Day 1: Temples 1 – 5

Though I didn’t get a lot of sleep, I was at least able to stretch out and rest. Connor sent me a message around 5:20 that he had secured passage on the morning ferry and we could pick him up at Tokushima Port at 8:00 a.m. I got out of bed at 6:30 to rearrange by pack from flight mode to pilgrim mode. I woke my AirBnb host Ishikawa-san at 7:00 and he quickly got dressed to go. We stopped at 7-Eleven so I could get some cash from the ATM and he could grab a coffee. He bought me a bun for breakfast as ossettai – a gift or action performed to help a pilgrim and thus earn a part of the merit achieved by the pilgrim on their pilgrimage. Despite some traffic on the way, we were able to pick up Connor around 8:30. OK, actually Ishikawa-san dawdled a bit before starting out, but he was doing a huge favor for us, so I couldn’t be pushy. Our host had been a bit too friendly too quickly, which had initially put my guard up, but I was beginning to warm up to him. He had showered me with snacks for my backpack the evening before and, again, took Connor and I to get some wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionary sweets) from one of his favorite local shops. We stopped by his place to pick up my pack, set off for Ryozenji (Temple 1), and we parted after a group selfie.

After picking out and paying for our pilgrimage gear, Connor and I agreed we were getting started too late in the day to visit Oasahiko Shrine as I had originally planned before Temple 1, but that we could pick it up on our return in two months. Taisanji (Bekkaku 1) was probably also off the list today but we could pick it up early tomorrow.

I walked over the nearby bank to see if I could get the $1,300 sitting in my wallet converted. No luck. We would have to go back to where we just came from to find the main office of this bank to perform the transaction.

We nailed Ryozenji (Temple 1) – a term and ritual I will describe later – and proceeded to Gokurakuji (Temple 2). It was about a 15 minute walk between temples. At each temple we visit the Hondo (Main Hall) and Daishido (Daishi Hall) before going to temple office to get our temples stamps. I had decided early in my planning that I wanted a hanging scroll with the temple stamps instead of the regular nokyocho (stamp book) carried by most pilgrims. It was after noon as we departed for Konsenji (Temple 3). Though we both were getting a bit hungry, we agreed to delay lunch until after Temple 3.

We stopped at a Lawson’s to pick up sandwiches for lunch and sat outside on the pavement and dug into some of the ossettai provided by Ishikawa-san earlier today.

It was after 2:00 when started the short climb up to Dainichiji (Temple 4). There was roadwork going on and a helpful crew member pointed us in the correct direction as some of the signage may have been taken down. I was confused at first because he asked “Yon ban? Yon ban?” It wasn’t until he asked “Dainichiji?” that Connor and I recognized what he was asking and I realized he was originally asking “Number 4? Number 4?”

It was only 1.5 km from Temple 4 to Temple 5 and the sun was beginning to think about setting. Pilgrims have to get to temples by 5:00 p.m. as that’s when the temple office closes and you’re unable to get your stamp book (or scroll or pilgrim jacket) stamped. You end up have to wait until 7:00 a.m. next morning when the offices re-open.

We finished off walking 3.3 km to our lodging for the evening. Bathed, ate dinner and retired to our room. It’s been a long day … and I think the first of many.

[Note: The first iteration of this post contained a story of Connor making a mistake which could negatively affect and/or greatly inconvenience our trip. He admitted and acknowledged his mistake and was greatly embarrassed. My original post only added to his embarrassment and, honestly, it was a bit mean. I took it down relatively quickly. Unfortunately, the original post went out to the people subscribed to this page. I greatly regret this and have apologized to my nephew. We have since worked to resolve the problem and have found a workaround if we’re unable to get the ideal resolution.]