples: #13-17 (Dainichiji, Jōrakuji, Kokubunji, Kannonji, Idoji).
Distance: 29.8km (96.8km), time spent: 10:39.
Weather: Light overcast.

The fourth day rises with yet another set of temples in the horizon, as well with the added knowledge that I do not know where I will go to or how far. Today, I make the way as I go, almost, I still have a marked trail to follow. Which after breakfast leads up to the Tamaga-tōge pass on a good path through the forest. I soon follow another henro, whose walk and figure are illuminated by the sunrays through the trees.

A henro illuminated by the sunrays on the path up to the Tamaga-tōge pass.

After the Tamaga-tōge pass and the small shrine at the top, paved road replaces the path. To atone for the walk on hard surface, the views opens up and I walk looking out over the landscape below me and across the valley. It is beautiful and I quickly forget about the absence of vegetation beneath my feet.

View from the path after Tamaga-tōge.

The bottom of the valley greets me with a village that appear to have more dolls as inhabitants than living people. There are dolls sitting at a bus stop, in the fields, there is a policeman and there are even two henro dolls. Is this a custom that has spread from a deserted town in another part of Shikoku, Nagaro? Whose inhabitants mostly are dolls posing in natural attire next to the road, fields and houses. This is due to a local resident that started to make dolls of a person when they either moved away or died, as seen in the video you find at this link: Dolls replace humans in this deserted town (National Geographic). It is amusing, but also slightly eerie in a way.

Sharing a bench with two of the doll inhabitants of a village after coming down from the mountain.

As the dolls waves me goodbye, the trail follows the Akui river down the valley. And will do so almost all the way to the next temple, Dainichiji, but I have other plans. Looking at the map, or the guidebook actually as it mostly is a book with all the maps you need to make the pilgrimage, I can see that there is an alternate route going up to the okunoin of Dainichiji, a temple named Konjiji. Before leaving for that path, I go through Hirono where most of the inhabitants seems gathered at the local school for some festivities. Yielding a lot more life than the previous place.

Konjiji, the okunoin of Dainichiji, lies up in the mountains with good views over the landscape below.

If I want to visit Konjiji, I have to do a little bit more climbing than I would had I followed the river to Dainichiji instead. The climb is worth it, though I am not totally at ease on the last part of the walk, where I walk among scuttling monkeys all around me on a path not entirely easy to follow. Konjiji rewards me with a beautiful view over the oncoming landscape and is otherwise a characteristic temple up in the hills. I spend an additional blank page in my nōkyōchō on a temple stamp from here.

A small jizō statue watches over a steep path, aided by metal chains, on the way down from Konjiji.

It is the path down from Konjiji that is the best part of visiting it. Going through a wonderful bamboo forest next to numerous tiny shrines and statues, another Small Shikoku 88 Temples Site. At one place, I have to climb down a cliffside using a large metal chain. At the end is a beautiful place underneath the cliffs, made up by a small shrine, a drizzling waterfall (Konji Falls) with a jizō statue and stone stairs going up and down. I am so glad I chose to walk this way, rather than the traditional path.

Konji Falls, a marvellous site located in the woods underneath the cliffs.

Of course, back at the usual way, I start to wonder about the time left. At about half past two, I bow once and enter through the temple gate of Dainichiji (The Temple Of The Great Sun), #13. The temple looks traditional, but is nice, though I find the Shinto shrine on the other side of the road more interesting. Ichinomiya Jinja, that is taken care of by the staff at Dainichiji. There is a henro bus group at the temple, which would follow me further.

Ichinomiya Jinja, separated from Dainichiji under the persecution of Buddhism at the beginning of the Meiji Period.

Luckily, timewise, the temples now follow each other quickly in succession. Jōrakuji (The Temple Of Everlasting Peace), number fourteen, is a scenic temple that I like the moment I arrive at it. The temple grounds are natural, with an uneven rock bed. The henro group are here as well, and I get a green osamefuda from a woman among them. A green osamefuda means that you have done the pilgrimage between 5-7 times. I have white nameslips, for those who walk it for the first to fourth time. For 8 to 24 times you use a red one, for 25-49 silver, 50 to 99 is gold. Brocade is the last, for those having done it more than 100 times.

At Jōrakuji, a bus group of pilgrims gather outside the daishido to pray.

Just after leaving the temple, a woman stops me and gives me a small pouch that I can use to keep the coins for the donations at the temple as osettai (there are also candy in the pouch). Osettai are 'gifts' given to henros, given to either help or show your support to the pilgrims. It is considered impolite to refuse an offer of osettai, as it is also believed that by giving it to a pilgrim, you also is giving to Kōbō Daishi.

Getting my nōkyōchō-book stamped at Kokubunji.

(Awa) Kokubunji (The Official State Temple), is the fifteenth temple out and is just one kilometer away. Here the main hall is under maintenance and maybe due to that the least interesting temple so far. The first temple I have rushed a little. The henro group is here as well. Having left the mountains behind, the walk from now goes on flat ground next to a busy road to temple #16, Kannonji (Avalokitesvara Temple). A small, but pretty temple in the middle of town buildings.

Kannonji temple.

Where I would spend the night has for some time been unclear, though the easiest solution is to take the train to Tokushima and find a hotel there (I am not following the arrows longer at this point, with no intention to go all the way there today). However, not far from Kannonji there is another hut available for pilgrims to stay at and I plan to check that out before deciding to head for Tokushima. The first impression is rather bad, it does not look very inviting to me. Then a man from the taxi company providing the zenkonyado (free stays for henros) bid me take a closer look at it and I change my mind.

Looking at Idoji temple through the temple gates.

Still time to visit Idoji (Well Temple), I hurry onward and reaches #17 just before closing time. I do it the other way around here, getting my nōkyōchō stamped before I go through the rituals. I feel kind at peace at this temple, as the light on the sky is waning. I then turn back and follows the henromichi down to the busy road going through Kokufu, and returns by that to the zenkonyado.

Evening sun in Kokufu.

This one does not look as nice as Kamonoyu from the outside, but is even nicer on the inside. Though, it does not have the luxury of an onsen next door. It does however have a shower, toilet and a washing machine available. It is really nice inside, with two rooms with tatami mats and apparently clean futons to sleep in. Tv also, but best of all, it has an air conditioner. All for free, how kind it is of the people here to provide these places.

Inside the zenkonyado Sakae Taxi in Kokufu so kindly offer to the walking henros.

Shortly down the street there is a rice and curry house, which provides me with my dinner. Even closer by is a Family Mart, one of the numerous convenience stores here, providing me with some goodies for the evening. Quite the remarkable and varied day. There is another reason why I did not want to go all the way to Tokushima, but that is all part of the plan for tomorrow and I will not go into detail on that today. Now I just sit and relax in my place for tonight, among the multitude of nameslips in various colors on the walls.

<- NabeiwaKushibuchi ->

Shikoku Henro Michi // day 3 // Kamojima - Nabeiwa

Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage, day 3.
Temples: #11-12 (Fujiidera, Shōsanji).
Distance: 22.4km (67.0km), time spent: 9:42.
Weather: Slightly overcast, but some sun also.

Looking at the elevation profile of the trail, there is one thing that stands out, it resembles a sound diagram of quiet music with sudden spikes of loud music. The spikes are the mountains that you encounter between the relatively flat ground you otherwise walk on. Today, I encounter the first of those spikes when the henromichi takes me up into the mountains to visit Shōsanji, the twelfth temple.

Outside Kamonoyu in the morning.

The weather is nice outside when I wake up, but there are clouds in the horizon, no rain is imminent however. It took some time for me to fall asleep last night, so I am a little bit groggy in the morning as I leave Kamonoyu to venture up into the mountains. While walking on the road at the beginning, a car stop by next to me and a man comes out and begin to adjust the straps of my backpack, I continue walking with a slightly painful pressure on my chest. Needless to say, I do not walk long before I have to readjust it back.

A worshipper at Fujiidera.

Fujiidera (Wisteria Temple), temple #11, is not far away from my small shelter in Kamojima and lies at the slopes of the mountains ahead of me. Still, I manage to go wrong, though I cannot see how. I meet a man walking a cobble of dogs, who guides me through a path in the forest back to temple. Saturday, the temple is bustling with people. That may be the reason why I cannot entirely enjoy it there, it looks otherwise like a peaceful place with some nice old buildings, with trees looming over them.

From Fujiidera the trail goes past a Mini Shikoku 88 Temples Site, a smaller version of the 88-temple pilgrimage route.

The route going past one of the small shrines dedicated to a temple on the pilgrimage, next to a small waterfall.

Almost unseenly at the back of the temple I find the path leading up under the shelter of the trees. Quickly I discover that this is another world of the pilgrimage, as I walk further and further up, with the sounds from the temple receding as I go. This is also a Mini Shikoku 88 Temples Site, meaning that next to the path I walk on there are small shrines dedicated to each temple on the pilgrimage. I pass by a small waterfall that fills up the air with the sound of the water flowing down. It is a beautiful walk. Soon also the tiny shrines recedes and it is only me and the trees left.

There is a mystic aura around the Chōdo-an shrine when I walk past it on my way.

From other blogs that I have read, I had been warned about that it would be a steep climb up, and that it would not be a continuous climb, but a series of ascents and descents before I can enter through the temple gates at Shōsanji. I was prepared for this, due to Japans proximity to South-Korea I had expected it to be of a similar kind to what I experienced there. Steep it is at times, often aided by wooden steps put into the ground. I wonder if I have brought enough water with me.

After Chōdo-an you come to a great viewpoint where you can look out over the valley floor of the previous days on the pilgrimage, tracing your footsteps between the villages and open land. And wondering about the time you will come down from the mountains behind when you finish the pilgrimage.

Cloaked by the trees, I walk by three shrines on the way, Chōdo-an, Ryūsui-an, and Jōren-an. Both Chōdo-an and Jōren-an are of the mysterious kind, especially in this setting with clouds slowly drifting past the buildings. Watching over my approach to Jōren-an on a long staircase made of stone is a large statue of Kōbō Daishi. It is a nice spot next to a huge wonderful tree, but the buildings looks old and worn. Another man is there, giving me a sudachi (a citrus fruit) to taste while we have a short conversation.

A typical path on the climb up to Shōsanji, steep up on wooden stairs in the ground.

As in Korea, you also walk in the mountains under cover of the trees mostly, with the occasional opening up to the outside world. Undulating up and down in an atmospheric environment. The clouds soon took place on the sky, with moments of sun in between. This is wonderful when I am walking on top of a ridge where the sunrays are filtered through the clouds seeping across the path. A play of light and shadow. The best views comes just after Chōdo-an where I can look back over the flat valley floor of the two previous days, and in the valley you come to before starting the final steep ascent to Shōsanji.

At the top of a ridge, the sunrays plays a game of light through the drifting clouds.

Shōsanji (Burning Mountain Temple) is situated at about 700 metres. Emerging out of the forest, I follow a row of ornamented stone lamps on a stone fence past several tiny shrines and statues on the entryway to the temple. Situated up into the mountains it is another favorite of mine so far. It is far more quieter here than I had expected, given the throng of people at Fujiidera. I go through the temple rituals, wanders a little about the temple, get my nōkyōchō-book stamped and sit down to eat lunch. Then curiosity strikes again.

Looking down at Ryūsui-an. Further down from this shrine, there is a nice henro hut available for the henroes to stay at.

Approaching Jōren-an with Kōbō Daishi watching over you when you climb the stone stairs leading to the shrine.

Above the temple, on the summit of Shōsanjiyama itself, lies Zaō Daigongen. Which is the inner sanctum and okunoin to the temple. I can leave my backpack behind at the temple office while I climb up to it. The path up is nice, even with the spiderwebs with some nasty looking spiders in them crossing over the path. I pass by the site where Kōbō Daishi apparently sealed a dragon inside, marked by two small statues and a shrine. At the summit is a larger shrine, I ring the bell at the shrine. The views from the top is broken, but I can still see the valleys below and hills and mountains afar. Back at Shōsanji, I get a separate stamp for Zaō Daigongen in my book, and a thumbs up from the staff.

A great view from the tiny village at the bottom of the last valley before the final steep climb to Shōsanji.

I have three more kilometres to go before I get to my accommodation for the night at Nabeiwa, Sudachi-kan. Going there I do feel kind of following Following the Arrows, a blog that I have been reading prior to this journey. We have now done the pilgrimage in almost the exact same way so far.

Shōsanji, nestled underneath the mountain with the same name.

Zaō Daigongen at the top of Shōsanjiyama.

Sudachi-kan is run by a friendly elderly couple and is proof that you can get along even when you do not speak the same language. After having showered, they serve me a good dinner in their little shop. I notice that they collect notes from different countries around the world, so I donate one 50 kroner note from Norway to their collection. No street lights in the small village as expected, and in the evening I sit outside my room listening to the sounds of the night from the woods around. I am the only guest. I has been a wonderful day.

View from the top of Shōsanjiyama.

<- KamojimaKokufu ->