As the business hotel we stayed at wasn’t serving breakfast, there is no picture of breakfast today. Image instead a photo of a bun and a banana, individually wrapped in plastic, along with a mandarin orange fruit cup, and a bottle of Starbucks Cafe Mocha, all from 7-Eleven.
I decided against walking the pilgrim route backward to catch a train back to Kochi. We instead took a train to Noichi Station where we ended yesterday and continued our clockwise trek from there. That way there was no chance of a train schedule determining our decisions later in the day.
Only a half hour had passed by the time we reached Temple 28 (Dainichiji – “The Great Sun Temple”) from Noichi Station. Founded in 739 CE, many pilgrims believe that at this temple they can be relieved of illnesses to the head and upper body. It last burnt down during the Meiji Restoration (late 1800s) and has since been rebuilt. As all of the temples on this pilgrimage dates before 830 C.E. and are made this flammable thing called wood, very few original elements remain in any of the buildings. Things like statues, bells, relics, and items made from stone are preserved when possible.
Crossing from Temple 28 to Temple 29 was an interesting mix of suburb and farmland. The plots were of a size that could be handled by a small tractor. We were surrounded by houses, but there were multiple fields and irrigation ditches running along many roads. It was cloudy and in the low 50’s (Fahrenheit) which is usually fine for backpacking weather, but the wind was gusting. We both had to put on our fleece jackets.
We both enjoyed Temple 29 (Kokubunji – Official State Temple). It sits in a large, walled-off compound with many stately cedar trees. Kukai is said to have performed a rite of astral festivity (hoshimatsuri) here when he was 42 years old.
I haven’t written much about the people we’ve encountered so far and have yet to give a shout out to all the people who’ve offered us ossettai, but I like getting to bed at a decent hour. I plan a little “shout out” post some day just for the people who assisted us, either through snacks, candy, drinks or money offerings. I did want to mention the elderly gentleman we encountered at Temple 29. He came up to Connor and inquired how his pilgrimage was going and made small talk. After I joined them, he talked of his time living in Düsseldorf, German and New Jersey in the States. He was 80 years old, retired from a career with Fuji Film (and optics) and was walking parts of the pilgrimage. It was just a really pleasant interaction and it’s been so with so many other pilgrims we’ve encountered.
We had plenty of time and would make it to Temple 30 around 3:30 p.m. Connor considered attempting Temple 31, but it would have been a little too tight to get there before 5:00 and it wasn’t scheduled until tomorrow anyway.
As we got within about a mile or so of Temple 30, we stopped at a little rest hut I had scouted out online when I had been considering camping on the pilgrimage. I stepped away to inspect some trees that wouldn’t be visible from the road and, when I returned, found the elderly gentleman again conversing with Connor. He said he wasn’t liking how his map was keeping him on the main busy roads and the two of us looked like we knew where we were going, so he just decided to follow us. We sat at the rest hut and chatted some more. As we put on our pack for the last jaunt to the temple, we offered that he join us. He waved us off and said he would catch up with us at the temple. In fact, he caught up with us as we were waiting at a crosswalk just before the temple.
We decided to get some dinner before heading to the hostel we had reserved for the night. We found a conveyor belt sushi joint and thought we’d give it a go. A little confusion at first, but with the assistance of one of the wait staff we were able to get started. You enter and go to a kiosk at the front, enter the number of your party, and get assigned a table on a printed out receipt with a QR Code. After taking your seat, you see that the booth is color coded. We were blue. An electronic ordering tablet very much like an iPad lets you order dishes to be prepared back in the kitchen. After ordering, you only have to wait a few minutes until the tablet starts chirping that your order has been prepared and you should expect it on the conveyor belt running next to the table. Our sushi and other items came out on little color coded plates (indicating price) on color coded plate carriers (indicating table). After dining, scan the receipt with the QR Code assigned to your table at the front cash register and pay your bill.
Off to the hostel, where we were able to arrange lodging for the next two nights and met the two other guys with whom we’ll be sharing a domitory room for the night. Heigh-ho, the glamorous life.
2023 Shikoku Henro 