{Shikoku Hachijūhachikasho Meguri}

--Thoughts during Week Five--

I was up at six as usual, ate the standard breakfast (with a delicious, mouth-watering piece of grilled salmon), and out the door at seven- thirty. I thought i had a relaxing 24 km (15 mi) day ahead of me.

After walking about an hour, i found the road that i needed to take over the mountains around this town. That is when i heard someone yelling. I looked and saw another henro already well of the road yelling down at me. I waved and we both continued walking.

It took me another hour to catch up with him, which i did even though i wasn't trying to. We chatted and he asked me if i had stayed at the Henkutsuya Minshuku in front of Temple 39 a few nights ago. I told him yes and he said, Ah Ha, it's you. It turns out that he stayed there the next night because it was only 4,000 yen (he usually sleeps outside) and they had told him all about this gaijin (foreigner) that loved Japanese food, could speak the language, etc. Interesting, isn't it.

We ended up walking together for the next few hours and chatted about this and that, but nothing of importance. Later on, we then met a third henro (K-san) who the man i had been walking with knew. Both of them are normally sleeping outdoors in parks, at train stations, etc. and had been meeting on and off for the past few weeks. They are both short and thin as rails. If they weigh anything over 68 kg (150 lb) i'd be surprised. And, as is traditional for people sleeping outside all they wear on their heads is the tied-up bandana.

While we were talking i asked them about a minshuku for tomorrow night. If i stayed where i had reserved a room tonight, that would mean that tomorrow night i would have to walk either 18 Km (11 mi) or 38 km (24 mi) - there are no minshuku in between. Did i really want to walk the 38 km? Not really, so i wondered if they knew of anything in the middle - even though the map book doesn't show anything.

We looked at the map and all three of us misread it and thought that i was close to the minshuku that i had already reserved a room at for tonight. It looked at the time as if i was going to get there at noon. So, why not cancel that reservation and make one at a minshuku named Miyaku, 10 km (6.2 mi) further down the road. Then the next day i can walk right through that dry stretch and stay where there was a group of minshuku. I agreed, so at the next phone i stopped and called and made a reservation at Miyako and then cancelled the first reservation.

They continued walking when i stopped to make the reservation change and i continued alone for a while. Later, though, i again ran into the first man i had walked with and we walked together to Bangai 6 (Ryukôin). But, as we were getting closer to Bangai 6, it dawned on me that i had made a mistake. An 8 km (5 mi) mistake. If what we had calculated before was true, we should have gotten there around ten. It was now going on noon.

I still don't know why (i'll figure it out later) but two separate places on the map are labeled as being 38 km from the previous temple. Where we were when we looked at the map and i decided to change my reservations was the first place. Bangai 6 was the second. That meant that where i thought i had only 10 km (6 mi) to walk to Temple 41 from where we had made the decision, i really had 10 km to walk only after reaching Bangai 6. That meant there was 8 km (5 mi) that was unaccounted for - the distance between where we had made the decision and Bangai 6. So, now instead of reaching my minshuku around three, or so, i was going to be lucky to get there by five o'clock.

At Bangai 6, they charged me the normal 300 yen for the stamp in my Nôkyô book but then turned around and gave me 500 yen as settai. They give it to all walking henro. Shortly after we left Bangai 6, we met K-san again and for the next several hours the three of us walked together or in various groups of two. We would be walking and one would want to stop so the other two would continue walking. Later the one who stopped would catch up and another would stop, etc. We finally arrived at Temple 41 (Ryukôji), where my first minshuku was, at about two-thirty.

I didn't stay around long since i knew i still had 10 km (6 mi) to go from Temple 41 and that that would normally take me two and a half hours. And it was already going on two forty-five when i left. I spent no time relaxing. When i had made the reservation i had told them i would be there by four but that was now impossible.

I really hustled to get to Temple 42 (Butsubokuji) since i was now running late. Therefore, i got there much earlier than anticipated. I got my Nôkyô book stamped and chatted with the man who stamps it for a few minutes. He spoke English and it turns out that he had lived at the Kôya-san temple in Los Angeles for two years. His uncle is Miyata-san, the man who wrote the guidebook i have in English. In return for the English conversation he didn't charge me for the stamp; he said it was settai.

After visiting the main temple and the Daishi temple and taking a few pictures, i stopped in front of the temple for one last Pocari Sweat before dashing off to my minshuku, located about 2 km (1 mi) before Temple 43 (Meisekiji). But, before setting out, i called the minshuku to let them know i was going to be late. There was no reason for the woman to have the bath ready and supper about ready if i was going to be over an hour late.

As i was drinking the Pocari Sweat, a girl henro (who i saw in the temple compound) came out and was asking someone for directions. That man started to give her directions but suddenly stopped and shouted across the street to me "You're walking, right?" When i said yes, he told her that we should just walk together. Now what the heck am i supposed to say to that. Maybe she didn't want to walk with a stranger? But i couldn't say, sorry, i'm in a hurry, i can't do it.

Well, even though she seemed just as shocked as i did, we both agreed and the man give me directions before sending us on our way like good little school children. It was now a little after three-thirty and i had told the minshuku i would be there no earlier than five o'clock.

It turns out that A-san was carrying a 20 kg (44 lb) pack, and i would place a substantial wager on the fact that it weighed half as much as she did. She was short and didn't seem to have an ounce of fat on her, and didn't particularly look as if she was in the habit of carrying around such weight.

A long stretch of the trail on the way to Temple 43 was so steep that they actually had a chain on the side for you to pull yourself along as you climbed. A-san managed OK, but as we walked she wanted to take breaks frequently. And this is where i may have been a little dumb.

In America a single woman just shouldn't be out walking alone in the mountains, especially at night. And, at our pace, A-san could very well be out after the sun went down. So, even though she told me that she was slowing me down and that i should go ahead (a half hour or so after setting out), i told her no, i was in no hurry so why not walk the rest of the way together. In Japan, women walk alone all the time, i really didn't need to worry, but my American blood just wouldn't let me leave her behind. Dumb, aren't i.

A-san is probably in her very young twenties, maybe even twenty, and was wearing none of the garb of the usual henro. She simply had on a pull over shirt, blue jeans, a bandana tied around her head (mandatory for someone who is camping out, it seems), and a pair of hiking boots that looked like they would fit me - they looked huge on her considering her size. She has been living and working on a ranch in Hokkaido since she graduated from high school (if i understood correctly) and never bothered to go to the university.

She asked me one of the funniest questions i have ever been asked anywhere in the world. After walking for an hour or so and talking about her life in Hokkaido, she suddenly asked me if, when an American sees a cow, they think "Oh how cute" (as she does) or if they think "Oh that would make a delicious steak." I hemmed and hawed just about as much as i could and then decided that the answer is probably somewhere in the middle of the two answers. Of course the typical American would say how cute it is (assuming it happened to be cute), but many may well go on and wonder about the steak as well. But, i assured here that there were many Americans who hate to even think of killing it just to eat it.

A-san loves the mountains, loves hiking, loves riding bicycles, loves camping, hiking, and watching the stars at night in the mountains, etc. (She reminded me of me 25 years ago) Her favorite topics of conversation were religion and world politics and she wanted my opinion on both of them. She did give me a mild lecture, though, because i neither recite the sutras at the temples nor fold my hands in gassho (like a prayer). But, she was a wonderful person to walk with and talk to for a several hours. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am glad i took the time to enjoy her company.

Because of the frequent breaks, though, we didn't arrive at my minshuku until about a quarter past six! She was planning to sleep outside, but in the temple compound, so at the minshuku i wished her the best of luck and she went on her way. The minshuku owner must have seen me coming because she was standing in front waiting for me and immediately took me inside to introduce me to her husband. I apologized a thousand times for being late and causing them problems, but, to justify myself, i explained about the map and not wanting to let A-san walk alone. They understood the first and told me i was nuts about the second.

The wife then took me to my room and started to fill the bath. While the bath was filling we chatted and then she left but told me to hurry as her husband wanted to give me a beer and offer a toast to my walking the pilgrimage. I took the bath and then went to the restaurant that is attached and serves as the minshuku dining hall.

Not only did i get one beer, but he then got us a second and we sat and ate together while discussing everything from guns in the US and the Denver incident, to Japan, Shikoku, and the first typhoon that has been spotted in the Pacific.

Dinner was sashimi, some very thin slices of fried shark (Same), rice, soup, and salad. Washed down with the two beers and a glass of tea. I got back to the room after eight and am really pooped. Today i walked 34 km (21 mi) and it took a lot out of me. But, my feet don't hurt!. I do know that because of the beer, i will have trouble sleeping tonight.

Tomorrow i visit Temple 43 and then it is off towards Bangai 7 - although i'll stop before reaching there. I won't actually visit the temple until the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow's weather is also supposed to be hot and clear - just like today. I have a great sunburn. :-)

--4/27 Day Thirty--
On Shikoku, no one is allowed to be a slacker. Just in case you want to sleep in, and therefore don't set your alarm clock, towns play music on loudspeakers placed throughout the town at exactly six o'clock every morning. They also play it at various other hours throughout the day, but i don't know if it is every hour or not.

But, when the music started playing this morning i did my part and climbed out of bed. As i had suspected i would, i had tossed and turned all night, but i must have slept since i didn't feel tired. I woke to a morning so foggy it was impossible to see the mountains immediately across the street. I thought to myself that it was definitely going to be cold when i first set out.

Had breakfast at seven, as has been usual of late, and then, when i was packed and ready to go, the owner wanted to take pictures of me alone and me with his wife. After we did this, he told me that he was going to mount them on the wall in the restaurant for all the Japanese to see. So, if you ever wonder what i look like stop at the Minshuku/Restaurant Miyako a few km (a few mi) before Meisekiji. Ask to see David's picture. (I find this to be both amusing and embarrassing.)

After the pictures i left and got to Temple 43 within an hour. It was a quiet morning and the fog had lifted so it was already clear and getting hot. After taking a few pictures and getting my book stamped i stopped at a coffee shop in front of the temple to have a cup of coffee, look through my guidebook, and find a room for tonight that i could reserve.

While doing that, a woman sat down and had coffee with me and asked all the usual questions. I answered them and in return she got up and bought me a little amulet as settai that is now hanging on my back pack along with the one that the woman at Temple 26 gave me. I went out and made reservations on the public phone at a minshuku in Ozu City for tonight and at a business hotel in the same town for tomorrow night.

When i finished making the reservations and was putting my pack back in order, K-san showed up (the man i had walked with for several hours yesterday.). We talked for a few minutes and reminded each other of our names and then i set off leaving him at the temple.

I think i walked until about eleven o'clock when i decided to stop at a coffee shop and have a cup of coffee and a sandwich for lunch. I was planning to head up into the mountains later so i figure it best to eat now, even if it was a little early. As i was coming out of the restaurant i noticed that K-san was now about several blocks ahead of me but walking at the same pace. I knew that unless i ran i wouldn't catch up to him so simply stayed the constant several blocks behind.

I screwed up reading the map again (in part because the map is mislabeled) and instead of walking on the highway for a ways and then over the mountains, i ended up walking on the highway, and through the tunnel i was trying to avoid, for the whole afternoon. Somewhere as i started the climb up the mountain on the highway, i noticed that K-san was no longer ahead of me.

One of the things i've noticed while walking through the various towns i have is that Shikoku has stores just like Home Depot and Builders Square. They are called Home Centers here and they seem to be exact duplicates of their counterparts in the US. And, they always seem to be busy, very busy. The parking lots are always full and there are people always roaming about looking at the goods in front of the store. Some day i'm going to have to go inside and walk around one.

While still climbing the hill, a man in a white shirt and tie waved at me to cross the road so he could talk to me. He was a salaryman and appeared to be a salesman out making his rounds. He had stopped at a roadside rest area for something to drink. When i got to his side of the road, i found that he wanted nothing other than to find out who i was, what i was doing, and all the other typical questions. I find that amusing. There is no way i would ever flag a stranger down just so i could get nosey and ask those questions. If he happened to pass on my side of the road and walk in front of me it might be OK, but to flag him down and ask him to cross the highway? But, i look at it as something that i have to do since they all still look at me as a walking henro - and that makes me fair game for any questions.

After crossing the summit i saw, for the first time in all of Japan, a police speed trap. They had a cop about a km (half mi) down the road with a speed gun and a walkie-talkie. He would radio up the hill to four other cops when he had caught someone speeding and they would then flag the offender over and, i guess, issue the ticket. I saw one poor soul get pulled over but he didn't seem too dejected. I wonder what a ticket costs in Japan?

About a half hour after the speed check i stopped on the side of the road for a Pocari Sweat break and was sitting there relaxing and reading my map when up walks K-san again.

K-san is an very interesting person. He comes from Tôkyô but has no full time job. He looks to be my age or a little older but supports himself with part time jobs. That way he can quit whenever he wants to travel - which he does each year. For the past six years he has been alternating between going to India and traveling around by bus and train, and coming to Shikoku and walking the entire pilgrimage. Six years ago it was India, then Shikoku. That makes this his third time around the island. When asked why he does it he would only say "Because it is enjoyable."

We chatted for about fifteen minutes about our mutual travels - my trip to Nepal (he hasn't been), his trips to India (i haven't been), and both our trips to Thailand. We also talked about the other countries in Southeast Asia that we both want to go to and then i left again. He said he wanted to relax a little longer. I am so incredibly jealous of his and A-san's lives. I would love to chuck it all again and go back to the life i used to lead of working for a few years and then travelling for a few months. Sigh..............

Late this afternoon i ran into a walking henro that i had spent the night with at a minshuku at the bottom of the mountain in front of Temple 27. The first thing he said to me was "Boy, your face is red." He told me that instead of the 30 km (19 mi) per day that he used to walk he has now dropped down to an average of only 25 km (16 mi) just like me. I didn't ask why, but would guess that his reasoning is like mine - 30 km per day is more work than it is pleasure. You are only worried about making time and not allowing time to see anything and enjoy the experience. We only chatted for five minutes, or so, and then i was off to find my minshuku for the night.

I got to my minshuku (Kotobuki Ryokan) at three-thirty and checked in for the night. While the owner was giving me tea, she told me that she would wash my clothes if i left them in the basket by the bath when i was done. I thanked her and then, while i was telling her that tomorrow i would be going to Bangai 7 (Shusekiji) and then coming back and staying in a business hotel just up the road, she gave me a good enough sales pitch that i agreed to cancel the reservation at the hotel and stay here tomorrow night as well.

After the bath and after i had cancelled the hotel reservation, she came over and gave me an excellent reason why i should have cancelled the hotel reservation (even though i had already done so). When i leave tomorrow for Bangai 7 i can leave my pack here and make the trek with just my Nôkyô book and a lunch. And, by the way, she'll give me a bento (box lunch) for me to eat at lunch tomorrow as settai.

For dinner it was sashimi (Aji, Ika, and one other), grilled Tai, shumai, vegetables, two strawberries, and one other thing i don't know. Plus, of course, the rice and tea. I was surprised not to see soup, but happy as well since i was full after what i ate. It was delicious as expected.

After dinner i called ahead and made reservations through May 1st. Golden week lasts from 4/29 to 5/5, and i know i said that i was going to make reservations through this period well in advance, but i am just a lazy bum. I never did get around to planning that far ahead. I just don't want to plan more than a week ahead in case my schedule should change like it did last night. But, so far so good.

Tomorrow is a big day. Bangai 7 (Shusekiji) is on a mountaintop at an altitude of 812 m (2700 ft). That may be higher than any of the other temples on the circuit - at least i haven't seen one higher than that. The round trip from the minshuku will only be about 22 km (14 mi) but i'm planning on taking all day to do it. Just in case i get back early, though, the owner told me i can check in again no matter what time i get here.

It is supposed to be cloudy tomorrow, but no rain, so that may make the climb a little less tiring. The sun has really burned my poor face again. You'd think sooner or later it would turn to a tan, but i just keep getting redder and redder. The heat makes it hard work climbing.

I just updated my schedule and am shocked to see that i only have three weeks left. Amazed, bewildered, and thunderstruck. I just can not see where almost all of five weeks have gone. People are correct when they say that in the end i will remember this with fond memories. I will look back on the struggles and realize that those were minor in comparison to all the good that i have experienced. That the disappointments with the temples and the anger at the highways will be an insignificant piece of the much larger puzzle. I don't argue with that. If that weren't the case, time wouldn't be going by as quickly as it is.

But since giving up any ideas of being a walking henro, i am no longer as angry as i used to be at walking on the roads. I'm still very, very uncomfortable there, but now, instead of being a henro forced to endure an asphalt pilgrimage, i am simply another pedestrian tolerating an uncomfortable position just like everyone else. Now that i don't really care if i see anything of the temples at all, i am seeing more of Shikoku from the highways. And what i see is incredibly interesting.

--4/28 Day Thirty-One--
I tossed and turned all last night for no obvious reason. Maybe i am getting too much sleep. I always turn my light off at nine-thirty and wake up at six and that is more sleep than i am used to. Earlier in the trip i needed all of that sleep, but now that i am in fairly good shape maybe my body just doesn't want that much?

In any case, i had the standard breakfast at six-thirty. While eating the owner brought me the bento that she had prepared for me to take as lunch on my way to Shusekiji. It included two huge onigiri, two bananas, three hard boiled eggs, and a bag with some sembei (rice crackers), cheese, and candy.

When i left at seven, i really felt like i was leaving naked. Today was the first time in thirty-one days that i haven't had my 9 kg (20 lb) back pack on my back from morning until late afternoon. It actually felt weird to walk without it. All i took when i set out for Shusekiji (Bangai 7) was my guidebook, some water, my camera, and a bag with my bento.

After actually getting to the mountain and starting to work my way up, i was immediately glad that the minshuku owner had talked me into staying at her place one more night and leaving the pack there during the day. The climb without the pack was wonderful.

The scenery up the mountain was beautiful. While i had started out at the minshuku under cloudy skies, by the time i was climbing it was clear and sunny. It still felt a little chilly, but that just made the climb even more comfortable.

Once again, i had difficulty finding the way up to the mountain at the start. Two men had told me (when i had stopped and asked) that yes, i could take the road that was marked, but if i took another one on the left, it was shorter and would save me some time. I took their advice but found it ran into a maze of smaller roads and was not sure where to go several times. Then when i got to the top the road just ran out. Stopped right at the edge of the woods. Luckily for me, a man happened to be working in his field nearby and when i asked directions he escorted me up the road a ways and pointed me to the trail head and gave me some directions for what to expect as i climbed past that trail.

Once i started to climb, i started out on a mountain trail, moved up to a practically deserted lane and a half asphalt road, then to a two lane asphalt road that was quiet but well used, then back down to the practically deserted lane and a half of asphalt, then down to a single lane gravel road, and finally back to a mountain trail. The scenery got better and better as i climbed because you could see more and more of the surrounding valleys.

But, while the skies had cleared in town and most of the way up the mountain, they had not cleared near the top. Once i was on the last 3 km (2 mi) stretch of the climb, on the mountain trail, i consistently walked in and out of the clouds. Since i wasn't dressed for the cold, the only thing that kept me warm was keeping up a good pace to keep the body heat up.

The climb through the last few kilometers (miles) to the top was an interesting sensory experience. I climbed in a fog enclosed forest and couldn't see very far in any direction other than straight ahead because the fog filled in the gaps between the trees and cut off the view. Then, every few minutes, but with no regularity, someone at the temple on the summit would ring the temple bell. For those that have never heard one of these big temple bells, it is hard to describe. It starts as a high or midrange Goooonnnnnggg that is almost shocking in its suddenness and with the unmistakable metallic sound of the wooden striker hitting the side of the bell itself. That sound immediately starts to fade and you are left with this deep rolling reverberation of several overriding low tones that just seem to sit there in the forest and hang in the air. It is a beautiful sound and i felt it calling me up to the summit each time it was struck.

I got to the temple at ten-thirty and found it shrouded in clouds. You could tell we were at the summit because the clouds didn't just sit there but blew this way and that depending on the vagaries of the wind. But in any case they never left the temple compound. The first thing i did was to take a break and get something to drink to quench my thirst. I then got my Nôkyô book stamped and took a few pictures around the complex. It was surprisingly crowded and i was never alone the whole time i was there.

After taking pictures i sat down and ate most of the lunch i had brought while drinking another can of Pocari Sweat. There was a small store/tea house on the premises, but i didn't want to go in as i didn't think it fair to ask if i could eat the lunch i brought with me in their restaurant. And, they didn't invite me in so i ate outside and shivered. It was really cold; you could see your breath.

After eating i left and headed back down the mountain just to warm up. Just as with coming up, the view going down (once i cleared the foggy top) was spectacular. This i really a beautiful area (around Ozu City), surrounded by mountains and farms. There was only one turn that i wasn't sure i would remember on my way down so i had marked it with a coffee can i had found in the ditch on my way up earlier in the morning. I'm glad i did, because it made it much easier to find and i was back down and in town at two o'clock.

I had intended to have a cup of coffee and then wander around town until four o'clock but after coffee (and a slice of cake) it started to drizzle so i headed back to the minshuku a little before three. The rain was still completely ignorable, so i just stopped long enough to get my computer and telephone cable and headed out to a telephone i had seen with a data jack to upload some more of these ramblings.

When i got to the minshuku to get my computer a neighbor came over and gave me 500 yen as settai. I was a little surprised as i had never spoken to her and never seen her before. I guess the whole neighborhood knows about me.

After using the telephone, i was back in the minshuku and settled in my room by just after three. Just like yesterday, the owner escorted me to my room, made my tea for me, and chatted while i settled down and emptied out all of my pockets. She visited for about fifteen minutes before heading off to heat the bath all the while telling me to hurry so that she could wash my clothes and get them on the line early enough that they have time to dry.

This woman is the most motherly woman i have met on the trip. She watches everything i do and worries about everything, always hoping to make me more comfortable and happy. While putting on my boots this morning, she was tugging on the white jacket i wear to make the collar sit better, then smoothing out the front because it was a little crooked, and then, when i stood up, straightening out the back because one side was stuck in my belt.

When i got back and was going up to my room to get the computer she told me to wait and not bother taking off my boots - she would run up and get the computer for me. I told her that i could get it, but she wouldn't accept that so i simply explained that it was right in the top of my backpack. Next thing i know she is coming down the hall carrying (struggling) the whole back pack for me to dig it out.

When i got back from using the telephone, i was putting everything together to take it all back up to my room when she said she would carry half of it. I said no thanks, that i would do it, but she insisted and asked me to let her help me. I couldn't say no, so thanked her and let her help. She is an amazing woman.

Supper was delicious as usual and had more sashimi and vegetables. But, tonight i also had some grilled fish called Mebura (i think), and some grilled "Ika no Ashi," which is the tail of the squid. Delicious. And the soup was different as well. It was made of a clear stock but had a soft-boiled egg in it. The egg soon broke and you ate this mixture of soup and egg yoke.

All through dinner the owner sat and chatted with me about her family and her childhood. She was born and raised through junior high school in Tôkyô. The family moved here during the war since life was just too hard in the city. Because Shikoku is all country and farms, there was always food to eat here. It turns out that she is 71 years old - but incredibly healthy and you would never know it. I knew i was getting the full treatment when she even brought out the picture of her grand kids at the end of the meal.

Tomorrow i'll pass and stop at Bangai 8, Toyogahashiji on my way towards Temple 44. I should get to Bangai 8 by late morning and have the rest of the day to stroll to the place where i'll stop for the night (Senninyado). I won't actually get to Temple 44 until the day after tomorrow (Friday) and that will be late in the day so, even then, i won't visit 44 until Saturday morning when i'll visit both it and Temple 45.

The sprinkle didn't last long and it has been back to cold, overcast, and windy for a while now. Tomorrow's forecast calls for cloudy skies until six in the morning and then clear the rest of the day. It should be another good walking day.

The weather here has been fantastic for so long now it is getting hard to believe. Usually, when it is sunny and clear, the temperature gets up to about 23 degrees (73 F) or just a little more. Maybe i need a few cloudy days to let my face stop burning. It is so red everyone comments on it.

--4/29 Day Thirty-Two--
Woke today to another cloudless and bright morning. Had a fried egg and a few slices of sandwich ham, a few vegetables, miso shiru, rice, and tea. Spent a little while with the owner going over some maps she had out and talking about how to get to Ôsaka from Naruto when i'm finished at the end of May.

Once again she gave me a bento as settai and, also once again, it was packed. There were the two onigiri with all the trimmings, three hard-boiled eggs, two bananas, and a bag of assorted candy.

After receiving all of this i went up to my room to pack and she soon showed up apologizing for trying to weigh down my pack, but would i accept another settai of a piece of cloth she had picked up in Tôkyô on her last trip into the big city. It is red with regular patterns of white dots and for a reason that i didn't understand she said it (i think 'it' means the pattern) is rather famous. She said she had no idea what i would use it for other than possibly to tie around my head as a bandana, but maybe i could find a use for it. Again, i thanked her profusely.

I was out the door a little after seven, and after uploading my journal through last night at a local phone booth, was on my way. I knew that i would stop at Bangai 8 (Tôyogahashi), but other than that i was expecting a quiet day of nothing but walking. I don't reach Temple 44 (Taihôji) until tomorrow afternoon.

About an hour and a half after leaving, when i was on the far outskirts of Ôzu City and on my way out of town, i came across a few block of the road that looked as if Scotty had transported a mini strip mall straight from the US to Ôzu City. Some of the shops had their names in English, many of the rest had them in both Japanese and English. There was a book store, music store, Quilts and Tool Paints store (whatever that might be), clothing stores, and more.

That reminded me that i have only seen one McDonalds and one Mr. Donuts on the whole island so far and that has surprised me. On Honshû (the main island) those two are now everywhere. As i walked through this part of town on Shikoku, i thought that this would be a perfect place for both of them. And sure enough, as i rounded the next corner there stood a brand new McDonalds. Never did see the Mr. Donuts, though.

Of course i had to support McD - being a US company. So, i went in and had a cup of coffee to relax and to be able to say that i was in McD on Shikoku. Besides, i had been looking for a coffee shop anyhow, i only had 25 km (16 mi) to walk today and i always take a lot of breaks during the day.

Just down the road from the McDs, i found Bangai 8. It is the smallest of the temples i've seen so far and located right on the side of the highway. Legends say that when Kûkai was walking around the island on one of his trips back in the late 8th century, he couldn't find a room to sleep in. He asked all around town but everyone refused him. So, he slept under the bridge - right here.

To commemorate that, they have built a shrine under the bridge in which there is a miniature cement Kûkai sleeping under a couple of real futons. There are a few other shrines and accoutrements to go along with it as well.

Because of the fact that Kûkai had to sleep under the bridge, it is now part of the Henro tradition that no one is supposed to let their walking stick touch the bridge while walking across one. It might wake him.

After a few pictures there and at the temples themselves, i was on my way again and walked until around eleven-thirty (with the requisite Pocari Sweat breaks, of course). When i got to Uchiko Town, though, i was surprised to find a well preserved historical district. What tipped me off that something was going on was when i started to pass several walking guided tours on the streets. And the buildings they were looking at reminded me of what i had seen in the historical district of Hagi on the Southwest Coast of Honshû.

After walking a few blocks through town i stumbled on to the Uchiko Town Folklore Museum. This is a house that has been preserved and outfitted to look just as it might have in Taishô 10 (1921). They have even gone to the expense of putting talking mannequins in several of the rooms doing just what they might have done in such a room. For example, the whole family was sitting on the floor eating dinner in one room, two men were sitting around a table in another room drinking tea and shooting the breeze. Upstairs, a boy was studying in one room while a man was studying the game of Go in the back room. All in all it was very interesting and only cost 200 yen ($1.70) to get in.

As i was putting my boots back on after finishing the tour, i talked to the woman who sells tickets in front for a few minutes. We were talking about running water and when it came to the island (just after WWII) when she surprised me by telling me that her parents, who live in a mountain village just up the road, still don't have running water. They still do everything with well water and see no reason for ever needing running faucets.

I found a restaurant just after the museum and had one of my favorites, tonkatsu, for lunch. I spent some time after that calling around for a reservation on Sunday in Matsuyama, but have been unable to find anyone with an unreserved piece of floor. My guide book only shows minshuku around the area of a place called Dôgô Hot Springs because that is where everyone wants to stay. It is the oldest natural hot springs in Japan (i think) and is quite famous. Therefore, during the Golden Week holidays Matsuyama is packed with tourists who flock to the hot springs.

If i don't find something tomorrow, i guess i'll just have to show up in town and a) find something by just walking from hotel to hotel further away from the hot springs or b) sleep at a train station. I try not to think about it too much but it kept coming to mind throughout the day.

Really saw nothing of note after lunch until i got to where i would be spending the night. I walked through a narrow river valley all afternoon and there was nothing to see other than green and green - even if there are a dozen shades of green. I miss the colored trees that added so much pizzazz to the mountains i walked through in Tokushima Prefecture.

The only place to stay tonight without walking a very long way or a very short way was to stay in a place that offered a room but no meals. I had no idea what to expect except a very big building. It is called Sennin Yado and that means The One-Thousand Person Inn.

When i got here, though, i found that it is a little 8 mat (12 ft by 12 ft) temple dedicated to Kôbô Daishi which is somehow or the other under the control of the woman who runs the udon manufacturer/restaurant next door. I didn't even see it at first and had to ask at the store and the woman just smiled and said it is over there and pointed across the street. All i saw was the temple, and since i was still looking for a big building i looked around the back and on the sides, and behind the building next door - all to no avail.

When i got back in front again, the older woman i had talked to on the phone when i called on Tuesday was coming over and she opened the doors, took a futon out of the closet and dumped it on the floor, and said she couldn't cook me something to eat until later as she still had work to do.

I explained that last nights minshuku owner had told me that there would be no food available and had, therefore, made me a bento (i saved it instead of eating it for lunch like i was supposed to) to which she replied "Oh, then you don't want oden?"

Oden is Japanese hodgepodge - for me tonight it is noodle soup with a little of this and a little of that all thrown in. I like oden so told the woman that i preferred that to the bento if it was still OK. She said fine and left to get to work. I was then properly ignored for the next several hours until someone brought me my oden and a cup of tea at six o'clock. When i finished i took my tray back and haven't heard from anyone since.

I am the only one in the room and if i understand correctly the woman (or the family) offer this as settai only to henro and no one else. That means that i am expecting the room and the food to be free. If so, i'll leave a thousand yen as thanks on the altar when i leave in the morning. The only drawback is that there is no bath included with the deal, but i have gone the night without a bath before so i guess i'll survive this time as well.

Tomorrow i will arrive at Temple 44 (Taihôji) and should have time to visit the temple before checking in at my minshuku for the night. Then it is off to Temple 45 on Saturday and Temples 46 through at least 51 on Sunday. I may walk as far as Temple 52 if i have to walk around looking for a hotel/minshuku Sunday night, but i won't walk past that.

As i write this someone across the street is practicing the piano. They are pretty good, but i haven't heard them play more than one piece, over and over again. Other than that it is perfectly quiet.

I am in a very little community of about 20 houses sitting on both sides of the river in a valley out in the middle of nowhere. The area is full of Persimmon (kaki) trees, but there is nothing on the branches yet. When i go out and brush my teeth (i carry my own water) i'll look to see how many stars i can see. I still remember vividly the skies from Nkambe, the mountain village i lived in during my first two years in Cameroon. I will always swear that from Nkambe you could see every star in the universe on a clear night.

Some one suggested to me that maybe the reason i got so angry last week was because i hit that wall i talk about that faces many long distance trekkers. I've thought about that today and i really don't think so. No matter how angry i was, no matter how disappointed i got, no matter what i thought of the value of this trip - i never thought about quitting.

There has only been one morning so far when i walked out the door not really committed to walking that day, and that was way back in Kôchi City. I never knew, and never tried to figure out, why i didn't want to walk that morning, but once i was on the road for an hour i was back in form and having fun.

Other than that one instance there has not been a day when i didn't look forward to heading out in the morning. There hasn't been one day when i didn't look forward to walking and seeing what ever i came across. There hasn't been one day that i wasn't happy being in my boots with my pack on my back. And because of that i don't think my problem is that wall.

I still maintain that the trigger was no more than the walking on the side of the narrow and busy highways and the fact that i consider that absolutely unsafe. Add to that the fact that while walking on these highways you meet virtually no one throughout the day. And, add to that the fact that i am so disappointed with the temples -temples that seem to offer nothing, but are willing to sell you a stamp to verify that you were there.

No, the blisters, the sore feet, the rain, the cold - none of this is what gets to me. I learned a very long time ago that "pain is inevitable, suffering is not." Pain is physical and you can't control that. Suffering is a state of mind and that can be controlled. All of those can be, and were, dealt with and then ignored. My problem is disappointment.

I have been ecstatic over the physical side of this trip. The experience of walking in such a beautiful place with such incredible scenery has been one wonderful day after another. But, i could have done the same for a quarter the price in Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, or other similar places in the US. The problem lies elsewhere. And, i'm still trying to pinpoint where exactly that is.

--4/30 Day Thirty-Three--
Today started out slow and neither good nor bad - just another day. It then got more bizarre as the day went on.

I heard everyone get up and out of the house next door around five, but i refused to bend to the pressure and rolled back over and went to sleep until six. When i did get up it appeared that the wife and father were already at work making udon noodles (maybe), and the husband was out delivering papers. I know that because as i was leaving at six-thirty he rode up on his moped, put a paper in a mail box next to the temple and then went and parked his bike.

I asked about money and sure enough was told that it wasn't needed. So, as i left i put one of my name slips on the table just inside the door of the temple and wrapped a one-thousand yen bill around it. On the back i thanked them for their help.

I then started a long but slow climb for the next five hours. I was really out in the middle of the country and even though i passed through a few very small communities i saw almost no one and never any coffee shops or restaurants. All i saw all morning were kids on their bikes going to their various schools.

Since i saw nowhere to stop, and had no distractions, i walked and climbed steadily until about eleven. Luckily i had bought a bag of small anpan the night before because that is all i had for breakfast today. For snacks i had a couple of bananas and three hard-boiled eggs that the minshuku owner gave me with that bento on Thursday morning in Ôzu City.

But, the good news is that, in answer to my request last night for more color, the mountains today were beautiful. I started in what i thought was a narrow river valley back at the temple. I found, however, that the valley got narrower and narrower the higher i climber. I was obviously working my way up to a pass over the top of the mountains and back down into the valley where Temple 44 (Taihôji) is located.

All the way up through the various valleys that i climbed through, the wild flowers were in full bloom. There were even the last late-blooming Yaezakura (the latest blooming of the cherry blossom trees) blooming here and there beside the road. The mountains were full of reds, yellows, and all the various greens. It was a beautiful day.

Around eleven-thirty, as i was on my way down through the mountains from the last summit and heading towards the town where Temple 44 is located, i ran into an elderly woman sitting on a bench near the road taking a break. I stopped and thought i'd say hello before continuing on my way when she surprised me and got up to join me.

Here is the story i heard as we walked down the mountain towards town.

She is sixty, has nothing to do, and is lonely so decided to walk the entire pilgrimage. She didn't tell her friends anything, she just left. She was dressed as if she were going shopping as the local mall. She had on a normal blouse, a pair of regular slacks, and regular street shoes. She had a hat on and had a small daypack on her back, but i have no idea what was in it.

Something came up about money and she said she had none. None, and didn't need any. Well, she admitted she had a little to buy the white jacket and other henro clothes. She was intending to sleep outside at the temples every night. But, in that little pack of hers i can guarantee there was no tent, no sleeping bag, and nothing warm to wear. The pack was just too small.

I asked about money for food, and she said she was intending to eat a lot of bread. And at the pace she was walking, it seemed obvious that she wasn't used to hiking.

I saw red flags everywhere about this woman. I hope it isn't just me and the rest of the people who read this agree that something sounded fishy. I was worried about her so stuck with her all the way to the temple. She didn't even have a map so didn't know how to get there.

In front of the temple we ran into on of the men i had walked with to Temple 41 and he convinced her to try and stay in the lodging attached to the temple. When we got there, as i was getting my book stamped and visiting the two temples, she spent all that time talking to the woman that sells such things and buying the white coat, the map books, a hat, a rosary, and i don't know what else.

But, the lodging was full. I felt a little better that at least someone else (the woman who sold her all that stuff) had heard her story. Maybe if that woman wasn't worried i shouldn't be. But, as i was leaving she said she had no idea what she was going to do since the lodge was full. I wished her the best of luck and told her to take care of herself and left fully expecting that she was going to try and sleep outside at the temple.

I was early so to kill a little time i stopped at a coffee shop and had coffee while pondering her story some more. When i checked in i found that tonight's lodging is a hotel and not a minshuku so no bath tonight - a shower instead. I relaxed until six when i went down to dinner a the restaurant that they run on the first floor.

When i walked down into the restaurant who do you think was sitting there?? That's right the woman from the temple. She told me that since there was no lodging she waked to the next temple (10 more km/6 mi) hoping to find a room there. She didn't, so asked at a minshuku in front of the temple if she could stay there since her feet really hurt. He apologized but said he was full. He did, though, offer to call and try and get her a room here in town and happened to find a room here at my hotel. She lucked out again when she happened to get a ride back to town from a kind man.

We ate dinner together and she obviously has no clue what she is getting into. She was asking questions like how far to walk every day, how fast we walked today, how to do laundry, etc... And, what happened to the idea of sleeping out every night? Did she change her mind? And if so, does she really have money? Those are all questions i'll never know the answers to.

I called and made a few more reservations tonight after dinner and the news isn't good. I finally found a room in Matsuyama, but to find it i had to accept walking all the way to Temple 53 on Sunday. To get there i will have to walk 40 km (25 mi). Ouch. I'll have to tell tomorrow's minshuku that i will not need breakfast and leave by six in the morning.

Then, on the other side of Matsuyama i have one more day of 32 km (20 mi) to get to the next lodging. I am going to be a very tired person on the other side of Matsuyama. I'm already planning a few short days to make up for it unless my feet surprise me and come through unscathed and unhurt. I think once i get away from the Matsuyama i should be OK with reservations and everything will return to normal. Besides, the Golden Week holiday ends on May 5th and my reservations now go through the 4th.

Tomorrow is forecast for clear and warm weather again. I will walk to Temple 45 (Iwayaji) and come back to this town (Kuma Town) to stay the night again. I'm expecting it to only take about seven hours round trip so should be back in town around three unless i waste some time at the temple. If i have enough time i hope to get a haircut since i won't have the time in Matsuyama.

--5/1 Day Thirty-Four--
Breakfast this morning was at seven and was the standard of rice, soup, vegetables, fish, and tea.

I ate with the woman from yesterday again. Now she is talking about using the bus part of the time since her feet hurt. Her story seems to be changing every time i talk to her. I really wonder....

Was out the door at seven-thirty after paying my bill. It was a thousand yen more than usual and not worth it. I received nothing more than i usually do in a minshuku and the food was no better, maybe not as good.

Today's walk was really good. The entire day was spent in the mountains and most of it was spent on mountain trails. For a while i walked along the ridge of the highest peaks and the view was spectacular. I had planned to take a picture on my way back from Temple 45, but i ended up taking a different trail on the way back down.

It took about three and a half hours to get to Iwayaji but it was worth it. This temple was the most unusual of all i have been to. It is built right at the base of a huge vertical rock face. In fact, one of the alters/shrines is at teh back of a long, narrow, and almost pitch black tunnel. Nothing lights the tunnel or the open area at the back where the shrine is except candles, and when i was there most of them had gone out. Until my eyes had adjusted it was black, black, black.

I saw one woman who was on her knees at the Daishi temple reciting her sutras over and over again. Just like the woman back at Temple 24, this woman seemed oblivious to the fact that other people were coming and going, and standing next to her form time to time reciting sutras of their own.

While i was eating lunch (ham sandwich and apple) she as getting ready to leave. The last thing she did was to buy a bottle of something to drink at the vending machine. She opened the bottle and then promptly walked over to a bush and dumped it all out. By now i was almost staring. Luckily she didn't seem to notice. After emptying the bottle, she then filled it with water from the place where you rinse your mouth and wash your hands to purify yourself when entering the temple compound. I always wonder why people like this go to these extremes (when compared to the rest of the crowd). What are they hoping for? What do they want?

After eating i headed back down the mountain and got back to town a little before three o'clock. The first thing i did was to look for a barbershop. I needed a hair cut pretty badly by this time. The first one i found was packed and i decided i didn't want to wait in a line. I pass through so many towns every day and most of them seem to have a barber shop. I can always get it cut later.

But, i soon passed another and they weren't busy so i went in and asked what a hair cut cost. He surprised me and told me that if i didn't need the shave and the whole works, then only 3,000 yen for the simple hair cut. I accepted and he then cut my hair. Boy, the way he cut it was sure different than what i am used to in the US. But i won't get into the step by step procedure. In any case i feel much better now.

We didn't talk very much. In the first place he was really concentrating on what he was doing, but in addition we really had trouble understanding each other's Japanese. When i went to pay he only charged me 2,000 yen and when i reminded him that he had said 3,000, he simply waved it off. Didn't even say "settai" or anything else, he just nodded several times and waved me off. I thanked him and left.

Not understanding his Japanese brings up a topic i have discussed with my Japanese teacher on several occasions. Why is it that i regularly have an easier time talking to women than i do to men. Or, to put it conversely, why is it harder for me to talk to, and understand, men than women? I is like that every year - although this year less than in previous years.

I have hypothesized that women are used to switching (on the fly) from adult talk to speaking more slowly, more clearly, and with easier words because they are the ones to deal with the kids all day. That makes it easier for them to do the same with me. Men don't have the same habit so don't learn how to speak any differently with someone who may not understand. I have also suggested that since i have never had anything but female teachers, somehow that has me keyed into the way women pronounce their words. When i'm way out in the country, it isn't rare for the wife to act as a translator for me with the husband. This year that hasn't happened much, but it isn't rare in general. It is amusing - she tells me i'm really good and he says "huh?" Needless to say, my teacher didn't buy either suggestion even though she is a she.

I went to the Kuma Shopping Center (not at all what it sounds like, in the US we would have called it the grocery store) to look for some thick envelopes. I want to send some exposed film back to the US, but all i can find are thin envelopes just like in Kôchi City. I asked one of the girls inside if they had anything that might be in a different section from where i was looking but she told me no and looked in the same place again to make sure i hadn't missed anything. As i was leaving she came running out with a perfect envelope as far as thickness of the paper, but way too big. She said if i wanted it she would give it to me (i guess it was laying around the back room somewhere) but i thanked here and told her no. I guess i'll keep looking.

From the shopping center i went and had a cup of coffee before checking in for the night. I think i did a little spying for the coffee shop owner. I was there yesterday and had mentioned that i was staying at the Garden Time Hotel. Where i have coffee is a competitor of theirs and today, while drinking my coffee, she was asking what they served for dinner and how good it was.

When i checked in the daughter showed me my room. She is a freshman in high school and as soon as she saw me she started giggling and i immediately recognized that giggle as the person who had taken my reservation on the phone. They have free washing machines and she gave me a hundred yen as settai for the dryer.

For dinner tonight we had yakiniku (fried meat) and spaghetti and tofu and rice and some kind of salad and water and tea. There was no way i could eat it all so i passed off some of the meat to another guest.

What they do is give you a plate full of raw meat, carrots, green peppers, cabbage (or lettuce?), and onions. You then fry it on your own little hot plate as you are ready for it and dip it in a sauce before eating. It was obvious that there were three different kinds of meat, but i have no idea what the three kinds are since i didn't ask.

I want to be on the road tomorrow at six o'clock so i told the owner i don't need breakfast. I also paid my bill tonight since i'm leaving so early. It was only 6,000 yen since there is no breakfast included. I'll pack my back pack before going to bed tonight so all i have to do is brush my teeth and walk out the door in the morning. I'll set my alarm for five forty-five. I bought a few creampans that i'll eat for breakfast while i'm walking.

Speaking of the owner, he told me that (for some reason) he decided to study Portuguese. He just studies out of a book at home but he taught me a few words and how to count to twenty-three. Of course i remember none of it. Interesting person to talk to.

The weather tomorrow is supposed to be warmer than today's, and today there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Tomorrow the high pressure will be sitting right on top of us so it should be good walking weather. It has really been cold at night here in the mountains. Last night i woke up and had to put a second blanket on the bed. At the free Daishi temple i slept with a blanket and two quilts on the bed. It will be interesting to see if it is warmer when i drop back down in elevation (it's over 550 m/1800 ft here) as i get to Matsuyama and as i walk along the northern coast next week.

The first 7 km (4 mi) will be a slow climb back up to a little over 700 m (2300 ft) on the highway and one trail. From there it is a long and slow decent back down out of the mountains into the city of Matsuyama.

As i said yesterday, the only minshuku i could find with a room for me tomorrow night is one just in front of the gate into Temple 53 (Emmyôji). That is 40 km from where i am tonight. We'll see if i make it or pull up short at a train station for the night. Add to all the time needed just for walking that far, i pass through eight temples tomorrow. Even if i only spend ten minutes at each one, that alone adds another one and a half hours to the day. Maybe i can cut it down to five minutes at each temple by getting my book stamped and snapping a few pictures and then just leaving. I usually linger for a while, but i guess i can cut it short one day. In any case, it is going to be a very long and tiring day.

As i type this i'm watching baseball and a commercial just came on with Wakanohana (the newest Yokozuna in Sumo, but who shouldn't be IMHO) selling some kind of hot pads that you stick on your body when you have aches and pains. I thought active sumo rikishi weren't allowed to do TV commercials? I guess something has changed. Maybe the Sumo Kyokai (Sumo Organization) is trying to bolster popularity of the sport by allowing the top rikishi to appear in ads. Hmmm....

--5/2 Day Thirty-Five and the End of Week Five--
I just can't believe that five weeks have already passed. I can mentally relive each day, the memories are so vivid, and yet still it is hard to fathom that so much time has already gone under the bridge.

I was up around five-thirty this morning and out the door at five-fifty. As i had predicted last night, it was a long and tiring day. To jump to the end first, i didn't check into my minshuku until five-thirty tonight. Tired and with feet so sore you wouldn't believe it if i told you.

Today really wasn't a good day. Not because of the distance i had to walk, but because i had to do too much in one day that i ended up seeing almost nothing. Throughout the day nothing mattered except getting to Temple 53 (Emmyôji).

The first hour and a half were spent climbing to the top of the mountain at the end of the valley that drops into Matsuyama City. It was a long slow climb and i was pooped when i got there. They must get some snow here in Kuma Town because just before the summit i ran across Kuma Ski Area. It looked like a fairly nice size mountain - for Shikoku. Once i started down the other side there was a great view of Matsuyama.

I ran into A-san (the girl i walked with from Temple 42 to Temple 43 a few weeks ago) at Bangai 9. She is still doing well and still happy and smiling. It was nice to see her again even though i didn't have the time to sit and chat with her. I apologized after getting my book stamped and pushed ahead leaving her there.

I ate an egg salad sandwich and drank a Pocari Sweat while walking to Temple 48. I figured that i could save a little time if i ate while i walked today.

At Temple 49 (Jôdoji) i met another American who in married to a Japanese and has been living in Tôkyô for the past ten years. He must have come over immediately after graduating from the university judging from his looks. He and his wife walked the pilgrimage last year and are walking it again this year in reverse order.

While i wanted to leave he wanted to chat and spent about 20 minutes going over the map pointing out places i should see and places that aren't really worth the time. It would have been useful had i been smart enough to write it all down, but i didn't so don't know how much stuck in my head. He did tell me that some people visit Temples 60 and 61 in reverse order. They stop at a minshuku near Temple 61 first and then leave their packs there and walk up to Temple 60 and back the next day. I may try and rearrange my schedule tomorrow so that i can do that as well. Finding a minshuku near Temple 60 has been a problem i've been wrestling with for a few days.

Another thing he told me was the story behind that little Daishi temple i stayed at for free about three nights ago that was called the One Thousand Person Inn. Apparently the grandmother (now deceased) had been sick for a long time when she was told, or in some way decided, that if she offered lodging to one thousand walking henro as settai, then she would get well. It took her three years to get to that number (which, as an aside, surprises me that that is all it took) but, sure enough, after the thousandth person passed through the temple she did get better.

Later, after the mother died of old age, the children (now elderly themselves) allowed occasional henro to stay, but didn't make a practice of it. They make udon noodles and sell them wholesale but don't sell udon on the premises to eat. I gather their business just wasn't going that well for the longest time. One day they happened to allow a henro from Hokkaidô to stay the night in the temple. He spent the night teaching them the step by step procedure to make great udon and, sure enough, after they learned it their business has been booming ever since. Since that time they now accept any henro that calls or just stops by and asks if there is room for them.

I ate a ham and cheese sandwich and drank another can of Pocari Sweat on the way to Tempel 51. Again i ate while walking to save some time.

Temple 51 (Ishiteji) is a huge complex and i really wish i had found a minshuku near there so i could have spent the afternoon exploring it. If i'm ever back in the area with time to spare i'll have to revisit that temple.

After leaving Ishiteji i stopped long enough to take a picture of Dôgô Onsen (Hot Springs), the oldest and most famous onsen in all of Japan. I think the character Bôttchan, in Kawabata's (maybe him) novel by that name, came here. It has been a long time since i read that book, i'll have to reread it when i get back home. It was a mad house around the onsen - it was wall to wall people and cars. I could see why there were no rooms available.

After leaving there, i left for Temple 52 (Taisanji). I was worried that the office that stamps your book might close at four-thirty, and knew that i was pushing my luck since i lost the time talking to the American and his wife at Temple 49, so i really hustled. As it turned out, i arrived at four twenty-nine, by my watch, but they didn't close until five o'clock.

I left there around five and walked slowly and leisurely to my minshuku which is just across the street from Temple 53 (Emmyôji). As i said i checked in at five-thirty, took a bath, watched a little news, and then had dinner. I'm now watching baseball and will do absolutely nothing for the rest of the night.

My feet don't hurt like they did with blisters; it isn't a localized pain, they just feel worn out. They hurt everywhere and it will be interesting to see what they feel like in the morning. But, the legs and the rest of me feel great.

I broke two rules today. I passed my second Mr. Donuts (and a third McD) but didn't go in. In previous years i have almost always gone in whenever i see one for a cup of coffee and a donut, but today i just didn't have the time. I also, i regret to admit, broke down and bought a Pepsi! I almost never do that and may drink only one soda a year. But, going to Temple 52 i needed something to give me a lift so i figured a sugar fix would do the trick. It did, so i did it on the way to my minshuku as well. Two in one day - i can't believe it. But that does tell you how pooped i was.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be clear and hot again until sometime in the evening. By nine at night it is supposed to be raining. Tuesday is clear once again but it is forecasted to rain all day Tuesday. Hmmm....

I'll stop tomorrow night just before getting to Temple 54. It is a 30 km (19 mi) day, but i had no choice as i couldn't find anything with a free room a little closer. It is the night after that that i might try and rearrange my reservation.

Not much to say today, but as i said, i walked too much to see or do anything.

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