Yesterday I came down from Shusekiji and it was a long way. I missed the Henro way two times, on the way up and on the way down I also took a wrong turn, which made me walk together 8km more mainly on the road instead through the woods. This was actually not that bad, because my Biofitters-workaround-shoes lost their grip and I slid at least three times. I was lucky, that I didn’t fall 🙂
Around 6 I arrived at Toyogahashi. Daishi Sama was sleeping there once under the bridge and today there’s a nice little temple next to the busy street. I found the Jushoku, who didn’t train any secret martial art stuff, but his golf technique in the garden behind the temple. I knew that there was a Zenkonyado. He showed me the room and disappeared immediately.
On the other side of the street there’s a big supermarket. I went there to look for shoes, of course there was nothing suitable for big foot. The girl apologized and send me to some other place. What a surprise! Shoe-Paradise is the name of the place. Only the size of my feet narrowed the choice down to 2 or 3 different pairs. Finally I decided for a pair of red Columbia boots. I went happily back to my room just to discover that I a got a blister from my slippers. After putting on the new shoes I searched and found a small local place with some nice food and a cool beer.
Next morning, rain. I packed my old shoes as backup and went again under the bridge just to meet a funny group there feeding pidgins and carps. I walked to the next village, music in my head and on my lips. I spent some time there to make from the rain trousers some kind of buckets. I was sitting next to a place where mochi was made in traditional way and again the funny group appeared, where are you from, can we make a photo.. After they were gone I receive a wonderful apple pie with a cup of good hot coffee.
I walked to the next little city, my rain-leggings were not really staying on the place where I wanted them to be. Luckily and surprisingly there was a sports-shop on the way and I got some rubber straps there, which were working well. Happy about the solution I came to an udon restaurant and someone gave money to the owner for my food, which was much more than I ate. On the end I left the restaurant with 2000¥ more in my pocket instead of spending. Not to mention that I later received another coffee while I put my rain gear back on. Now I’m again sitting in a Zenkonyado, rain outside mixed with frog music, no new blisters, dry feet – I dropped the old shoes in the sports-shop already 😉
Mysteriously wonderful life.
congratulations to your new shoes. I hope there are no more blisters from now on ;-). It would help a lot, if you would write down the temple number. I have a pilgrimage map with the temple numbers but hardly any town names. Bab Susi
OK, numbers 🙂
I’m now on the way to #46, Jūruriji, so yesterday I was at Iwayaji #45 and Daihōji #44. Iwayaji was tough…
You’ve got me irritated quite a bit. So far I though you started at # 23 and you going to 22, 21 and 20 afterwards. All a sudden you are at a completely different part of the island and walking form 44 to 46. Where did I go wrong?
I started from Koyasan to Wakayama, went by ferry to Tokushima and then from Ryōzenji (#1) to Jōrruriji (#46), where I’m now. I also visit the bengai temples, also called bekkaku. There are 20 of them. So on the end it’ll be 108 temples, like the beats on a mala (nenju in Japanese) and I’ll return back to Koyasan then. Although this year the Henro can be done gyakku, meaning reverse, I’m doing it normally.
Some temples have the same name and I’m not writing chronological, but more according events, I consider important. And yes, the new shoes work out quite well until now 🙂