I'd slept really well and was up by 04:30 updating my notes and thinking about the day ahead. Yesterday had been a very short day but it had been another of those special ohenro days spent in the company of people who had helped to make it special.
With my notes updated I was all packed and ready to move on by the time everyone else got up. Tori had kindly prepared some breakfast for me and while I sat and ate, Tori's husband went through his morning yoga routine. Yoga was something I had given up doing and as I watched him go through his fairly simple routine I asked him how long he had been doing it. He said he did it every morning and had been doing it for 10 years. A little every day over a period of 10 years and the results were easy to see.
With breakfast done it was time to make a move. It was raining lightly as Tori, her husband and their two dogs came out to see me off. They saw me as far as the main road a little way further on from their home and there we said our goodbyes. I bowed turned and walked on and when I crossed over to the other side of the road and looked back they were still both standing there. As I continued on I was again struck by a feeling I had experienced so many times already, a feeling of a deep sense of gratitude.
The weather today was overcast and wet but it didn't seem to bother me in the slightest because looking around, it felt great to be in Kagawa again. And even though I was not familiar with this particular part of Kagawa, it was the Kagawa I knew. I picked up the ohenro trail and followed the trail markers all the way into central Kanonji where I spotted a 7 Eleven and decided to stop for my usual morning combination of coffee and dorayaki.
With my coffee break over I continued all the way to Jinnein (#68) and Kan'onji (#69). These two temples are side by side and during my first pilgrimage I struggled to figure out which main hall and which daishi hall belonged to which temple. I had ended up mixing everything up and it was only when I was done that I had noticed the layout of the temple grounds posted on a wall near to the stamp office. Today, I carefully looked at this map and then proceeded to Jinnein (#68) and Kan'onji (#69) in turn.
Jinnein (#68) is on the left of the temple grounds and the main hall is an unusual box shaped concrete structure with the place where you pray accessible up a flight of a steps at the front. The daishi hall is a smaller simpler wooden structure at the foot of the steps. Jinnein (#68) I negotiated without any problems.
The main hall for Kan'onji (#69) was on the far right of the temple grounds and the daishi hall right opposite the approach to the temple grounds. The couple of other buildings had added to the confusion during my first pilgrimage but today things had proceeded without any drama.
With prayers done I ended up spending more than an hour at the temples taking photographs and just looking around. As I was heading back to the Kan'onji (#68) main hall an elderly man called out to me so I walked over to greet him. We got into the usual conversation about where was I from, what I was doing and so on. The conversation was cut short by the fact that his bus group was making it's way out of the temple grounds but before we parted I quickly pulled out a photograph and presented it to him. He really seemed to like it and immediately started apologizing for not having anything to give to me. He said he only had 5 yen coins which he used at the prayer halls. I told him it was no problem and that his greeting was more than enough, plus Kagawa was my home and he was the visitor.
He didn't seem to know what to say and his eyes filled with tears. He extended his hand and when I shook his hand he gripped it very firmly and wished me well. I had not expected such a strong reaction from him but I was happy that he didn't give me anything. Kagawa in an odd kind of way was my home and more importantly I had come to see osettai during this pilgrimage as something more than just receiving tangible things. The old man's warm friendly greeting that was worth more than anything material he could have given me.
After finally finishing looking around and taking photographs I headed to the stamp office and the lady put in 2 stamps, one for each temple. While she did the stamps I got out the photographs and when she was done I told her to choose two she liked. She picked two she liked and with that done, I set out for Motoyamaji (#70) which I remembered was another temple I had really liked.
My plan today was to make it as far as Fureai Park Mino michi-no-eki which was very close to Iyandaniji (#71) and that was where I was planning to camp. The weather by the time I left for Motoyamaji (#70) had cleared up and it had turned into a surprisingly warm day. My immediate plan was to continue as far as a Family Mart, about 2km short of Motoyamaji (#70) in order to pick up some snacks for the evening. However, just before I got to the Family Mart I spotted the udon shop I had visited yesterday with Tori and her family. It was marked in my guide book as Kanakumamochi so I decided to stop for some lunch.
The restaurant was full just like it had been yesterday. I ordered some udon and this time made sure I didn't repeat the mistake of ordering a double helping like I had yesterday. The udon and the extra oden turned out to be great. Before I left I gave a photograph to a woman on an adjoining table for no other reason than the fact that she had greeted me. I also gave one to the waitress who had served me. I didn't know until I left but the restaurant had prepared a couple of mochi for me as osettai so I left another photograph for the restaurant too. The brief stop left me feeling in a great mood as I headed the short distance to the Family Mart where I got myself a coffee and set up the photocopier to print off another 30 prints. The rate I was giving photographs away, I knew I would be needing many many more.
I retraced my steps a little and then rejoined the ohenro trail alongside the river. In the distance I could see the 5 storied pagoda which stood in the grounds of Motoyamaji (#70). As I got nearer the cherry blossoms along the river bank and in the park opposite seemed to draw me away from the ohenro trail. I had arrived in Kagawa just as the cherry blossoms had started coming into full bloom.
After photographing the cherry blossoms I headed on to the temple and went through the usual routines. After the lady in the stamp office had finished with the ohenro-san waiting behind me I told her she could pick a photograph she liked. She started sifting through all the photographs and set aside those she liked and from those she managed to select two she liked.
During my first pilgrimage I had arrived quite late at Motoyamaji (#70) and gone straight to Ichifuji Ryokan which was just around the corner. Even though I had stayed without meals, the landlady had given me breakfast the next morning and then driven after me to return something I had left behind. I wanted to see her and thank her but the place appeared to be closed. It didn't look like it had completely closed down but just closed for the day, so I simply posted a photograph through the letter box.
The next temple Iyadaniji (#71) was now just 11km away and the time was about 14:30. If I kept a steady gentle pace I would be at the michi-no-eki by about 5 o'clock. The weather had clouded over again and it looked like the rains would return but rather than picking up the pace I decided to keep it slow and steady. I stopped at a total of three convenience stores and a Daiso 100 yen shop where I gave an old lady a photograph on my way out. At the second convenience store the cashier seemed particularly friendly and before leaving I went back into the shop and left a photograph for her with one of her colleagues. I was already heading out when I heard her call out a thank you. My pilgrimage was drawing to a close and I just wanted to show my appreciation to every person who helped me, however insignificant it seemed.
About 2km short of the michi-no-eki I spotted a sign for a Family Mart away to my left so I headed away from the ohenro trail and ended up sitting in the Family Mart for over an hour. It had starting to rain and gotten dark but I didn't seem to be any hurry to get to the michi-no-eki. Before leaving the Family Mart I gave a photograph to the lady who had served me. She had been particularly friendly and also very chatty. She liked two photographs but couldn't make her mind up which of two photographs to choose so she ended up with both. Her colleague who had just come on shift also ended up with two and I chose one for their other colleague who was a little too busy to see what was going on. I then headed out into the rain and continued all the way to the michi-no-eki and was pleasantly surprised that what I thought would be just a regular michi-no-eki, in fact turned out to be a large hot spa complex.
The cost of using it was 1500 yen, a little more than a regular hot spa but that didn't seem to matter. Had I known exactly what it offered, I would have turned up much sooner. As it was I still had 4 hours and I didn't have to get out until 11 o'clock. The man at the reception offered to keep my pack behind the counter and then showed me where the washing machines and other facilities at the spa were. Everything was fairly self explanatory so I headed to the changing rooms, got myself shaved and showered, and then enjoyed a good soak in the various baths they had to offer. The spa was not as luxurious as Soratomori in Matsuyama but as always I liked that nice squeaky clean feeling I had whenever I used one.
Back in the changing room I ended up chatting to a few people and handed out 3 more photographs. At the reception I gave the two staff a photograph each and one to a customer who was queuing up for something. I wanted to recharge my laptop and other devices and although it was not really permitted, the man very kindly found an empty socket in the seating area and let me plug myself in. I spent the next hour or so updating my notes and at around 22:30 I headed back to the reception to thank the staff and ask if it was OK to put my tent up. They told me I could do so under a covered area to the left of the spa car park.
Fureai Park Mino seemed to be quite a popular place with both local people and visitors. Apart from the hot spa, it also offered paid lodging, a relaxation space with comfortable looking recliners plus restaurants too. I was told it was OK to camp out near some buildings linked via a covered walk way. It was too dark to make out what was to the side of the buildings but it looked like a small amusement park. I found a spot just behind one of these buildings which would shelter me from any rain and also keep me hidden from the main car park. The only concern was a pack of stray dogs and their incessant barking.
I settled into my tent and thought abotu the day and it had been another great day. A nice gentle stroll from start to finish. Along with the many nice encounters throughout the day, it was the sight of Tori and her husband still standing at the road side as I stopped to look back and the old man who I made cry at Jinnein (#68) and Kan'onji (#69) that made today an extra memorable day.
I'd slept really well and was up by 04:30 updating my notes and thinking about the day ahead. Yesterday had been a very short day but it had been another of those special ohenro days spent in the company of people who had helped to make it special.
With my notes updated I was all packed and ready to move on by the time everyone else got up. Tori had kindly prepared some breakfast for me and while I sat and ate, Tori's husband went through his morning yoga routine. Yoga was something I had given up doing and as I watched him go through his fairly simple routine I asked him how long he had been doing it. He said he did it every morning and had been doing it for 10 years. A little every day over a period of 10 years and the results were easy to see.
With breakfast done it was time to make a move. It was raining lightly as Tori, her husband and their two dogs came out to see me off. They saw me as far as the main road a little way further on from their home and there we said our goodbyes. I bowed turned and walked on and when I crossed over to the other side of the road and looked back they were still both standing there. As I continued on I was again struck by a feeling I had experienced so many times already, a feeling of a deep sense of gratitude.
The weather today was overcast and wet but it didn't seem to bother me in the slightest because looking around, it felt great to be in Kagawa again. And even though I was not familiar with this particular part of Kagawa, it was the Kagawa I knew. I picked up the ohenro trail and followed the trail markers all the way into central Kanonji where I spotted a 7 Eleven and decided to stop for my usual morning combination of coffee and dorayaki.
With my coffee break over I continued all the way to Jinnein (#68) and Kan'onji (#69). These two temples are side by side and during my first pilgrimage I struggled to figure out which main hall and which daishi hall belonged to which temple. I had ended up mixing everything up and it was only when I was done that I had noticed the layout of the temple grounds posted on a wall near to the stamp office. Today, I carefully looked at this map and then proceeded to Jinnein (#68) and Kan'onji (#69) in turn.
Jinnein (#68) is on the left of the temple grounds and the main hall is an unusual box shaped concrete structure with the place where you pray accessible up a flight of a steps at the front. The daishi hall is a smaller simpler wooden structure at the foot of the steps. Jinnein (#68) I negotiated without any problems.
The main hall for Kan'onji (#69) was on the far right of the temple grounds and the daishi hall right opposite the approach to the temple grounds. The couple of other buildings had added to the confusion during my first pilgrimage but today things had proceeded without any drama.
With prayers done I ended up spending more than an hour at the temples taking photographs and just looking around. As I was heading back to the Kan'onji (#68) main hall an elderly man called out to me so I walked over to greet him. We got into the usual conversation about where was I from, what I was doing and so on. The conversation was cut short by the fact that his bus group was making it's way out of the temple grounds but before we parted I quickly pulled out a photograph and presented it to him. He really seemed to like it and immediately started apologizing for not having anything to give to me. He said he only had 5 yen coins which he used at the prayer halls. I told him it was no problem and that his greeting was more than enough, plus Kagawa was my home and he was the visitor.
He didn't seem to know what to say and his eyes filled with tears. He extended his hand and when I shook his hand he gripped it very firmly and wished me well. I had not expected such a strong reaction from him but I was happy that he didn't give me anything. Kagawa in an odd kind of way was my home and more importantly I had come to see osettai during this pilgrimage as something more than just receiving tangible things. The old man's warm friendly greeting that was worth more than anything material he could have given me.
After finally finishing looking around and taking photographs I headed to the stamp office and the lady put in 2 stamps, one for each temple. While she did the stamps I got out the photographs and when she was done I told her to choose two she liked. She picked two she liked and with that done, I set out for Motoyamaji (#70) which I remembered was another temple I had really liked.
My plan today was to make it as far as Fureai Park Mino michi-no-eki which was very close to Iyandaniji (#71) and that was where I was planning to camp. The weather by the time I left for Motoyamaji (#70) had cleared up and it had turned into a surprisingly warm day. My immediate plan was to continue as far as a Family Mart, about 2km short of Motoyamaji (#70) in order to pick up some snacks for the evening. However, just before I got to the Family Mart I spotted the udon shop I had visited yesterday with Tori and her family. It was marked in my guide book as Kanakumamochi so I decided to stop for some lunch.
The restaurant was full just like it had been yesterday. I ordered some udon and this time made sure I didn't repeat the mistake of ordering a double helping like I had yesterday. The udon and the extra oden turned out to be great. Before I left I gave a photograph to a woman on an adjoining table for no other reason than the fact that she had greeted me. I also gave one to the waitress who had served me. I didn't know until I left but the restaurant had prepared a couple of mochi for me as osettai so I left another photograph for the restaurant too. The brief stop left me feeling in a great mood as I headed the short distance to the Family Mart where I got myself a coffee and set up the photocopier to print off another 30 prints. The rate I was giving photographs away, I knew I would be needing many many more.
I retraced my steps a little and then rejoined the ohenro trail alongside the river. In the distance I could see the 5 storied pagoda which stood in the grounds of Motoyamaji (#70). As I got nearer the cherry blossoms along the river bank and in the park opposite seemed to draw me away from the ohenro trail. I had arrived in Kagawa just as the cherry blossoms had started coming into full bloom.
After photographing the cherry blossoms I headed on to the temple and went through the usual routines. After the lady in the stamp office had finished with the ohenro-san waiting behind me I told her she could pick a photograph she liked. She started sifting through all the photographs and set aside those she liked and from those she managed to select two she liked.
During my first pilgrimage I had arrived quite late at Motoyamaji (#70) and gone straight to Ichifuji Ryokan which was just around the corner. Even though I had stayed without meals, the landlady had given me breakfast the next morning and then driven after me to return something I had left behind. I wanted to see her and thank her but the place appeared to be closed. It didn't look like it had completely closed down but just closed for the day, so I simply posted a photograph through the letter box.
The next temple Iyadaniji (#71) was now just 11km away and the time was about 14:30. If I kept a steady gentle pace I would be at the michi-no-eki by about 5 o'clock. The weather had clouded over again and it looked like the rains would return but rather than picking up the pace I decided to keep it slow and steady. I stopped at a total of three convenience stores and a Daiso 100 yen shop where I gave an old lady a photograph on my way out. At the second convenience store the cashier seemed particularly friendly and before leaving I went back into the shop and left a photograph for her with one of her colleagues. I was already heading out when I heard her call out a thank you. My pilgrimage was drawing to a close and I just wanted to show my appreciation to every person who helped me, however insignificant it seemed.
About 2km short of the michi-no-eki I spotted a sign for a Family Mart away to my left so I headed away from the ohenro trail and ended up sitting in the Family Mart for over an hour. It had starting to rain and gotten dark but I didn't seem to be any hurry to get to the michi-no-eki. Before leaving the Family Mart I gave a photograph to the lady who had served me. She had been particularly friendly and also very chatty. She liked two photographs but couldn't make her mind up which of two photographs to choose so she ended up with both. Her colleague who had just come on shift also ended up with two and I chose one for their other colleague who was a little too busy to see what was going on. I then headed out into the rain and continued all the way to the michi-no-eki and was pleasantly surprised that what I thought would be just a regular michi-no-eki, in fact turned out to be a large hot spa complex.
The cost of using it was 1500 yen, a little more than a regular hot spa but that didn't seem to matter. Had I known exactly what it offered, I would have turned up much sooner. As it was I still had 4 hours and I didn't have to get out until 11 o'clock. The man at the reception offered to keep my pack behind the counter and then showed me where the washing machines and other facilities at the spa were. Everything was fairly self explanatory so I headed to the changing rooms, got myself shaved and showered, and then enjoyed a good soak in the various baths they had to offer. The spa was not as luxurious as Soratomori in Matsuyama but as always I liked that nice squeaky clean feeling I had whenever I used one.
Back in the changing room I ended up chatting to a few people and handed out 3 more photographs. At the reception I gave the two staff a photograph each and one to a customer who was queuing up for something. I wanted to recharge my laptop and other devices and although it was not really permitted, the man very kindly found an empty socket in the seating area and let me plug myself in. I spent the next hour or so updating my notes and at around 22:30 I headed back to the reception to thank the staff and ask if it was OK to put my tent up. They told me I could do so under a covered area to the left of the spa car park.
Fureai Park Mino seemed to be quite a popular place with both local people and visitors. Apart from the hot spa, it also offered paid lodging, a relaxation space with comfortable looking recliners plus restaurants too. I was told it was OK to camp out near some buildings linked via a covered walk way. It was too dark to make out what was to the side of the buildings but it looked like a small amusement park. I found a spot just behind one of these buildings which would shelter me from any rain and also keep me hidden from the main car park. The only concern was a pack of stray dogs and their incessant barking.
I settled into my tent and thought abotu the day and it had been another great day. A nice gentle stroll from start to finish. Along with the many nice encounters throughout the day, it was the sight of Tori and her husband still standing at the road side as I stopped to look back and the old man who I made cry at Jinnein (#68) and Kan'onji (#69) that made today an extra memorable day.