Author Archives: Bill

[Note: I’m getting a lot of new followers who don’t know me personally and may not know my sense of humor. My intent is to amuse and not to offend any particular religious faith. Please know that I when I write, my tongue eventually finds its way to my cheek. Also, I write this thingContinue reading “Day 5: Temples 17 – 19”

After the grueling challenge of Day 3, I finally felt like I got some good sleep at Uemura Ryokan. I wasn’t just laying trying to sleep, but actually felt myself wake up. After breakfast with the other pilgrim guests, we followed the Akui River valley back to Tokushima. It was going to be a muchContinue reading “Day 4: Bekkaku 2, Temple 13 – 16”

Sorry. Walking 15 miles in a day, eating a full meal, taking a hot Japanese-style bath and then trying to write a blog post leaves me dozing in front of the computer. I’m currently just putting together very “footnotey” reminder drafts with pictures so I can come back at a later time to fill inContinue reading “I’m tired!”

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 rearrangeContinue reading “Day 1: Temples 1 – 5”

My ex-sister-in-law has started following my blog and I am now forbidden from abandoning my nephew in a bamboo forest even if he deserves it. Leaving him with some kind, elderly farmer couple is currently in negotiations. Uneventful is how you want to describe your travel days and that’s how the “todays” went. A 13Continue reading “Days T-2 and T-1: Travel Daaaaay”

It was a busy week at work as everyone wanted everything in place and secured before I’m out of the office for two months. Understandable, but … I’m tired! I did get a “No one wants to hear it. You’re going to Japan for two months,” from ever-so-sympathetic attorney. By the way, I work atContinue reading “The night before …”

Well, as you may have guessed, my planned 2020 trip to Shikoku did not occur. I was one week from leaving when the U.S. State Department raised their Travel Advisory rating for Japan to “Level 3 – Reconsider Travel” which was my personal bar for cancelling the pilgrimage. Of course, it turned out to beContinue reading “The story so far …”

As of today, I’m still going. As you may expect, I’ve been following the coronavirus situation in Japan and its development in the United States pretty closely and I’m to the point where I don’t think I’ll be much safer staying the U.S. than walking in rural Japan for the next two months. I don’tContinue reading “Coronavirus Update and REI Dividends!”

With my planned trip now less than three weeks away, I’m now facing the coronavirus dilemma. As everyone not living in a cave now knows, the COVID-19 strain has spread to half the world, including the US and Japan. Currently, the US State Department ranks Japan as a “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” with regardContinue reading “My Coronavirus Dilemma”