Day 30

Weather: sunny

Last Shikoku Temple day. In the morning I went to Temple 88 (Okuboji). I was a bit emotional, as it was the last of the 88 temples. Not sure if the Temple itself is larger than the other temples, but it sure felt majestic.

Visiting all 88 temples is called “kechigan” (the fulfillment of one’s wish). However, some believe that one needs to complete the circle by returning to the temple one started with to achieve Kechigan. So I went back to Temple 1 (Ryozenji) where my journey began 30 days ago.

Do I feel any different from when I started 30 days ago? Yes, my feet hurt. Will have to see a doctor when I get home regarding plantar fasciitis. But besides that? I leant a lot about myself, which at this point I’m not ready to share on a public blog. And then there are other things/rules that I learnt:

1) there is no right or wrong way of doing something, only the way that works best for you.

2) (following point 1) don’t let someone make you feel bad about the way you do things. That is their insecurity NOT yours.

2) you are only allowed to feel sorry for yourself or frustrated about a situation for a maximum of 3 minutes – anything longer than that and you might miss the bus.

Tomorrow I’m doing some sightseeing in Tokushima. I was excited about starting the pilgrimage when I first got here I didn’t do any sightseeing.

For dinner I ate Tokushima Ramen. It is a rich Shoyu based ramen with a raw egg. It was kind of like Sukiyaki met Ramen and had a baby and called it Tokushima Ramen.

I am still trying to figure out the logistics of visiting Mt. Koya and paying my respects to Kobo Daishi.