Day 7 – Heat and depression

1 September 2019 – The rising sun wakes me at half past five. I take my time collecting my things and have breakfast on the pavement in front of the hut. My night at temple 17, Ido-ji, was decent. I need to hand in the key to the cabin and I that is only possible after half past six. I prepare myself for the route of today by having a look at the maps in the guidebook.

The route guide as my helper

I am slowly getting used to the many symbols, texts and colours from the guide. At home, I knew it contained a lot of knowledge, but I only realise now how much. That is because I am now making use of the kombini, recognizable landmarks and information about the temples and sleeping locations.  

Handing over the key

Around half past six, one of the ladies from the temple comes to pick up the key. She shows me that I shouldn’t have suffered from the heat last night; the windows have insect screens. I could have slept with an open window. Another lesson learned; explore your surroundings, and ask around!

Post Covid the number of temples that provide (free) accomodation has drastically decreased. According to my most recent information you’re not allowed to stay at Ido-ji anymore.

Goodbye to Ido-ji

I say goodbye to Ido-ji. At the gate building, I thank the temple sentinels for their care. Despite the odd and disturbing sounds, I had a nice night here. On to the next temple. For today, I have temples 18 and 19 as targets. I am curious how it will go.

From temple 17 to 18

Today, the route leads the through Tukoshima out of the city. I can take several different routes, and I choose to take the mountain path. That brings me a few tough climbs. The nature and path alike are gorgeous. I am glad to find so much beautiful nature so close to the city.

Damaged and repaired trail

When I passed a golfing club, there were even ropes along the road for protection. There is quite a lot of damage that has been done to the path. Because of nature’s destructiveness here they need to replace parts or alter them. It is great to see that the pilgrimage route is so well maintained. I keep in mind that I should thank the builders and maintainers of the route at the next temple for their efforts.

Heat and depression – part 1

Today, I cool myself in kombini. Next to a bridge I enter a Family Mart. It has a seat, so I can enjoy my coffee inside in peace. The aircon does its very best to cool me down. The toilets here are busy, but I’m glad to find them clean, nonetheless. Before I leave, I buy a sandwich for lunch, so I have something to eat when I get to the temple in a little bit.

A boring stretch along route <55>

Then I head back into the heat. The next part turns out to be very boring. I walk along the route <55> through the satellite towns of the city. I see a lot of car dealerships, small industry, and shopping centres. I’m glad that I can pick an older road which runs parallel to the <55> after a little while. It’s nice to walk a little more peacefully.

The rural life is close

There is more space for agriculture. The rice on the fields is ripe for harvest. There are a lot of harvest vehicles driving through the fields. These are smaller versions of the combines we know; on caterpillar tracks they drive through the mud of the rice fields. Often men and women alike are working together to bring in the harvest. Where the harvest has been gathered already, you’ll see heaps of smouldering rice; this is an offering where the last rice is burned next to the field. The ashes will help the next harvest along when it is seeded.

Sweating and hydrating

Today I hydrate often. I can feel myself sweating, but it is so hot that the sweat immediately evaporates from my skin. However, I still notice the humidity and the fact that it is very high, because the hiking costs me a lot of energy.

Bow politely, but not too low

Japanese people bow to each other. As pilgrim, I bow back politely, or sometimes even earlier than the driver of the car which approaches me. Often it appears to me that I should not bow too low; as a pilgrim I apparently have a comparatively high status, because the drivers sometimes bow behind the wheel out of sight. That looks dangerous to me, so I decide to keep it to a slight nod in the future. That’s a lot better!

And cooling down again at a konbini

I visit a 7-Eleven along the <55> for my second cup of coffee for the day. There, I see that temple 18 is around the corner. Just a kilometre left to go. I estimate that I will get there around eleven o’clock. Everything looks to be going quite well today.

Temple 18 – Onzan-ji

I find Onzan-ji halfway up a mountain, it is a little climb past a few houses. Apparently, I was spotted there by a Japanese man, because when I had just entered the temple, he approached me from behind. He was holding two kongozue and came up to me wheezing and panting.

The ritual of the kongozue

He tells me in simultaneous English and Japanese that he has hiked the route twice and taken it by car four times. He wants to know if I have a kongozue. I tell him that I do. When I enter a temple, I wash my hands. Out of respect, I also wash the bottom of the kongozue; I wash the feet of Kukai. Then I put my kongozue in a container. Usually, I leave it there for as long as I remain in the temple.

Frozen Aquarius as o-setai

We are seated on a bench in the shade and talk a little of what his and my experiences have been so far. He offers me an o-setai; a frozen box of Aquarius and two Yakult. I need to drink the Yakult immediately. It is good for recovery, he tells me. Now I understand why he was out of breath; he sees a pilgrim, grabs his things from the freezer and runs after them! I thank him properly for his gift and take my time to write a dedicated osamefudo for him.

Then, I practice my ritual. When I am done, I say goodbye to the friendly gentleman, leave the temple through the entrance gate, and get lost.  

From temple 18 to 19

I need to search for a while before I find my way again. In the end, I manage to. The route leads me through some bamboo forests. The silence, the creaking of the dry bamboo, and the lack of life make me uncomfortable and a little scared. This forest does not feel okay. It is almost hostile. I continue walking and hope it ends soon.

A small hill/mountain follows, and once I get over it, I reach the road again. This leads me to a neighbourhood with inside it, temple 19.

Temple 19 – Tatsue-ji

This temple is homely. I can’t think of another word for it. It’s nice to be here. Even though it is hot, the sun is scorching, it is lovely to be inside this temple. Without my backpack my back has the space to dry off, while I do my rituals. That goes fine here. I say the sutra’s out loud, and afterwards I happily collect my stamps.

Lunch at the temple

I go sit down on a bench to have some lunch. I eat a sandwich, interspaced by sips of my frozen Aquarius. The block of ice is still inside it, so after every sip I need to wait for another sip to melt off. Delightful to cool off on the inside like this and get some rest.

Heat and depression

When I get back on the route, it is hot, and the sun is burning my head and shoulders. Everything is warm, the asphalt is blistering in the heat. There is barely any shade. Why did I want to start my pilgrimage now of all times? I must be crazy, that I started in the Japanese summer. Why did I not start later? Most pilgrims choose to start at the end of September. Negative thoughts revolve around my head. I doubt all my choices, and it undermines my motivation.

Too hot for walking

At the start of the afternoon, it is basically too hot to walk. But I must continue, because I have booked a sleeping spot, and I need to arrive there on time. Actually, I don’t really want to do the hellish trek there. The path becomes a tunnel through which I can barely squeeze myself. And to make matters worse, it becomes cloudy, which means that the heat and moisture stay. Can I handle this?

Heat and depression: the necessary rest

Then, I find a bench and take a small extra break. I want to escape the heat and depression. I drink some lukewarm water and eat a little. My mood suddenly improves a lot. Other than tiredness, a lack of moisture and energy causes sombre thoughts. After fifteen minutes with my bare feet lifted, I feel like I can continue. The thunder clouds in my mind have passed; gone are the heat and depression!

Practice in letting go

While walking, I ruminate on what brought me here. I am busy disconnecting myself from structures with which I have been struggling for years. Where my job used to be like a hot bath, the water has grown tepid. I have grown, gained more experience, and I want to apply it in a different way. But I was not able to do this in the setting in which I was active. My traveling along this route is therefore a long-term form of letting go. I am literally leaving my past behind me. Every step helps me process this a little more.

Getting lost and finding the trail again

When I get close to Hoosen-ji, I get lost. I miss a signpost for the route and with it the turn I should have taken. In the end I meet a rice harvesting family, of whom the daughter looks at me with an odd look and points me back where I came from. Together with her I look at the map, and she points out to me where I should have left the road I was on. I need to walk back the way I came for around two kilometres.

Hoosin-ji also offered tsuyado

Too late I realize that I could have asked for tsuyado at Hoosen-ji. That would have saved me a night at a hotel. At the same time, I am really looking forward to an air-conditioned room and a good bathroom.

Heat and depression: cooling down

I happen upon a Lawsson’s kombini along route <16>. I can cool down there and catch my breath a little. I replenish my proteins with milk, ice cream, and a rice-cake. It is delightfully cool inside, and my growling stomach welcomes the calories with open arms.

Hotel Kaneko-ya

Once I arrive in Kaatsura, I follow the route signs and walk through the street where the hotel should be. But I do not recognize it anywhere. A friendly passerby points out a slightly taller building in the street to me. When I arrive there, everything is closed. There is even a sign saying ‘closed’ on the door. I cannot be possible that I walked all this way for no reason?

Asking for assistance

After some calling out and circling the building, I cross the street to ask for help in a small shop. The proprietress accompanies me and briskly walks towards a window, shouts something and tells me that someone should be inside. Then, a face appears in the window. The same moment, she has disappeared, even before I could have the chance to thank her.

The hotel opens just for me!

The door opens, and someone asks me if I am Mark-san. Yes, that is me, I tell them, and I want to step inside. But that is not what they wanted me to do. I need to wait a little bit. The man retreats for a while, and slightly later I see him put a key into a little cupboard at a small distance from me. Then the front doors slide open. I need to enter through the official entrance!

First wash the kongozue!

When I want to step inside, the man points out a bucket of water and signals that I should rinse off my staff. Kobo Daishi has reached his destination for today and gets to rest with clean feet in the hallway. I take off my shoes, let my insoles breathe, and grab some slippers from the dedicated rack. Then I follow the man to the reception, where he makes a copy of my passport. I am checked in for the night!

Overheated

The room is fine, although the aircon doesn’t work. I need to immediately head to the o-furo to take a shower. When I am done, I need to sign off with him. I start with a cold shower. And only then do I notice how hot I really am. It takes about five minutes for my legs to register that the water streaming down them is cold. My legs are covered in heat spots and bumps. I take the tape off my feet and discover a new blister. The tape had already gotten stuck to my socks, which caused extra friction. I need to think of something to remedy this, because otherwise it will continue to go wrong.

Freshly cooled down

After showering I feel clean and refreshed, recovered from the heat and depression. I sign off like I am supposed to, and retreat to my room. I relax a little bit, drink some time, and write in my journal. Tomorrow, I’ll head to temples 20 and 21, and I decide to book a night’s stay at an onsen. I can reach it via the rope way. At 18:00, I head downstairs for dinner. A decent meal for after a long day of walking.

Arranged the next night’s stay

After dinner, I ask my host if he wants to arrange my next sleeping space. Somehow, he succeeds the first try. I now know where I will be sleeping tomorrow. I ask him about the aircon in my room. He calls over a colleague and together they manage to get it back in working condition. That saves me the heat of the night.

Heat and depression: cooling down to 25 degrees