Weather: rainy

Started out later today. I went to the JR train station and got in line at the JR ticket counter to get my JR pass activated, only to find out that it was to be done at a travel agent office a couple of doors down and they don’t open until 10 am… so I had to wait around for 2 hours.

Finally got the tickets and headed to Temple 86 (Shidoji). It has a beautiful garden.

I then travelled to Temple 85 (Yakuriji) which has a cable car and the temple was in the clouds. This is where I met up with Samurai Duck! Samurai Duck wanted to join Usagi-chan and me in Shikoku and he was only able to join us for today.

After Yakuriji we went for lunch and both got a giant Tempura rice bowl each… neither of us were able to finish the food. (Samurai Duck rented a car so we were able to travel very quickly!)

We got to Temple 87 (Nagaoji) and met a woman from Ehime who is also doing the pilgrimage (this is her 4th time). She told us that a certain treat made by the monk’s wife from Nagaoji is very famous and is usually hard to get as it sells out quickly. Samurai Duck and I were able to get some.

This is where I said goodbye to Samurai Duck as I am staying in a guesthouse recommended by Kyoko-san: Inn Tek Tek and Samurai Duck had to make a 6 hour journey home! Thank you Samurai Duck!

In this area there is a famous sauna bath (the last of its kind) called Kara-furo. It was a popular way of bathing for people in the Nara period. CE 710 – 794. The ofuro (bath) culture in Japan didn’t take off until the Edo period 1603 – 1867. This sauna bathing was popular in areas around Nara and Shikoku where Onsen (natural hot springs) were not easily available.

Tomorrow is Temple 88!

Weather: Sunny.

Started the day going to Temple 81 (Shiromineji) which was on the top of one mountain and had a statue of a Tengu. (Also the resting place of Emperor Sutoku 1119-1164). It also had different stone carvings of the animals for Chinese years.

I then went to temple 82 (Negoroji) which was up another mountain and where they had a statue of an ushi-oni (devil cow) which looks like something out of the stories of Cthulhu.

I then went to Temple 80 (Kokubunji) which was tame.. no mythical beasties.

Temple 73 (Ichinomiya) was next. it was a short walk from the train station (10 minutes) and it had cute dragonfly designs in the concrete by the gate.

I finished the temples faster than expected so I decided to go to Temple 84 (Yashimaji) which was easy to get to by train and bus. It was at the top of another mountain and I finished with a sparkling wine and Gorgonzola pizza with honey.

Tomorrow is a day of sightseeing.

Weather: Rain in the morning- sunny by 3pm

Today I finished the 70s. Tomorrow I will tackle 80 – 82 (81 and 82 are in the mountains).

Got to temple 76 (Konzoji) at 7:00am and the rain started. The weather app said it would rain until noon and then be cloudy until 3 pm when the sun would come out. It was spot on!!! I was impressed!

I was the first henro at Konzoji and when I arrived there were a group of people doing morning stretches in the temple grounds.

Temple 77 (Doryuji) I was joined by a group of pushy bus henro. Their tour conductor rushed past me while I was getting my Nokyocho out to get her group’s Nokyocho done first (there where quite a lot) and the monk looked unperturbed at the action. I had run out of incense sticks so I went to buy them at the gift shop… that is when the henro group started trying to push me away from the cashier to get their souvenirs. That is when I said: Wait. Your. Turn. (sternly and in English) they looked sheepishly and stopped… not sure they understood the words but they understood the meaning. They were the first rude Henro group I have come across this whole trip.

Temple 78 (Goshoji) was much better. No rude henro group. They were travelling by bus so they probably already left this temple by the time I got there. Thank Buddha! This temple had beautiful wood reliefs in the ceiling of the awning of the temple.

There was also a shop? window filled with items made with 5 yen coins on the way to Goshoin.

The last temple of the day was Temple 79 (Tennoji). The rain stopped but it was still cloudy. This temple has both a temple and a shrine. (There was a period when temples and shrines were worshiped together in the same location, but with the separation ordinance of Buddhism and Shintoism in 1868 many shrines/ temples were relocated).