henronotesblue

BLUE

To start a new notebook chapter , and also to deal with something I’ve been pondering for a while, especially in the wake of the last evenings happenings, it might now be a good time to ponder the question “Why am I doing this?”. Not a few answers present themselves…

- Because I said I would. Thus making the whole thing kind of unintentional i.e. accidentally starting to try out the Readicker-Henderson book and then being caught in a promise I couldn’t go back on. A promise to who? Most particularly Mr. Fujii in leaving our staffs with him but I guess also all the people I ever talked to about it plus on top of everything, the pilgrimage itself and that “complete it or die trying” sentiment of faith that continues to resonate with me. Therefore it’s a promise to myself and everything – all my other beliefs only make sense if I do this thing…

- The becoming-a-man, preparing for marriage, rite-of-passage thing. I’ve thought about this a lot and so far has certainly proved a good opportunity for wiping slates clean, especially as a culmination of the rest of my time in Japan. Just the space & time I guess and some kind of belief in an inevitable transformation from this experience makes the idea of starting some kind of “new life” afterwards vaguely plausible.

- To prove something to various people, not least myself…Dads “intellectual/no stamina” comment writ large.

- To get my body in shape – hopefully, though a trip to the chiropractor might be required too.

- To write a book. I don’t even know any more – perhaps I have 3 separate books that I will one day be able to weave into one but I hope these notes are interesting by themselves.

- To say goodbye to/see another part of Japan. That’s going pretty well.

- To meet Kukai/become enlightened. I cant believe I left it this far. But that’s the walking, not the writing. After last night, I feel I understand a little more – before I wanted the future to be easy, now I want it to be hard so I can ask for more help/be more vulnerable/humble etc. Theres a long hot road ahead of me today so I guess another chance beckons.

First saru-soba in a while very welcome and once again in the company of Nishikawa-san. I somehow caught him up very quickly this morning but since then our pace has been sufficiently similar for me to follow him to a good lunch place he said he knew which was unfortunately closed, hence we are here. He’s invited me to stay at his place in a couple of days when I should be around that area, which is most kind and I will undoubtedly be in need of the offered washing and shower by then. I only just noticed as he was leaving into the midday sun that his right arm is nearly completely lame, perhaps hence his slightly embarrassed wobbly writing with the left. Forgot to mention this morning about his insisting on not using futon last night as part of his pilgrimage religious practice.

To continue and reflect further on my ongoing motives it struck me yesterday that perhaps what I am seeking is to be broken and then put back together in a certain way. The line from Tao Te Ching – “If you want to be whole you must first be broken”. Relating this experience to other times I’ve been broken as in completely mentally stopped/shattered i.e.Cambridge/the Tibet bus, it seems like the solution offered here is just to keep on breaking until the momentum carries you away so that one no longer notices the sound of breaking mental glass. Cos it is all reflections of reflections after all. The path and the act of becoming part of it is the Daishi, everything else is signposts helping with understanding and relating to what went before or might come after. This afternoon the path veers off towards the beach so I’m gonna go and pretend I’m on holiday and hope my shoulders stop hurting amidst the delusion.

Affectionate old buggied ladies

Like sunset crabs to the sea

To glimpse where the day was best

This seaside cycle path has turned out to be an interesting little stretch. Mottainai/things that want to be useful all over the place, mostly junk but carefully arranged and stored under the new railway line next to which I am now sitting with a strange grey beach at my back. Just passed a rice tractor loaded with lobster nets and a jeep filled to the windows with fishing ropes – that kind of thing. Also lots of interestingly different old-looking knackered boats – a previous generations fishing vessels not quite ready for cremation as firewood (>poem). Have overtaken Nishikawa-san again but I’m sure he’ll be coming back strongly shortly. But to continue this mornings bullet points, perhaps the most important I meant to write but suitably forgot was

- no good reason/I don’t know and I don’t want to.

What is it that got me here and continues to impel me to get up from breaks like these and perhaps do what feels like permanent damage to my knees? Havent a clue, maybe it was just at some stage I couldn’t think of anything better to do and this institution has been invested with so much purposefulness over the years that now I am just swimming in it. Something better than inertia though – I guess this lack of reason is the characterisation of faith I want to get into but for now its time to learn a bit more by setting about expanding my blisters a bit more.

More divine intervention. Just as I was sat trying to weigh up the possibilities of ignoring a blatant “No camping” sign at the very picturesque place I was planning to stay, an introductory call from the next bench down. After a couple of minutes normal chit-chat Nishikawa-san turned up and before I knew it we had invites for dinner & lodging. So a very pleasant evening has been spent deep in religious and philosophical conversation, with a very heart-warming detour into appreciation of my poem once I got my Basho book out in response to our host Wada-sans Thoreau (>taking issue with translation of ‘narrow’). Wada-san is a well-Asian travelled man who “makes things” living in Osaka but home to visit his mother (first thinking she was senile but eventually what could be more opposite)whose floor I’m about to sleep on. Its’ been great to talk and have company but the beer has made me sleepy and I don’t want to keep Nishikawa-san up much longer cos we have a long day to reach his place tomorrow. But its nice to be full of extremely tasty home-made food and have the prospect of sleeping in the same room as an air-conditioners. And I haven’t even mentioned the bath or state of my blisters. Hence, more soon…

Is this a final farewell to Route 55? I’ll be sad but the multiple of 11 thing is still sorted cos I’m sat at the crossroads with Route 22, wahey! Shoulders hurting way too much this morning so I’m glad of Nishikawa-sans description of this as a gentler day. I’m sure he’ll be along to overtake me in a minute with the whole tortoise & hare thing going on between us. It was a real pleasure to be able to find out a bit more about him by way of last nights 3-way conversation and Wada-san was a great conversationalist all by himself what with his mountain climbing pursuits and all round educated and interestedness (and the way they talked about Japan after the war in a way I hadn’t heard before).. And as for his mother, who has been round 16 times – she tied a beautiful bow on the front of my henro robes as we were leaving. Nothing much of note on the road so far – it’s a very grey day. I see Nishikawa-san coming in the distance so I stupidly competitively feel the need to continue on…

Lots of room for improvement on the last entry but was distracted by my now relieved bladder. Dainichiji smells nice, which does something to relieve the stress from my pissing needs and another encounter with my major annoyance of the pilgrimage so far – signs that lie. Seeing 3 consecutive saying “1km to go” about 1km apart can rattle a man – to be frank when my shoulders hurt this much and the prospect of a soothing break is falsely advertised as near, it makes me want to use bad words wrongly. But perhaps the real thing that’s annoying me is how these false signs illustrate how far I am from truly not having expectations about arriving at my next destination. This aspect of walking is the perfect demonstration of samsara – it is only my desire that creates suffering. If only I could walk without expectation then there would be no grounds for annoyance. I think I got closest at Shoosanji and have probably got worse since then what with pains accumulating and hence desire for future respite increasing. I guess I will have to get there eventually…(and I did?)

Water the colour

Of rain that

Nothing saw fall

29, a kokubunji, was an unphotographably impressive place with something about it perfectly attuned to the blankness of the days weather. And without wishing to sound too much like Mr. RH, the main buildings had great roofs. Am now seated in a place I would probably consider to be too expensive if I hadn’t spent any money for a long time and it was the only place in sight at a hungry junction. Which brings me on to nishikawa’s thing about trying not to eat fancy food while henro-ing and even going out of his way to refuse various settai to make things harder for himself. There was a funny moment just after we met Wada-san when Nishikawa-san was stating all these pre-conditions of staying at his place whereas I was just like “Bring on whatever kindness you might like to offer and…I definitely want a hot bath even if he doesn’t”…And now I definitely wanna get stuck into some tempura so…

The heaviness of which has made me realise how tired I really am which is very….

Have just said a final goodbye to Nishikawa-san so I want to waste no time in recording how I feel about being honoured to spend time with such a beautiful man. And that is beautiful in all senses, the depth and warmth of his kindness towards me plus the refined style in which he appears to live his life. Upon entering his apartment I had my strongest experience yet of simple Japanese good taste – the calligraphy of the horse symbol inverted to reflect Nishikawa-sans left-handed condition; the radiant brass picture of farmers praying in a rice field. Plus of course various henro artefacts, the best of which was the video of his TV documentary appearance. The story of how he was completing or re-completing his mothers nokycho in her memory was moving enough in itself but to be actually sat there holding the book in my hands while he said he felt embarrassed made for a special resonance. A true henro who almost overwhelmed me with settai, spending almost all of his shiny silver 100 yen coin special occasion savings (kept in an extremely elegant vase) on the priciest and tastiest sashimi and beer and tomato juice. Which returns the story to our first meeting in the combini – out of nowhere we spent 4 nights in the same place, 3 in the same room so much so that last night I didn’t notice his coughing at all. I was obviously tired and receptive to the comfort of a futon but its surely a rare opportunity to adjust to the sleeping habits of a 62 year old Kochi dandy. Which is undoubtedly what he must have been at my age - his clothes are still perfectly fashionable and his love of tango said a lot of to me. Perhaps I will send him the Gotan Project to listen to while he plays shogi – as perhaps he is returning to do today over many glasses of tangerine liquor. I loved the area where he lived and during our subdued walk along the riverbank I got a strong image of the impressively relaxed pace of life in these parts. But now I am set back on the henro michi to leave as quickly as I came, which is obviously rather slowly with the shoulder sores and blister bruises. But I would like to think that I will one day return here and surprise Nishikawa-san so that I can see his bright toothy smile light up once again.

Many noteworthy sights here at Bamboo Forest Temple, which now also hosts a rather intrusive TV Tower. Not least the woman just in front of me at the nokyocho, the pages of whos nokyo were thick red with stamps. The immaculately turned out family with matching hiking boots I encountered yesterday who have a beautiful collective chant. The undeniably cute girl who distracted me at the hondo with her pilgrims pigtails and skin-tight white jeans as the defining features of her henro attire. And of course the rather huge temple itself – I entered through the back gate, thus being able to enjoy a well time-worn procession of graveyard statues. I think today is the one with the prospect of a ferry ride so I will get headed in that exciting transport direction and remind myself to remember not to forget about the Kukai picture drawn with words…

The economy of signage since entering Kochi-ken has given rise to some interesting phenomena. I think I’ve finally worked out that when there is no sign then it is assumed that you will go straight on. Which is a view of life very much suited to the pilgrimage and says a lot about the attitude residing in people hereabouts. But then there are times like a few minutes ago when both left and right seem equally “straight on” and one has to stop and look at the map and consider ones wider position and goals in the world. Or if you are lucky as I just was, some kind people will stop and get out of their car to show you the way. I don’t know how many levels of analogy or allegory are operating here but I am pleased with this bit of very open path philosophy observation.

Due to such an eventful afternoon have decided to stop here at 33 where thirsty children from the adjacent playground cue with the late-in-the-day bus tour to drink from the dragon fountain. And theres a fruit seller in the front of the building where I will spend the night, which isn’t amazing but importantly has mosquito proof window attachments. Not as nice as my latest friend Mr Yoshidas minshuku over-the-road but I got the impression he would quite like to try the whole tsuyado lifestyle if only he’d heard more about it before now. We met waiting for the extremely short ferry ride and I got the impression during our Japanese/him wanting to practice his English conversation that we were doing rather different pilgrimages. His whenever he could during holidays and of then of course as a foreigner I get treated very differently to him. Which was clear at the festival I stopped at which was so enjoyable I scheduled to wait for the next ferry. I got literally bombarded with settai – ice cream, soap, socks, tea, fried potatoes, incredibly sweet bean stuff and a very welcome sushi rice dinner – while enjoying incredibly skilful big drumming and other nice local fair type things put on for various hospital patients. Whereas Yoshida-san just got the entertainment, though we did both get a very kind 300 yen from the lady who just stopped us in the street and rooted around in her scooter seat some beautiful special envelopes. SO its been a good day – I don’t know which direction the causation is going in but I feel like I’m talking to people a lot more and subsequently giving out and receiving increasing amounts of I don’t know what. Hopefully I will learn in time what it is that is special to everyone about a foreigner being a henro but I feel a genuine mutual warmth in even the countless nods of the head and konnichiwas. The best experience yet of which was this girl outside the supermarket where I was enjoying perhaps the tastiest mikan of my life. She’d seen me on her way past to the sweet and then on the way back jumped into “Who are you? Where do you come from? Oh, English? OK, byebye” and cycled off with a ‘missions accomplished’ grin. Which is about how I feel now so will now tuck into my settai dinner and see what can be done about whatever it is in my left shoulder that is causing me to lost the feeling in my hand. Which isn’t to be melodramatic – I’d rather that than the pain of yesterday but I guess it will all work itself out years from now…

This place

Anticipation of glories indescribable

Or just another place to piss

Comfortable body collapses

Or zig-zag paths to the truth

You were smiling and dialing and saying to anyone who would listen “this is the way happiness should be” with happening and saving. Now shes back in town and shes drunk again too soon and you don’t know where this is going so you stop to howl like something at the moon.

Cascades of words

And snippets of we-truth

Wait til youre old and want to chew the world on one tooth

That was serious spider

And this is a nose-guided runaround

Hopes for tomorrow are nothing without meaning that

You said I was nicer than you thought

But then you said I didn’t know anything

If panicking were anything I’d probably let you know I liked you too

But I must leave now

Like traffic crossroads

Green goes

And red stops

And yellow

And yellow

Means I don’t know

A gish is raging

This is what we call masontry

Of fruits and nuts and all you ever thought would be worth anything

Another morning, another “morning” – a katakana breakfast institution particularly popular around Kochi it seems. Slept reasonably well apart from that outburst of words, perhaps provoked by the encounter with the biggest spider I’ve ever seen out of glass. It must have been as big as my hand – I cant think of many more things like that to be faced now that I’ve done a snake and a giant spider – any scorpions round here?

I am quite late rising but it is Sunday after all and as a result of laziness I was lucky enough to hear the family with the daughter chant once more. Incredibly slow and serious but they filled the whole temple complex with their calm. I hope to run into them again along the way like yesterday. Unfortunately mr. Fujii is walking a stretch a couple of days ahead of me – I could hear the waves in the background when we spoke yesterday. So another long road starting from tomorrow so I will take it relatively easy and enjoy the comforts of civilisations such as the breakfasta just laid before me today. And be sure to eat lots of mikans. There is a small girl having what looks like her first experience of blowing bubbles outside the window.

A very sophisticated tea house stranded in the middle of this mornings endless various fields as the midday siren went. Which goes with the seed-saving-fertility theme of temple 34, where I received settai from the lady in the nokycho in such a way that I almost didn’t notice it. I guess by the end of the trip the catalogue of kindness I was planning to compile will be out of all proportions – I probably couldn’t even remember them all up to now if I tried. Which is an interesting mental barrier to cross. My mind has been very fresh and empty walking this morning but now its time for the body to catch up with an equally fresh-looking lunch.

Unfortunately the power-up potato tempura stall is shut but I still got one of their incredibly detailed maps. Taking a holiday is understandable and forgivable on a day such as this in such a nice part of the world. Its great to be back amongst all-encompassing impressive mountain scenery, which made the wide ultra-blue river I just walked along all the more spectacular. Met a nice man on his motorbike whose Japan-touring feats he was keen to disclose and we parted with a very pleasant handshake. Lots of people down by the riverside and where I’m headed is absolutely swarming with paragliders, circling like the multitudes of sea hawks that I’ve marvelled at for the last week or so. I never did mention the change of insect tone that happened around Temple 20, with my ears becoming unable to distinguish between the ding of crickets and the sound of approaching pilgrims so that I’ve felt for a while now that I’m constantly being called to prayer. Which I guess reflects how I was feeling just now along the riverbank – very settled into this way of life. Half-way is getting close and from there I imagine I will begin to get sad that I’m nearing the end as well as excited about going home. Lots of future plans thinking today but in a very unattached way. I think I will finally allow myself to check the internet on my phone to see if England won the Ashes and then get back on this big road.

Well, this (35) is a place I like so much that I’m delighted to be able to stay and in considerable comfort as well. The atmosphere of the main buildings had already had a strange effect on me in terms of a completely new, almost falsetto tone for my Hannya Shingyo, which I was subsequently somehow able to invest with much more feeling. And then I noticed the top-quality tatami and futoned tsuyado and a quick glance in the notebook persuaded me to stay. On top of all this is what one of the previous foreign henro in the notebook describes as “the Buddha Bowling Pin”, a wonderfully rusty or rust-coloured statue I had already admired and photographed. However on another inspection I became interested in a specially decorated entrance at its base and proceeded to enter a remarkable experience of pitch black Escher staircases, arriving at a shrine in a place of complete faith and confusion somewhere within the statue. Fantastic – a religious ride in the adventure playground of experience. So theres clearly a lot going on here so perhaps I will get dinner out of the way so I can focus on what should be a special atmosphere at sunset.

The sun bathes in the sky-sea

Reluctant to leave colours

And all that it has created

Blisters within blisters

From walking towards having

Faith in faith

Another encounter with the immaculate family as we crossed on ways up and down the mountain but we still haven’t quite made it to a proper conversation. I almost wanted to stay to hear their sutras one more time and become adopted into it with my new-found tone. But am starting later than I would have liked and it’s a Ron Atkinson “big ask” of a walk today. The last evening was pleasant if nothing spectacular, though I’m forgetting the full moon which certainly was. Various nice conversations with a girl whose name I don’t know and then a group of Englsih-practice seeking locals. They were very kind souls and rightly proud of their temple. The girl made me think by asking whether or not I was lonely. I almost seemed to become so talking to her – she thought she was a little chubby in the arms but she was a beautiful country girl in full bloom with her haridressers style. But how about “no more than usual” as the answer to her question – I guess I am really spending a lot of time ‘praying’/thinking about some future partner while I’m walking everyday what with how long its been. Of course I have the same nice “who are you/what are you doing?” conversation with 5 or 6 people a day but I guess at the very depths of her question I am looking for some kind of answer to loneliness…>>>touching another persons nothingness>wanting to believe theres more to what you love/the feeling that the other person is holding back what makes them tick>perhaps now I feel able to say I know what you are looking for but MU without feeling resentful about attention being drawn to this fact as I have done before.>>>But DOGYONININ NE. and with that back into the sunshine

Universal soul music

Always different

Always the same

A geographically and aesthetically remarkable little river-like bay has just been crossed, in the process of which I nearly lost my staff over the side of the bridge. In the seconds afterwards, I almost felt like I would have jumped in after it in a Kukai-esque testing fashion. But thankfully I didn’t have to and in the future will respect what I previously thought was a silly precept about carrying ones staff across bridges in case the Daishi is sleeping under it.

Lots of nice walking this morning but not quite at the rate I was hoping. But “non-biri” – my pace allowed lunch-time to coincide with a nice okonomiyaki place where a well-monied man paid for my meal. The whole area around the restaurant stunk of all sorts of fish…Just been amusingly re-overtaken by two girls I kept encountering on the mountain forest path this morning, in addition to a guy with two sticks who has been on the road almost as long as me. Had better get going to catch up with them all and talk properly at the next, todays only, temple.

Photos of incense fumes

Caught in spiders webs

Never captured

So it seems I have set myself a challenge in taking this high road along the real coast instead of the low one back across the bridge I crossed at lunchtime but I already feel amply rewarded by pursuing my curiousity to the end of the path that led to this road, where I came upon a holy man/spiritual counsellor in full session. My presence was virtually ignored amidst multiple mosquito coils while he took copious notes about a ladies domestic problems as two young girls played a with a Gameboy. I only went expecting a nice view and since then there have been many – beaches only reachable by boat or danger-hungry feet, the sea seeming even bigger from great height. Perhaps that has something to do with the blueness of the previous temples dragon. Obviously it wasn’t as a great as the Great Dragon but I still felt those dragon vibes. And it looks like I’m gonna need maximum dragon power cos its 20k to where I’m going with maybe 2.5 hours before dark. Yikes, gambatte ne.

There can be few better places to have camped on the whole island but for a multitude of reason I’m in something of an unsettled mood this morning. Perhaps it was the incessant mosquitoes while I was packing, the inability to flush my clockwork morning shit, the realisation that I really need to do some washing or the worrying paralysis taking over my left arm. Whatever, the breeze is cool here and there have already been views to rival those where I spent the night, which the ultra-expensive looking golf club up the road called Sky Bay. Respect is due to whatever samurai dude whose statue was the reason for there being toilets and an adventure playground for me to utilise. Sleep was good but I am still only setting out just before 9 so something has gotta give if I’m gonna improve my km per day reading. I have time and averaging 25k a day = 48 days and I’m aiming for 51 so…its too early to be worrying about this kind of thing seriously what with all the unknown future events. It is interesting how when I stop, lying in the tent, it seems like I still have the hugest thing ahead of me but as soon as I start walking everything seems OK. So to learn from that lesson once again…

Time for some good honest waiting while washing finally has chance to take care of itself. I was looking at getting a good total distance on the day but this looks like the last chance for a while and the smell situation was getting serious. Another very hot one today, was almost evaporating before I gratefully pulled into a café for lunch. The lady who made me some delicious fried rice said that I was in the middle of the hardest part and it has begun to feel a little like that today. Just had another foolish long-term look at the map and the all-important goal in my mind, Matsuyama seems a long way away. But hopefully the beauty of the scenery should take over as I approach Ashizuri and should definitely try for more sea-swimming. But its back into mountains for a bit now and I will go back to marvelling slightly jealously at the workmen enjoying smashing up the house next door after changing my washing into the dryer.

An obvious economy of writing yesterday – there just wasn’t much to say and generally I only really spoke to the cement factory couple at lunchtime the whole day. But already today have seen a walking henro and a big group of bus henro converted to walking for the day. Which makes me hopeful that the path will be a good one – am in the middle of what seems like very dense forested valleys but still ended up camped 10m from the main road. Slept well considering that and perhaps the hardest floor surface yet. So I must be becoming hardended myself. It is good to spend less time on my feet in the morning now that blisters are mostly benign and the only thing that I’d really like to change this morning is the fact that I haven’t really washed for 4 days. Should be Tsuyado tonight so maybe a chance there. Uh, this pen is running out and the mind behind it is running out of pen inspiration. Feel like I should say something about the longest tunnel yet at the end of yesterday but cant think of much more to write than that it was long (1km), a little scary and with very bad air. Maybe everything is becoming everything and I should just be quiet for a while.

Finally feel able to write something today following a dramatic upturn in spirits after lunch. The morning had been tough but worthwhile with an incessant period of climbing followed by my favourite kind of forest path on the way down. Lunch was nothing spectacular but then as I resumed the road once more I felt a general lifting of weight/easing of pain as if the whole world had had a change of oil. Perhaps it is something to do with the pleasant breeze that is hovering along beneath rain-threatening clouds that has an almost sharp tinge of coolness that properly reminds me of autumnal England. The big sky of perfectly formed wide valleys I’m dissecting also helps the world seem a floatier place. I was pondering in the forest this morning the mature of the challenge of motivation doing a thing like this for so long on ones own represents. Every break to be got up from, next day to be planned etc. – there is no sharing of the load (as in everyday life?). Passed a couple of priestly looking pilgrim chaps earlier and was almost envious of their minimal conversation. And here they come again now so I will resume to give them more talking and walking space.

An overall satisfying day with my first real ‘perfect timing’ 4’30 arrival at a temple. Was subsequently shown to my place for the night by a very friendly old nun who kept apologising repeatedly about it being a garage. Which really isn’t so bad, good cushionage seems to be available and the smell of cats piss fades after a while. On which note its kind of nice to have some company in the form of the feisty little fella that just perched on my stomach. Much rather a cat than mosquitoes and the speed of traffic going past is nothing like last night. Another good milestone in nojukuing and it seems I will be able to have a good wash in the privacy of my own toilet block. One thing not to forget about the temple itself was the amazing ceiling in the hondo – indeed the whole room was treasury of interestingness. Marilyn Monroe even made an appearance in the vividly-coloured Buddhist pantheon to be beheld above. Finally relented to giving the min some love so had better get on with that.

Well, restaurant Frendo is indeed a friendly place – all sorts of quilts and teddy bears everywhere plus very effective air conditioning. Required since the sun came out but generally the morning has been good going. Refreshing valleys once more though I am excited about the sea over the next bank of mountains. Managed to rise extra early thanks to the strange sounds of my feline friend so there is a chance of an extra big km count for the day. The puss gave me the kind of ‘fuck-off’ farewell that makes me like cats so much. This meant I was prowling around outside my garage in time to surprise the two girls from the blue dragon temple as they enjoyed a last early morning stroll before heading back to their jobs. It seems to be a genuinely rare thing to be attempting it all in one go – given how my body has adjusted I’m not sure whats harder, stop & starting and going through that pain every time or the more mental challenge of the one big heave. But the latter isn’t feeling too bad today so will get back to it.

Well, I got my sea-swimming wish as a result of making the kind of ‘stop earlier rather than later’ decision I wouldn’t have made 3 weeks ago. Unfortunately there was all sorts of shit floating around in the only available little pool behind a concrete wall so didn’t feel able to plunge completely but it was nice to be part of it all the same. The road to Ashizuri feels much like the road to Muroto with the frustrating bendy bays that hurt the expecting mind because of the false sense of how far one is going into the distance. Which supports the general role I would extrapolate from the walking experience so far, with possible wider applications – its always harder when you can see exactly where you’re going; a rough idea is fine, behind that hill or whatever, but to have a finite visible point far in the distance can really suck long-term powers of motivation. Which was definitely the case with 27 and most of the other really painful moments up til now. But what about the other extreme so well exemplified by Nishikawa-san of almost blatantly lying in understating how far to go…I guess that’s a very different inter-personal thing and all I can say is that he got me there when I perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to myself. Reading back these notes after lunch there are at least two things I should add about nishikawasan – 1. how happy I was to be able to not let him forget his stick, 2. how happy I was to have him compliment my choice of coconut biscuits by making that the only thing he would accept in return from me during our entire time together. Its strange having almost distant memories of him here just along the coast – his henro spirit is definitely with me. Its amazing how different I feel now after kind of dreading this section following the monotony of getting to Muroto. I’m just under 200k to matsuyama on the route 56 signs and that doesn’t seem too far at all, Ashizuri is the day after tomorrow…time is definitely shrinking or at least doing something weird. Which allows me to finish with what would be my defining opinion of the pilgrim experience so far – an opportunity for your life, & many others, to flash very slowly in front of your eyes/across your mind. Thus obviously being a slow-motion rehearsal for that moment of death, if it really is anything like that.

A t-shirt that says

No longer afraid

To be hollow

This must be the best beach of them all, so good that a mystical pine forest has been left next to it to be populated by camping surfers in wonderland. Though I’m kind of glad I didn’t get this far to spend the night cos it might have been hard to leave. Things a little slow and under-motivated at first today but a stop at a new henro resting place perked me up. Apparently the whiter than white Tendai priest duo overtook me at the end of yesterday because their handwritten osamefuda were waiting amongst the walking snacks. Have encountered another walker this morning who seems to be struggling with feet and various other problems. I’m pleased to report only one slight trouble spot on the whole of my soles. And as for the whole of my soul – it could rest here in peace. But a long sweep of coastline awaits me and perhaps there will be yet better places to come. But top marks for this bit of the michi – religion done in style.

A proper seaside fishing village with the right kind of big oceany enka music to mathc. I’ve forgotten to say that I’m in whale country – lots of horribly cute signs pointing to “viewing spots”. Doesn’t look like I’m gonna have much chance to eat one though but nevermind. Inspiriation escapes me. Abort

Well, even by the standards of the Fujiis this is amazing. It had been on my mind all day the comment of the priestly guy I wanted to talk to more at the settai stop that it was nojuku all the way from here to 47 and how tough that might be. But here I am in the height of luxury having just consumed a meal of remarkable tastiness in a minshuku of the finest quality. It all began with mrs fujii nearly causing a major pile-up while spotting me walking along the side of the road. Its seems this had been planned all along and later she was along with Mr Fujii after his bit of walking to transport me at what seemed like ridiculous speed to this place of heavenly vista and crashing wave serenades. Of course I have been wondering all along how the other half of pilgrims live and the answer is very well. The timing could not be better what with Ashizuri coming tomorrow and I even got to watch the best sumo bout of the whole basho. The sashimi saba was so good, ahh and the smell of the tatami. I’m gonna settle down into my immaculate futon before I run out of of superlatives but suffice to say – its all good…

So back where I would have been if it hadn’t of been for that extreme settai intervention. Feeling mighty genki as a result, which is required given the full 30k ahead of me. A world-class sleep was accomplished to be finished in time for a perfect sunrise. Breakfast was way too much for me and its kind of strange having seen the next stretch of path twice already by car. But interesting news is that I think I will bump into the man from Kagoshima who I met coming off the ferry. Pretty sure I saw him last night with his trademark trolley and then again in the car this morning. SO maybe at Ashizuri, which would be a fitting half-way event. Mr Fujii is off on the path to 39 today and then 40 tomorrow. Extended reflection will be required at some point about why they are being quite so kind to me – another 10000 as I got out of the car – but I have become well adjusted to receiving settai, which is an attitude I definitely hope to continue back home. The songs of Pulp seem to be prominent in my mind this morning – it is amazing how much time is spent thinking about music but yet again I find myself having forgotten most of the words. Perhaps the internal jukebox will finally turn off soon – though I don’t think I’ve ever gone this long without personally selected external music. And then what will be left? The mind like water ripples I was being on the big bridge yesterday..

Another sensational beach though I cant fully compare it from the pine trees like yesterday given that I’m in a surfers café surveying the scene. The conversation around me is littered with “yabais” since the waves seem particularly good today because of the typhoon that is just the right distance away i.e. not coming anywhere near here but making weather extra fine in a necessarily adjacent way. It seems I was the victim of a certain regionalism in writing about the beaches around Muroto being the best in Japan – to my naïve mind this locality seems much better both in terms of the beauty of the places and the size of the waves. And the atmosphere of the people is nicer too – this wonderfully cool and light café was just playing some jazz I know I have but cant remember the name of. But perhaps all of this is just a reflection of my own contrasting moods – once again, after the first sweat/shoulder pain barrier was passed, walking today feels completely effortless and I am undaunted by the many km along the hazy jagged coastline that stretches from the huge surf in front of me which I will now attempt to bottle in a photo…

No-school school classes

-philosophy

-music as culture

-cynical politics

- language of languages

- mythology

- travel

- history that might never be taught to children

- fran, sophy gary, tom S

- everything wants to be useful

back to the main route of the roaring waves after a little dalliance with properly the most adventurous bit of path sofar. The signs led actually onto the beach, where I passed the teacher from Kagoshima but didn’t want to disturb his siesta. Then an excellent selection of nooks and crannies through to a okonomiyaki restaurant that probably only subsists because of the pilgrimage. I got a thorough interrogation over my settai tea while the colourful lady made some tempting preparation with a raw mackerel. The white priests had just left going in the other direction and I honestly wont mind walking this section in reverse again tomorrow. The air, the sounds, the colours, just some kind of all round higher quality makes like very pleasant along this Cape and therefore the idea that this was the crossing point to the heavenly lands across the sea makes a lot more sense. Willl have to return to mr Campbell to check my suspicion that similar stories exist about people trusting themselves to the waves from the West Coast of Ireland (>America!) Which I’ve decided is the ultimate real estate selling point for myself – “faith-based prospect of transferral to adjacent heavenly realm” sold

Truth shop

Truth=box

The plain brown

& simple truth white

home truths a set

the whole truth a pair

& nothing but the truth

eternal truth

the painful truth

obvjective/subjective truth

Facts=triangle

The bare facts

Facts &figures

The facts of life

The fact of the matter

The hard facts

That’s-a-fact

Very late getting going this morning for a variety of noteworthy reasons. Perhaps primary was enjoying the company of Yamaguchi-san from Yamaguchi, who is the trolley-pulling henro I’ve been catchin up for a while. So unfortunately not the bloke from Kagoshima but still the kind of admirable relaxed henro who has beer for breakfast “for energy”. He seems to be struggling with various leg complaints and is perhaps only going to the end of Kochi but did the whole thing in the depth of winter 8 years ago. We enjoyed a pleasant stroll to the distant supermarket to buy supplies that weren’t as good as we’d hoped for. Perhaps we will meet again tonight at the camping spot by the tunnel where I was planning to stop before the Fujiis picked me up. Which means that yes, today is entirely yesterday in reverse. Which is perhaps appropriate if Ashizuri is half-way, as seems to have become fixed in my mind, then it makes sense to have some real experience of returning from the furthest point. And what a place it was – more white water than I’ve ever seen rushing around next to the John Majiro statue where I camped. The temple itself was also a pleasure and I received a very welcome settai headscarf like I’ve been thinking of buying for a while. And then of course there was last evenings whale-eating experience – a taste that stayed with me throughout the night somewhere between the ginger, onion & citrus accompaniments. It was unsurprisingly tasty, nothing spectacular but I liked it enough to understand why the Japanese might be pissed off about it now being prohibitively expensive to eat. But I saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and half way celebration so splashed out. And it was good to have something to say to the parents because I found it so strange making conversation in English that perhaps otherwise I would have struggled. But its about time to be getting on now given that I’m 2 hours behind yesterday but have the same distance to walk. But already its interesting how little I recognise things and I’m sure I will subsequently read the signs the wrong way round and go back on myself.

Eagles instead of seagulls

The smallest of single clouds

Wellie boots on bikes

Why does water turn white when its excited?

Knowing what time it is by the heat of the sun.

Fishermen meet

In the shade

Of a shrine

Well, nearly a major calamity on Ohki (big) beach but thankfully the gods were smiling on as well as laughing at me. There I was attempting the ultimate beach henro “stick in the sea” shot but with my shoes occupying too many hands I thought I would put them up the beach. Then along came a minor tsunami, nearly sweeping my stick away but more importantly almost taking my shoes as well. Thankfully only semi-major wetness was sustained to the right shoe but to lose them would have been entirely incontemplatable. These were serious waves, as I soon found upon this invitation to let things dry out a little and thus take a dip – almost frightening at times and definitely got a literal salty taste of the Hokusai vibes I’ve been feeling since starting out on the Cape. But I clearly have a lot to learn if I’m ever to fulfil the ambition I meant to talk about yesterday of one day learning to surf. As I humourously strutted along the beach in my pants and henro shirt one guy rode a wave for what must have been 20 or 25 seconds. He finished up just in front of me and the look on his face was sheer exhilaration. So there is a strange unexpected consequence of this whole thing- a desire to take to the waves. I’m sure its all the same religion in the end.

I guess I am lucky to have had no seriously hungry moments up til now but I think there will be some coming during the night. Perhaps it is a kind of balance to the lavish eating of last night but surely most people would feel disappointed by a dinner of 3 choice vending machine ice cream and 2 not so long “long sticks” of something imitating bread. All casued by the inexplicably closed nature of the restaurant behind me, so anticipated many had been passed by in previous hours in its favour…Nevermind, its still good to have a chance to camp here after missing out the first time. From the seemingly specially assigned nojuku hill one gets some kind of sense that this is a place of historical significance as the main mountain pass to Ashizuri. Perhaps people tried to avoid some kind of checkpoint in the forests that now encircle what is just a multiple vending machine and toilet stop. Its certainly still a busy road, which makes the restaurant situation even more baffling, on this a magnificent Sunday but I wont go there again. But to comment on the weather, it is hard to quantify how much the lifting of the humidity has affected me. Obviously what with all the exercise and the pilgrimage and everything there are other factors involved but as I was coming up the valley I was deriving the most amazing pleasure from just breathing the tasty cool air. This general raising of spirits also seems to have got me back into this writing thing again after moments of wavering. Swings and roundabouts and dirty great wheels of dharma – I think its time to go back to admiring the stars from somewhere not so light-polluted by the purpose of buying Coca-cola products. What does that make this? Written in such a light…Something between the gutter and the stars? Ouch

So there I was extolling the virtues of clear skies only to spend the night suffering the effects of that very thing. Worryingly cold short episodes of sleep trying to attain a maximum body to half-sized blanket ratio – I think I would even buy a sleeping bag in the next few days if I saw one. But at least I don’t feel quite so stupid for bringing so many clothes, most of which I ended up wearing with the poncho around my feet. Which leads into the other main issue – incredible amounts of dew occasionally splashing through the inner tent taking me by complete surprise. Am subsequently waiting for things to dry out in the morning sun that finally arrived long after the neighbourhood cockerels had announced. Fortunately, Yamaguchi-san also spent the night just down the hill and has been kind of enough to donate some biscuits to my stomach cause. Hes off already cos he might struggle to make 39 by 5 with his wavering pace. Have just thought of another final thing I can do before feeling left the tent to sunbathe long enough so onward with cleaning of teeth.

Its hard to describe but I feel like im in love with the world. The quiet moving soothing air is a constant friend. Cows chant ‘mu’, obviously and honestly. And I’ve a hat of broken spiders webs.

‘Flesh vegetable’ has gotta be up there with ‘international fright building’ for my favourite Japanese-English mistakes. Sat in a surprisingly large supermarket just before 39 having found an opportunity for the extra meal I’d been feeling the need to make up. A nicely non-descript day so far – passed a big dam that made me think of Takeda obviously and generally it is another hot & pleasant stroll through various valleys. Perhaps I might finally leave Yamaguchi-san behind this evening though he was still hanging in there at early lunchtime, along with another silver-haired from Beppu who started a day later than me. It was kind of funny sat listening to them decry the state of Japan as the culmination of sumo talk provoked by Asashoryu’s unlikely victory yesterday. Undoubtedly the henro I’ve got closest to so far have been men of their time of life and I wonder why I’m not bumping into more students like I was at the beginning. Perhaps they all quit before this point or the University term has started – that said there was the guy earlier going at such a pace he didn’t even look up. Camping spots for tonight look meagre so it might be my first train station for my last night in Kochi. Unless some better thing befalls me at the temple so I will go and find out.

So now sat in its final temple not far from the border perhaps it is time for some reflections on Kochi-ken. Of course this might just be cumulative thoughts that include Tokushima but there is a list of things I’ve been compiling for a while that I wanna get down

- a pleasingly fragrant willingness to light fires > the importance of flammability in daily life, fire as an abused element > why I am a ‘smoker’ in Allen Carr terms

- significant evidence of a great proportion of life lived outside e.g. huge tables in courtyards that could never be moved, every house with a sink/hose to hand

- the proliferation of shops only selling special occasion booze when as a wandering occasionally hungry pilgrim there seems to be a blatant need for something more

- places where the atmosphere of the old henro michi appears to be very much intact. The buildings fit around the road in a certain so that one doesn’t even have to look at the signs, just the feel of the proportions of the surrounding space is enough of a symbol.

Perhaps there were more but I’m happy with these characterisations. But I mustn’t forget perhaps the defining character from late yesterday, the lady whod lost her glasses but still gave me 1000 yen wrapped in a tissue. Just had another almost affectionate reunion with Yamaguchi-san over coconut biscuits – 2 other walking henro seemed to have the impression we were travelling together and he seemed quite paternally happy about that as we sat comfortably close on this here bench in the resting corner of the courtyard. Hes left to the interesting looking henkutsuya & more beer but I’m gonna attempt to/have given myself no choice but to push on. Feeling the effects of last nights inadequate sleep so will definitely be grateful of a quick decision presenting itself. That’s if I can ever get up…

This is the wildest place I’ve camped in a while – just saw an eagle spectacularly dive-bombing for breakfast and it was great to the sound of huge flapping wings belonging to I don’t know what. A raw patch of nature allowed to exist by the train and road bridges that go overhead – it was funny scattering al the crabs as I was searching for a place against the light clock. Unfortunately still the same dew problem (theres nothing you can dew!) but my fantastic late in the day blanket purchase took care of coldness issues sufficiently so that I feel refreshed this morning. But everything about me needs a wash. But to return to the 2^nd hand shop from heaven – a slightly itchy but huge and warwm blanket for 500 yen. And they even had the Go board table I’ve been looking for all year as well as all sorts of wicked synths and mixing desks at ridiculous prices. I will know where to return…And one thing I forgot about characteristics of Kochi – the unprecedent levels of ‘environmental awarenes’, Wada-sans solar water etc. But basically mottai-nai writ large everywhere. However, it is now time for me to begin on the path out of here…

The bits of the path where one slowly realises you are walking next to vast very old and probably at the time very important stone constructions. Walls, rice/orchard terraces completely overgrown by time, like a skin that the path has shed from a previous life. (>damns)

>two snakes already this morning on this wildest of paths – the last a little close for comfort

the blood beneath

my toe nail makes

the sign of the Tao

a falling leaf

flew away

to become a butterfly

lost in poetry

I almost forgot

To scare the snake

So I survived the snakes and pass onto the next stage of enlightenment. Once again its impossible to tell how much things are imposed but there has certainly been a change of some sort in the last few days that makes me feel ready for this threshold. Catching the moment to watch the first snake slide away gracefully this morning had an unprecedented feeling to it. Of course I will save all of my rants about how bad a translation term ‘enlightenment’ is for a more ‘rigorous’ setting but its good to feel that whatever process this is is taking its effect on me – as it does everyone else. This border point is a nice spot with a great view of the bay and the way the Japanese really farm the sea. But perhaps now I will resume the bamboo path to hit civilisation again in time for lunch.

Blessed small blues

Back to a certain level of comfort in a Tsuyado at 40. Bless Nishikawa san for scriblling its existence on that bit of paper he was confused about the possibility of photocopying a long time ago now. Have taken the opportunity to lay up early, do my washing and am just waiting a while longer for my nude wash in the toilet block. IK got the gardener to hose my feet a little earlier but feel in need of more thorough cleansing. Have just planned out the route to Matsuyama with the feeling that if I can reach there still in good shape then nothing can stop me from getting to the end. There were strange deep burning pains in my dodgy knee last night and my left arm is becoming increasingly useless but essential things like feet remain in good order. I’m especially proud of the horn on one of my little toes.

Dogs have taken over from the bvery skilful trumpet that was just playing. Misho is a nice old town with everything at right angles to the multi-bridged river. The temple itself is nothing too special but certainly not lacking in grace as ERH suggests. The lady who showed me the room was particularly talkative, trying to remember her impressions of London from a trip before I was born. And of course I should mention that Yamaguchi-san caught me up again – I would like to think we are helping each other along cos when we first met he gave the impression of being on his last legs. But hes gone for an extra 10k camping out plan this evening despite my attempts to outline the delights of tsuyadoing hes yet to experience. It seems I’m in need of company more than he – though he did spend last night at a minshuku. I guess I’m trying to elevate him to the level of nishikawa or fujii san but there is a certain reticence behind his friendly beard. But I’m sure we will meet again, probably many times – its always good to see his trolley though I wonder how he manages with the unbalanced annoyance. Which reminds me how much I ache to it is time to wash and sleep.

When the meaning of something hits you so hard you feel squeezed and you have to squint your eyes so that the world seems thin, like you cant process all the information and at that moment your power switch/light is flickering on & off and its that feeling, that flicker that could at any moment be extinguished that this piece of music is trying to capture…colours wash out, what forms remain

So I was finally able to take the mountain path after a morning of the usual not having got as far as I thought map misunderstanding. Perhaps I was disorientated by the early state – properly on the road by just after 7 after a perfect rest. Had the same thing as at the minshuku of waking up about 1 feeling as refreshed as I normally do after a full night. But looks like I’m gonna need maximum power with the scale of the mountains ahead – a full neck stretch required to see the top. However it just occurred to me how privileged I am to be doing one of my favourite things in the world – that is walking in autumnal woods – as part of my day-to-day existence. Which has made everything a bit lighter and the saunter down the other side looks long and luxurious, with maybe even the possibility of a dip in a stream. So I will eat the bean bun given to me by the woman who wished me well at the crossroads and get going…

My walking abilities are finally at a level where I can say mountain paths are always worth the effort. Even despite the rain, the views,quiet and smells were all over-poweringly beautiful. Then on the descent the kind of settai I’ve been hoping for for a while – 6 mikans straight from the tree from a wonderful lady who seemed happy to have ears to talk to in her secluded little orchard. She used a lovely phrase about the pilgrimage being me ‘making memories’ of my time in Japan, which leads to greater reflection on the forcefully ever-present henro farewell wish “kiotsukete”. Make air, make spirit, make spirit – all these overtones that I’d before only translated narrowly as ‘take care’. The mysteries of KI. Which seem particularly strong here, as I’d hoped for, one of the best hidden valleys to date… The surrounding hills are barely tamed (e.g. the rock-fall that looked like another disaster waiting to happen), posters trying to warn of bears while still making them look kind of cute and an unusual number of fields lying fallow, as if some kind of re-distributive trade-off had been made with the plant kingdom in order to live in such a magical place…also yielding the pinnacle of Japanese traffic attendant overkill – not one but two guys guarding a tiny hole not even in but next to this road to nowhere that has only had 2 cars go up it in the 20 minutes or so I’ve been sat here by the river writing this, eating a perfectly just tart mikan and wondering whether or not its gonna rain again. Which I think it is so I will close these pages before too much drizzle accumulates.

It feels like I haven’t been this dog-tired for a long time at the end of a day so I’m extra happy about the spot I’ve found to spend the night. Up a track made of the insides of a mountain leading some very old looking orchards. I couldn’t face breaking my tunnel record with the half hour 1700m car rabbit hole that awaits me in the morning so I’ve very pleased to be sleeping kind of on top of it. It was funny on the approaching road, running out of places to possibly stop for dinner and hence people to ask and then finally resigning myself to finding something the other side of the tunnel, the needs of my bladder led me to this perfect little clearing. Nature called in answer to my tired prayers at the combini just before, the proliferation of which has been a feature of the day. The general Shikoku different of franchises is interesting in itself but the weird bunching of sunkusts today has been quite disorientating and at least partly responsible for the bad stomach feelings after an ill-advised 3pm tuna sandwich, which contributed greatly to my exhaustedness. Hopefully the restaurant the other side of the tunnel will have some big breakfast options but for now its another round of onigiri, improved by the dessert of freshest mikan. While feeling smug about the hordes of mossies just the other side of the new door that wanna get in here to eat me.

This evenings exhaustion has caused me to think that this is a very interesting bit of a the trip, especially when trying to consider exactly what sorts of stamina are being tested. The total of 7 weeks that its looking like being is really a very long time to be doing the same thing- I don’t think I even focused on my finals for that long. And of course the nature of the physical/lifestyle/lonely spiritual challenge as well. Now more than ever I feel sure I will break before the end, which puts an interesting spin on the whole “do I want it to end/go on forever” question. The map just told me there are 4 more long distance sections are this and those are the bits that really sap. I wonder on which one I will snap….dark thoughts as it finally gets dark and the fizz of mikan is finished.

What was already a slow day following a long sleep and a heavy breakfast has now been completely derailed by an encounter with the internet. Which weirded me out not a little but after the fundamental questions that began arising last night it was perhaps sensible to take some comfort in looking at pictures of home and generally feeling part of some less nomadic world again. Also some important information was gathered for ongoing thinking projects and generally it felt good to say “4 weeks down, 3 to go” – some kind of taking stock/line in the sand point from which to gather myself and do the necessary existence management to get to the end in a workable form. Not sure if I will reach the planned temples in time today but again perhaps it is wise to take it easy after the exertions of yesterday and the generally long while its been since any kind of ‘time off’. I also have to comment on Uwajima on whose back streets I have just wound with its charming rough round the edgedness and all-permeating informing of the existence of a fully operational bullfighting ring. Following the numerous red arrows down unlikely alleys and across patches of slow-city scrub I was led to reflect about the nature of these symbols that have become so central to my every day comportment/intentional living. I love the occasional ragged pointing scrawled in chalk or pen with just a number that only a pilgrim would understand. And for someone out of the loop who just started following the arrows out of curiosity – how far they would go and not only that but they would eventually end up back where they started. Perhaps the henro michi challenges for all sorts of world records to do with unified symbolic systems spread over space – not only in terms of distance covered but also the sheer number of signs. That would be one of those brilliant statistics that you could almost believe does exist objectively as a definite number but would be impossible to believe you had counted them all, lik e shrines on the Ganges at Varanasi. And as I’ve said before, sometimes the symbol isn’t even in the form of an arrow but just the relation of things in the surrounding space so where would the counting start and stop? Obviously a good topic for further philosophical ponderance but I must leave this and here if I’m to have any chance of completing todays missions.

Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more removed from reality, whatever that is. The whole afternoon has been spend completely unwithit, as if in a dream with no realisation of attention whatsoever. Not sure if it was the sudden rush of information intake from the internet or a general poverty of energy eminating from weirdness in my stomach or this whole pilgrimage thing or of course a combination of them all. But I just want to sit very quietly and do nothing – having finally found where I am on the map hopefully I can lay up at a service station and let whatever this is work its way out of me.

Thankfully ‘The Cosmos’ Service Station is everything a camping henro could ask for and I feel somewhat reincarnated this morning. Lots of time looking blankly at the stars last night did me good and then finally got proper rest after the wind died down. Awoke to a very heartwarming message from Reub reminding me of important things like putting one foot in front of the other and what seemed to him the inevitability of reaching the end over time. He wanted to know about my feet and tent ritual, so as a message projected to some future time…The situation with my feet seems to be that they reached a point a while ago where they couldn’t get any worse in a continuing sense. Perhaps the final healing will be slow and maybe there will be scars but I’m almost to discover I’ve lost a bit of horn this morning. On a similar issue my shoes are really beginning to show the strain and I’m pretty sure I will go through the front and maybe the sole by the end. Similarly the tent is a well-worn friend by now – holes, bits falling off at regular intervals. But after a shaky start I am now very fond of it and often think guiltily about what I will do at the end. Leaving it somewhere another nojuku henro could use it or even with Fujii-san for Reub to adopt and struggle with the always challenging tent pole crossing as I have. In terms of a ritual I suppose I do have an order of doing things – lying out the mattress, putting things in my hat that need to be to hand, always swearing at not being able to zip the net door quick enough so that every morning I awake to a satisfied mossie waiting to be let out…

There is a bank of very dark cloud covering half the sky this morning and the wind is blowing threateningly so perhaps I should get to a temple before it does anything. And try to remove the Qoo ache from my stomach with some food more substantital than coconut biscuits…

A swastika smell

Settai mikan

And incense

I very much like Temple 42, The Buddha Tree, with its thatched bell and picturesque main courtyard. The beauty of which caused me to notice that the maple leaves have begun turning and there is a definite feel of seasonal change to todays gusty wind. Things are much better this morning, I think that temples raise the spirits (!) after a long time without, not least cos its an opportunity to interact with people. The lady who gave me a mikan collecting fuda on the steps to the temple, the arthiritic nokyo chap looking at a huge book of old kanji and asking me if I’d become Japanese yet, the guy digging his field as if he didn’t know what else to do whose daughter is married in Ireland – all thse encounters truly ouched me and the sincere best wishes they sent me on my way with undoubtedly help. Seems like there is a general need for replenishing – new notebook, new candles & incense and film supplies. And a new pen after the lost lid of last night. And definitely a need for food in the belly so I will set about doing something about all of this…

YELLOWW