31st of August 2019 – I wake up before my alarm goes off. The sun starts coming up around half past five already. Around six o’clock, I get up, get dressed, and gather all my things. Tonight, I charged my phone and power bank, and myself. I am ready to get going again after yesterday’s tribulations. In preparation, I tape the front of the soles of my feet with leucoplast and pierce the blister on my right big toe once again.
A hot breakfast
We break fast at 6:30. That take some getting used to; a hot breakfast. In fact, it does not differ much from last night’s dinner. I scoop up some extra rice and enjoy everything on my serving tray. The sheets of seaweed are used to wrap around rice. I see the others soak the seaweed in some soy sauce and then eat it with the rice sometimes. I’m happy that I am decently skilled at eating with chopsticks, because otherwise it would be quite difficult to eat here.
We say our goodbyes, almost everybody is leaving by bus, and has a travel destination planned for themselves for the day. I am planning to visit the temples numbered 13 until 17 today, if I manage to today. This is the fifth day in a row that I am hiking. I am interested in how I will manage. I have no idea what the weather will be like or what my stamina will be like.
I paid for my stay yesterday evening, so I put on my shoes, put my backpack on my back, and grab my kongozue. Onto a new day filled with adventure.
Back on the trail
I start along the road, and almost immediately I see a sign with a route guide, which sends me to turn. I go past a small body of water and quickly the path heads back up the mountain. This time, it’s not a very high mountain, however it is quite a steep and slippery path going up to 450 metres high. I take 45 minutes to cover a distance of 1.9 km; that is quite slow for my usual pace. I take some rest at a small building with a ‘veranda’. I take off my shoes and have a sip of my drink. It is nice to rest for a little bit.
Puppets in the village
Then, it leads me slowly down the mountain. I follow the path and get back on the road. I continue on from there alongside the Akui river, in the ditch along the road. In one of the villages on the road there are a lot of mannequins along the route. I saw something about these in the television series Toki Doki by Pauline Cornelisse. I don’t know if this is that particular village, but there was a lady who made mannequins of other villagers because they all moved away or died. That way there was some ‘life’ in the village. It feels quite odd to me.
Back to Tokushima
Once I get to the bridge, I decide to continue walking along the right side of the river’s edge. If everything goes well, I will happen to reach upon a 7Eleven konbini in a little bit. I can get my lunch there, because I did not bring food with me after yesterday’s difficult trek. I walk back into Tukoshima; I still mainly see mountains and agricultural landscapes here, but slowly and surely, I start to see more buildings.
Temple 13 – Dainichi-ji
I follow the road and around quarter to eleven the temple suddenly appears in front of me. Dainichi-ji is located directly next to the road, without even so much as a pavement edge between traffic and the entrance gate. In the gate of Dainichi-ji I see Geertje, standing there. She tells me that she was basically stared out of the ryokan but could only take a bus around half past nine. Now she just went into the temple, and she will continue the route from there.
I greet the non-existent temple guardians and continue onwards through the temple gate. Once there, I wash my hands and perform my rituals. This temple is small and overseeable. There are funny signs to show where the main- and daishi-altars are. I collect my stamps and leave.
From temple 13 to 14
It is only two and a half kilometres to Jooraku-ji. I am still following the river. There are beautiful stone way markers along this route.
Right before temple 14 I see a black cat sitting on top of a car. I need to take a picture of it. I don’t know why, but this cat attracted my attention. He is too far away to pet. When I approach the car, it scoots off.
Temple 14 – Jooraku-ji
This is a robust temple. The ground here is made up of rocks which come to the surface in layers. This gives the temple an ancient, raw feeling. Simultaneously, I feel strongly connected to nature and the surroundings, and I feel myself take root. My rituals almost happen autonomously here. I sense my experience finally taking shape. I have grown during this route, more sure of what I can do. Shosan-ji was the crucible which I needed to get through. I say my sutras aloud. Delightful to feel what that does to me.
When I go to collect my stamps, there is a long-haired cat in the temple office. It will not be disturbed by anyone. As if it is the lord and master of the temple, it is cleaning itself. You love to see it!
From temple 14 to temple 15
I continue walking, this time for a kilometre. The temples in this more urban area are close together. The route is easy to follow.
Temple 15 – Kokubun-ji
I find out later that there are more temples called Kokubun-ji. Apparently, the names are not unique to each temple. Interesting to discover that. When I arrive here, I see the Spaniards walk into the temple right in front of me. The apparently overtook me! They were driven to temple 13 by a friend, after attending the festivities in Shosan-ji. I am a little envious when I hear that they enjoyed the temple, lanterns, ceremony, and even fireworks! I am a little sad that I didn’t know about this when I started off. However, I also realise that I would not have had the energy to walk back to the temple once I had landed at the ryokan.
Haunted house
The temple feels a little like a haunted house. There are scaffolds around the main building, and around these there are some mottled grey stretches of fabric which have slightly sagged. As if they have been trying to restore it for so long that it has once again fallen into disrepair.
Where to sleep tonight?
After my ritual, I speak to the Spaniards about their expected sleeping location. Xavi saw a zenkonyado next to Sake-taxi in my collection (the Hagimori-list) of free sleeping spots. You will find it right after temple 16, and they want to stay there. I am planning to ask for tsuyado in temple 17. I will need to walk a little further for that.
From temple 15 to 16
In the two kilometres between the two temples, it felt like I was walking into the city. The surrounding area felt more populated, and I cross a street that is busier than the others I have passed so far. While hiking, I exchange the lead with the Spaniards, sometimes I pass them, sometimes they pass me. We all barely have the energy to talk or walk together. It is just every man for themselves. And that is allowed.
Temple 16 – Kannon-ji
Around half past two, I arrive at Kannon-ji. I have already walked around 27 kilometres by this time, and I can feel all of them in my legs. I greet the sentinels, perform my ritual, and leave. While I am busy, the Spaniards are also active inside the temple. I leave a little before they do.
From 16 towards 17
I take a break in the Lawson’s konbini along the way. Time for coffee and a little rest. My destination for today is in sight. And it is about time. Today is very intense. I walk the last 2.9km on autopilot. It is a simple route, past a road, over the train tracks, then take a right and then a left. In the distance, I can see the gate of Ido-ji ahead of me. It is a remarkable shade of red!
Temple 17 – Ido-ji
I have reached my destination. It is ten to four once I start my rituals. I take my time, and around half past four I head to the nokyocho-office for my stamps. I find a friendly lady there who immediately offers me tsuyado when I tell her that I am a walking pilgrim. I looked at my next night’s sleeping location with her, to see what might be best. That turns out to be quite tough. I want to sleep as close to temple 20 as possible, if I can; that is a difficult ascent, and then I can also visit temple 21 on the same day.
A challenge for tomorrow
Going against her advice, I decide to walk 30 kilometres tomorrow again. Finally, she manages to arrange for a night’s stay in Katsuura at Kaneko-ya. I should really get there before six o’clock in the evening, she emphasizes, otherwise it will go wrong. I am convinced that I will manage to.
Temple guard at temple 17, Ido-ji
Tonight, I am a temple sentinel in temple 17. I have a small house in the middle of the temple all for myself. It rains heavily and this matches the theme of the small water altar opposite my building. According to lore, the water from this altar is healing, and I can use it to wash myself and brush my teeth. The toilet is 100m away from my house and next to the graveyard. Could you ask for more?
Konbini diner
I head to the Lawson’s on the other side of the busy road behind the temple. I buy a lot of food when I’m there. After today, I could eat a horse. Spaghetti with sausage and egg, snacks, drinks, and a small cake for dessert. And for tomorrow my breakfast supplies, so I can leave early in the morning.
The hut is quite hot, so I keep the door ajar for ventilation. I’m glad that the rain doesn’t creep in through the door. The tape on my feet is still fine, I can leave it be for the night. I put down the futon, inflate my sleeping mat, and open my sleeping bag. Now I have some time to text the home front, charge my things because there is power here, and then sleep.
Midnight adventure
In the middle of the night, I awaken with a fright because of a ‘shriek-shriek-shriek’-sound. I see an odd shadow projected onto the window. I am scared half to death, put on my glasses and open the door slightly to see what it is. It is an ancient lady, with a hunched back, who shuffles bent over her walker towards the graveyard across the temple square. The wheels on her walker protest with a screeching wail. Put at ease, I head to the toilet, close the door, and fall back asleep.