9th of September 2019 – When I wake up, I look forward to walking again, despite blisters, chafe marks, and possibly unpredictable weather. Tonight, it was raining cats and dogs. I can tell from the puddles outside my window. How will today be when I start walking? I realise that I have gotten used to the route and know what is expected of me. That gives me the headspace to enjoy the day itself. Even if it pours.
An early breakfast
But first, I’ll have breakfast. It’s already available at six in the morning, and I arrive neatly on time in the dining hall. There, my host finishes the breakfast preparations and serves us the food. Geertje joins us at the table a little later. She would have liked to sleep in a little longer, because she will be leaving later in the day. It’s nice to be speaking Dutch for a little while. She walks a little less, goes to more centrally located sleeping spots, and walks to the temples from there. That is a very nice way of doing the pilgrimage, but unfortunately it won’t take you to the more remote or elevated temples.
It stays wet outside
The rain keeps coming. I decide to put on my waterproof pants and cape, and get going, nonetheless. Waiting would not make the weather any better. The first hour, the rain keeps on coming. The waterproof clothes do heat me up a lot. When I can, I take off my cape. After an hour or so, the rain slows down to a drizzle, and I also take off my waterproof pants. My legs are wet from sweat that couldn’t escape. Even when it is drizzling, my pants are drying, and that’s an odd thing to realize.
Along the coast and over an old train track
The route traces the coastline. Almost the entire time, I have the sea on my left side. On one of the capes, there is a small harbour. The piers take the shape of a bulwark. It is almost as if there was a medieval castle here. Nice to see!
A path as straight as a razor
Slowly, blue spots are appearing among the grey clouds. It’s clearing up bit by bit. The road stays wet, but thankfully I no longer need my bad weather clothes. Then, I happen upon a part of the route where an old train line has been transformed into a bike- and footpath. That makes for a nice walking pace. I find all kinds of tropical plants here, including banana trees.
Pinenut trees along the coast
At Wajiki I suddenly walk into a pinenut tree forest. It’s directly on the coast. Here, the path winds its way around a robust seawall. The parts where I’m walking shaded from the wind, are hot. Around eleven o’clock, the sun is high in the sky and often shines through the clouds. The moisture evaporates, and the heat causes a stifling climate. I am sweating bullets, so I decide to take my lunch at a Family Mart with air conditioning.
Walking together with a Fin
Close to Kagami Eki, a station, I encounter a Finnish pilgrim. He is called Löwe and started on the same day as me. When I was inside temple number 6, I had already seen that he spent the night there before me. He had written in the guest book there. Cool to meet him now. He usually sleeps “in the wild”, has a small tent with him, and looks for a place where he isn’t bothering anyone to sleep. And you can smell that on him. Tomorrow, he needs to go to the post office in Kochi to pick up a package with new trousers. He wants to walk to temple 28 at least today, just like me.
Temple 28 – Dainichi-ji
Together, we arrive at temple 28, Dainichi-ji. Exactly when we stand in front of the gate, a Chinese pilgrim passes through it, exiting. She is trying her best to take a picture of her alongside the number written on the gate. She hasn’t managed to, so I offer to take the picture. In the end, we also take a picture with the three of us. She tells us that she started walking from temple 1 to 17 and now hopes to be going until temple 53. She does walk quite a bit slower than we do.
Entering the temple
There is a bench next to the building in front of the gate. We drop our backpacks there and enter the temple. When I start looking for the main altar, I see a man walking around who makes me feel unsafe. I haven’t felt that way since starting the pilgrimage. I feel the impulse to keep my hand on my temple pouch, because it contains my wallet and passport. Thankfully, he departs from the temple soon after, and I can perform my rituals in peace.
Outside, a stranger awaits us
When we leave the temple, the man we saw before is sitting next to our backpacks on the bench. That doesn’t feel right. We head towards him anyway and he strikes up a conversation in decent English. He says he has already visited all 88 temples, and that he has decided to remain at 28 for a while. According to him a gift to a pilgrim (the o-setai) is stronger than a gift directly to the temple. When you give a pilgrim something, you accompany them the entire route. He takes out his wallet and pulls out three 1.000 Yen notes.
I let Löwe take the money; he needs it more than I do. When he wants to put the money away immediately, I explain to him that he needs to return an osamefuda. You thank the person who gifted you something with it. On the slip of paper, you put a wish, your name, address, and the date. He does so for the Japanese man. He thanks him kindly and disappears back into the temple.
Calling the guest house
The owners of the guest house would come pick me up if I called them on my phone. Their phone number was printed on a pamphlet I took from my previous night’s stay. I gather my courage and call the number. After the phone rings twice, they pick up. A woman’s voice responds. In my best Japanese, I introduce myself as Maku Arubersu. She indicates that she is expecting Maku-san and quickly starts to rattle off in Japanese to me. I hope it is not really meant for me, because I don’t understand a word of it. Thankfully, I hear a man’s voice murmur in the background. Then she speaks to me again. I understand that their car will arrive in about fifteen minutes, I think. After saying thank you, and thank you again, I hang up.
Picked up by car
I say goodbye to Löwe, wish him a good trip to Kochi, and hope that he can replace his trousers. After about ten minutes, a clean terrain vehicle approaches. A man exits the car, who greets me with a Konnichi-wa Maku-san!, good afternoon, Mark. I get offered a lift. My backpack gets deposited on the boot, my kongozue fits diagonally, and I get to sit in the front. On the left side, the side that I’m used to driving on in the Netherlands.
Guest house Suisen
After a little more than a kilometre, we arrive. The guest house is closer than I expected. If I had known that I would’ve walked there. But, if I’m completely honest, it is nice to be able to take a lift after walking for 34 kilometres today. Around four o’clock, I check in, and I get a beautiful room with a European bed. I go to sit on a shallow table in Japanese fashion. My hostess thinks that is wonderful! She serves iced coffee, tea, and cookies. A little later, she shows me where the bathroom is and she shows me how to use the washing machine. Quickly after, the laundry is in the machine, and I am scrubbing myself off.
A little time for recreation
I hang the laundry outside underneath the cover of a veranda. Then I return to my room. Around five I receive a snack. The food has been planned for half past six. It is lovely to not be doing anything for a little bit, just write some things in my notebook and enjoy a nice day.
Dinner is late
Eventually, my hostess brings the food around seven o’clock. She had lots of things to do, she explains that she needed to pick up her father, and because of that she started cooking later than expected. I don’t really mind, but I do realize that this is an exception by Japanese standards. Half past six is half past six, and not half an hour later. I’m glad to report that the food is delicious. She is a great cook. After dinner, we discuss arranging a sleeping space for me for tomorrow. I had been looking around and found a place near temple 32. Then I need to bridge a small 30 kilometres around Kochi. But there is not really a hotel with free rooms or that’s even open.
Tomorrow I will be sleeping here again
Then, my hostess comes up with an equally brilliant and simple idea; if I sleep here another night, then she’ll just pick me up tomorrow. Then I can walk without having to carry my backpack. I like the thought of that. The food is good, the place is nice, and walking a day without a burden on my back persuades me. Tomorrow, I will be walking with just my temple pouch.
My English translations ends here (for now).
Feel free to read further on my Dutch blog.