Finally the long awaited trip began, Though departure was still only arond one PM as plane would leave at half past 5 Morning was spent buying new coat and with nieces who wouldn't see me for few weeks except by skype.
Flight itself was uneventful except for unexpected meeting with another person from my home town who knows my mother and recognized me. It's a small world! Too bad I didn't recognize her.'
During fligjht I read Novel called Another, watched anime "Your name" that has become quite famous(especially in Asia but even in America critics have been praising it) and slept. Oh and ate the 2 infliight meals. As usual taste is good but sure won't gain weight eating these!
The lunch. I had pre-requested asian style meal out of curiosity but having tried and looked at others think I will skip pre-requests for my flights. Regular meals looked tastier!
Arriving to Kansai airport first I needed to find post office to pick rented sim card and send stuff I don' need before the end of holiday to ny friend who agreed to keep them. Many thanks! After this I went and secured myseff bus ticket to Tokushima and then headed to buy lighter, pen and something to eat Before passing out of hunger!
First time I came to Japan by kansai airport so scenery would have been new to me...But I passed out almost immediately. Woke couple of times and when I saw the mountains of shikoku I could feel my heart sing. Soon I would be walking among those.
Lousy photo but bus isn't best place to take photos in...
Arriving to Tokushima I would have loved to go to restaurant but still no time for it. First I needed to check in to hotel(just to make sure they don't think I wont be coming even if return is late) and then I needed to head to the first temple to buy the pilgrim stuff. And if I don't make it to next train shop might close before I get all done.
Almost 2 years since I had been in Tokushima and it wasn't even that long visit but I could remember this view so well. Felt like it was only yesterday. Maybe it's because I had been waiting for this trip so long?
So I hopped to the train and went to the first temple. Very easy to find. I got my shoppings done though white shirt there wasn't suitable size, I had to settle for smaller hat(bigger one interfered with the backbag) and forgot to buy wagesa(cloth you put over your neck). Last one I can get next day, no can do with the hat and white shirt I try again on shop near temple 10.
Wasn't most auspicious starts weather wise as there was some rain though luckily it stopped off soon enough.
The locals have made getting into temples very easy. Indeed the map book itself is pretty much POINTLESS when it comes to getting from one temple to another. What you really need it is for more practical things. Figuring out suitable places to sleep every day, shops & restaurants(though it doesn't have all of them) etc. But for getting from temple to temple...Just follow the sights! Generally if I didn't see within 5 minutes another I was pretty sure to be lost or walking in a road that's like 10km+ straight so no need for more signs. Which often there was anyway just to reinforce that yes you are on the same road and only 47km left to go to the next temple! ;)
Aaaand it's first sight of temple #1 Ryozenji. Well I had visited this place on 2015 summer but that time I had come by car so hadn't seen the gate from this angle on my own. Have seen this from plenty of videos and photos though.
Temple had this mannequin showing traditional(well except for shoes....) outfit. I would be taking the "shirt"(robe?)(hakui in japanese), wagesa(the orange cloth over shoulder representing monks stole), hat plus zudabukuro(white small shoulder bag) and kongotsue(wooden staff representing Kobo Daishi).
With this I went to look around temple 1. No intention of doing here anything yet starting tomorrow but just getting feel of the place(and figuring out where is what to make first temple easier to reduce nervousness!). Then I would head east for the Juurinji and Toorinji. If I had stayed in minshuku I wouldn't make there and back in time but as I had ended up in business hotel no such issues. Good warmup practice.
And here I got taste of Shikoku hospitality toward pilgrims. I had had my hat and staff barely 15 minutes before getting TWO osettai. First leaving temple 1 and then on konbini store when I dropped in to buy some food.
I didn't know it yet but those white gloves would actually become very usefull...
Tasty!
Osettai is basically gift. It's ages old tradition here originating from the early days of pilgrimage. Originally it was reserved for the priests walking but as common people started to walk it in numbers it was widened to include them. People do this to a) honour the Kobo Daishi(who is said to walk along every pilgrim) and to share the pilgrim a bit when they aren't able to do it themselves. By helping a pilgrim they are doing small bit of it and thus get small slice of good karma themselves.
Osettai can range from cash to food to drinks to small items and offers to drive you further toward next temple. Or even to the next temple. Also can be free lodging etc. As a general rule of thumb you should never ever refuse them as doing so would basically deny them their form of buddhist service(and karma points :D). Exception is car drives if you are walking. That can be rejected without offending but other than that? Don't try and if you try prepare for a fight as they won't be refused easily(or so I have heard)
Leaving temple 1 I got can of juice, small mandarin like fruit(though meat was darker orange) and white cotton gloves. Oh and little chocolate. At the konbini bigger fruit more like orange.
Now I'm obviously quite grateful but dear if I keep getting these fruits at this rate either I'm eating them at very fast rate or my already oversized backbag is full of fruits! Well hopefully pace slows down a bit. Would feel bit embarrassed to be handed down free gifts all the time.
Apart from the osettais trip to Juurinji was fairly uneventful and tempe itself was also small and quiet. And closed as I arrived around 5PM.
Jurinji temple. Wouldn't neccessarily even have realized it was temple if I hadn't been specifically searching for a temple around here!
Temple had these statues of various Buddhist deities like Amida Nyorai, Maha-Vairocana(who basically is reality itself), Kannon Boddhisatva etc.
Pretty sure this is Kobo Daishi.
Yakushi Nyorai said to help with illness, diseases etc. Hopefully he'll help with future leg pains! I'm sure my legs are going to be painfull sooner or later.
The Mahavairocana.
Jurinji has Jizo Bosatsu as the main deity. Protector of children and travellers so unsurprisingly very popular fellow in this travel full of travellers in a long travel! Legend says Kobo Daishi carved the statue while he was staying here and explained the law of Buddha here making this temple called as "the place of discussion".
Of course how truthful that story is is another question. Many legends surrounding Kobo Daishi are just legends. There's pretty much no way he COULD have done all he is credited as doing. Human life is too short for that especially when he lived in an age when simply getting from place to place took long time(something I would learn to appreciate during this trip...).
Moving on I kept eye for restaurant but didn't spot one. This was quite remote area! People often have image of crowded cities when they think of Japan but Shikoku is very different. But eventually I arrived to Tourinji which was much bigger temple. This is the Oku-no-in for temple #1.
Shikoku is also land of agriculture and oranges and so forth are very popular here with more varietys than I know!
Empty road with fields along. This is view I would be seeing a lot no doubt. And not a human in sight. After leaving konbini I actually spent entire 2 hour or so walk alone without seeing another human....
Shrine short of Torinji. Considered visiting it but I figured I'm going to be walking more than fair share soon enough anyway and I wanted to get back fairly early so skipped it.
Main hall of the Torinji. This temple is dedicated for the healer Yakushi Nyorai. This temple was first founded by Gyogi Bosatsu(Japanese priest who was active about century before Kukai). Later Kobo Daishi stayed and prayed here to help local farmers from natural disasters and diseases. He also encouraged farmers by tilling the ground and planting seeds.
Seems there are national treasures here including beads, scarlet vest and iron bowl that you could see if you ask but as it is was I was WAY past opening times so trying would just be causing trouble with very slim chances of getting to see them(about only thing that MIGHT make them relent is japanese politeness and maybe getting some extra credit for being rare foreigner. But that could also work AGAINST me so not quaranteed). So I skipped it.
Would have been nice but I generally try to avoid causing trouble especially as it might shed bad light on pilgrims as a whole and foreign ones in particular(there's been less well behaving, both native and foreigners, which has resulted in previously free places to sleep being closed and especially in related to foreigners some lodgings are bit wary of taking in foreigners as there's been those who have booked and never shown up which is generally big problem for many small scale lodgings. Especially if you have requested meal which is often prepared in advance so even if they didn't have to sell "no place" for other pilgrim they have lost money in food they prepared for nothing) so I had vowed to make sure I cause least amount of trouble I can. I'm sure there would be SOME extra tension due to cultural differences in behaviour but knocking door well past closing time requesting special permission to see treasures is "bit" more than I would be willing to accept!
Not sure is this Yakushi Nyorai or Kannon Boddhisatva. Could be either as far as I know. I'm not THAT well versed on who is who!
Now this scary face I know. It's the immovable king fudo myo-oo. More about him later when I get to temples where he is main deity.
Kobo Daishi. Since pilgrimage is on his foot steps no surprise his statues are numerous. And btw that hat makes photographing these statues HARD! If you have enough lightning to light the face everything else is overexposed...
There was children playground items on the temple ground which reminded me that in olden days temples served often as communal areas and children playground. Wonder if that still continues?
Return trip I could have went to closer train station but decided to go back to Bando station to get some more walking practice. On route I saw incredible sunset over mountains. For a while pondered whether to dig camera out of backbag or not but in the end dug it. Hopefully photo succeeded decently though don't think it makes justice for it.
Looking pretty good already...
But then I got this beautifull red sky.
I got to the station around 19:45 when it was already pitch black. Then just back to hotel before going to eat some dinner(meat donburi) and some breakfast for tomorrow. Since I need to catch train I need to be on the move early. No time for breakfast hunt on the morning.
Rest of evening went preparing for tomorrow when pilgrimage would properly begin. Backbag is a worry though. It's 11kg before food and water. Way more than I expected. Not sure why so heavy. Wasn't that heavy in Xhichibu. There's camera and warm clothes but no PC which alone is twice the cameras weight. Weird.
Hopefully won't stop me but might buy lighter camera for next year.
These are called osamefuda's. Basically name slips. You leave 1 for main hall and 1 for daishi hall(wonder what temples do with these? Just burn? Count and burn? Something else?). Also if you are given osettai tradition calls to give one back and these are said to bring good luck. Also pilgrims tend to give these to each other as sort of name slips. Well in practice I found during day only happened if we actually walked for a while together. Relief in a sense as due to all I met writing all would take some time! Also sometimes osettai givers simply left before I could even get the slips up. For a while I would spend some time each night writing slips with only date left unfinished to save up time mid-walk...
The room at Hotel Clement in Tokushima. Location was pretty darn sweet right next to the station with konbinis and restaurants nearby and fairly cheap. Not spectacular room though that chair was fairly comfortable.
View from the window of hotel.
Arriving to Tokushima I would have loved to go to restaurant but still no time for it. First I needed to check in to hotel(just to make sure they don't think I wont be coming even if return is late) and then I needed to head to the first temple to buy the pilgrim stuff. And if I don't make it to next train shop might close before I get all done.
So I hopped to the train and went to the first temple. Very easy to find. I got my shoppings done though white shirt there wasn't suitable size, I had to settle for smaller hat(bigger one interfered with the backbag) and forgot to buy wagesa(cloth you put over your neck). Last one I can get next day, no can do with the hat and white shirt I try again on shop near temple 10.
Wasn't most auspicious starts weather wise as there was some rain though luckily it stopped off soon enough.
Aaaand it's first sight of temple #1 Ryozenji. Well I had visited this place on 2015 summer but that time I had come by car so hadn't seen the gate from this angle on my own. Have seen this from plenty of videos and photos though.
Temple had this mannequin showing traditional(well except for shoes....) outfit. I would be taking the "shirt"(robe?)(hakui in japanese), wagesa(the orange cloth over shoulder representing monks stole), hat plus zudabukuro(white small shoulder bag) and kongotsue(wooden staff representing Kobo Daishi).
With this I went to look around temple 1. No intention of doing here anything yet starting tomorrow but just getting feel of the place(and figuring out where is what to make first temple easier to reduce nervousness!). Then I would head east for the Juurinji and Toorinji. If I had stayed in minshuku I wouldn't make there and back in time but as I had ended up in business hotel no such issues. Good warmup practice.
And here I got taste of Shikoku hospitality toward pilgrims. I had had my hat and staff barely 15 minutes before getting TWO osettai. First leaving temple 1 and then on konbini store when I dropped in to buy some food.
Osettai is basically gift. It's ages old tradition here originating from the early days of pilgrimage. Originally it was reserved for the priests walking but as common people started to walk it in numbers it was widened to include them. People do this to a) honour the Kobo Daishi(who is said to walk along every pilgrim) and to share the pilgrim a bit when they aren't able to do it themselves. By helping a pilgrim they are doing small bit of it and thus get small slice of good karma themselves.
Osettai can range from cash to food to drinks to small items and offers to drive you further toward next temple. Or even to the next temple. Also can be free lodging etc. As a general rule of thumb you should never ever refuse them as doing so would basically deny them their form of buddhist service(and karma points :D). Exception is car drives if you are walking. That can be rejected without offending but other than that? Don't try and if you try prepare for a fight as they won't be refused easily(or so I have heard)
Leaving temple 1 I got can of juice, small mandarin like fruit(though meat was darker orange) and white cotton gloves. Oh and little chocolate. At the konbini bigger fruit more like orange.
Now I'm obviously quite grateful but dear if I keep getting these fruits at this rate either I'm eating them at very fast rate or my already oversized backbag is full of fruits! Well hopefully pace slows down a bit. Would feel bit embarrassed to be handed down free gifts all the time.
Apart from the osettais trip to Juurinji was fairly uneventful and tempe itself was also small and quiet. And closed as I arrived around 5PM.
Temple had these statues of various Buddhist deities like Amida Nyorai, Maha-Vairocana(who basically is reality itself), Kannon Boddhisatva etc.
Jurinji has Jizo Bosatsu as the main deity. Protector of children and travellers so unsurprisingly very popular fellow in this travel full of travellers in a long travel! Legend says Kobo Daishi carved the statue while he was staying here and explained the law of Buddha here making this temple called as "the place of discussion".
Of course how truthful that story is is another question. Many legends surrounding Kobo Daishi are just legends. There's pretty much no way he COULD have done all he is credited as doing. Human life is too short for that especially when he lived in an age when simply getting from place to place took long time(something I would learn to appreciate during this trip...).
Moving on I kept eye for restaurant but didn't spot one. This was quite remote area! People often have image of crowded cities when they think of Japan but Shikoku is very different. But eventually I arrived to Tourinji which was much bigger temple. This is the Oku-no-in for temple #1.
Shrine short of Torinji. Considered visiting it but I figured I'm going to be walking more than fair share soon enough anyway and I wanted to get back fairly early so skipped it.
Seems there are national treasures here including beads, scarlet vest and iron bowl that you could see if you ask but as it is was I was WAY past opening times so trying would just be causing trouble with very slim chances of getting to see them(about only thing that MIGHT make them relent is japanese politeness and maybe getting some extra credit for being rare foreigner. But that could also work AGAINST me so not quaranteed). So I skipped it.
Would have been nice but I generally try to avoid causing trouble especially as it might shed bad light on pilgrims as a whole and foreign ones in particular(there's been less well behaving, both native and foreigners, which has resulted in previously free places to sleep being closed and especially in related to foreigners some lodgings are bit wary of taking in foreigners as there's been those who have booked and never shown up which is generally big problem for many small scale lodgings. Especially if you have requested meal which is often prepared in advance so even if they didn't have to sell "no place" for other pilgrim they have lost money in food they prepared for nothing) so I had vowed to make sure I cause least amount of trouble I can. I'm sure there would be SOME extra tension due to cultural differences in behaviour but knocking door well past closing time requesting special permission to see treasures is "bit" more than I would be willing to accept!
There was children playground items on the temple ground which reminded me that in olden days temples served often as communal areas and children playground. Wonder if that still continues?
Return trip I could have went to closer train station but decided to go back to Bando station to get some more walking practice. On route I saw incredible sunset over mountains. For a while pondered whether to dig camera out of backbag or not but in the end dug it. Hopefully photo succeeded decently though don't think it makes justice for it.
I got to the station around 19:45 when it was already pitch black. Then just back to hotel before going to eat some dinner(meat donburi) and some breakfast for tomorrow. Since I need to catch train I need to be on the move early. No time for breakfast hunt on the morning.
Rest of evening went preparing for tomorrow when pilgrimage would properly begin. Backbag is a worry though. It's 11kg before food and water. Way more than I expected. Not sure why so heavy. Wasn't that heavy in Xhichibu. There's camera and warm clothes but no PC which alone is twice the cameras weight. Weird.
Hopefully won't stop me but might buy lighter camera for next year.
The room at Hotel Clement in Tokushima. Location was pretty darn sweet right next to the station with konbinis and restaurants nearby and fairly cheap. Not spectacular room though that chair was fairly comfortable.
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