Henro- Day 12 & 13 Rain, Resin, and Removable Roads

On day 12 and 13, I walked another 34.5 miles visiting temple 27 & 28 bringing my total distance up to 226.37 miles.  Thursday was spent walking the entire time in the rain, and Friday I walked solo as Philip’s feet needed another break.  

I saw this drawbridge from a distance and decided to take a detour to check it out.  Never seen anything like this one.

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Just a random persons yard as I was walking by.  It’s crazy how often you will see this in Japan.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen what looks like a utility provided gas meters, being fed by portable propane tanks.  I guess when you live in a warmer climate, this makes more sense 

This hotel I walked by seemed a bit odd.  There is a board, you can select the design of the room with many different themes, select the duration ranging from a couple hours, to a full day, and pay with your credit card.  There is no interaction with another human in this process, other than the one your getting the room with of course. 

I really wanted to stick around to see what the plan was for this repair work.  

A lot of the miles I’ve covered lately has followed a really nice walking/biking path.  I didn’t see anyone or anything on it other than nature, but it was lovely to say the least.

These Japanese pine trees are marked and labeled.  From my research, they are harvesting the sap from these trees.

There are hundreds of structures similar to this if you’re anywhere near the coast.  It’s unbelievable how much preparation is put into their tsunami evacuation system.  These are nothing but an elevated platform to get above a potential flood zone 

A lot of fishing in this area.  

Not sure this was the best idea for a gas station.  It’s different though 

Gardens around Temple 27

Everything you see here is all I have in my pack.  I even have an extra pair of shoes in that grey bag which aren’t even mine.  

Just enjoying a traditional Japanese breakfast to start my day.  

Henro Day 10 & 11- No food, great food, and 500 ways to survive a Tsunami

​For days 10 & 11 we walked another 34 miles bringing up the total distance to just under 192 miles.  Mainly just following the coast passing through some small villages along the way.  The dinners have always included fresh sashimi which is probably some of the best I’ve ever had.  If I were to order this at a restaurant at home, it would’ve cost 10x the price.  Some meals are amazing, and others are straight out of a convenience store.  There are times lunch isn’t even an option at all when you realize the town you’re passing through doesn’t have a single place to buy food.  I’ve learned to keep a supply of Japanese protein bars which I’m slowly getting tired of.  Liquids seem to always be in abundance with the vending machines everywhere you look.

We crossed paths again with a fellow pilgrim from earlier back (who told me her name a couple times 😳)  

As she was one of the few locals walking the Henro who spoke English, we enjoyed a couple hours of good conversation learning about Japanese traditions, life, and culture.  When we arrived at temple 24, we wished her well as this was her last stop for this trip.  Most of the people I have met earlier on were only doing the first 20 temples or so.  

I feel like when I get home, I’m going to be inspired to make improvements to our rooflines.

Temples….. and more temples.  

The Japanese really plan ahead for their tsunamis.  They have lifeboats randomly sitting on land to be prepared. Additionally, I have passed at least 500 tsunami evacuation points along the way.

Small concrete projects don’t need a mixer.

I’ve been saying over and over- why don’t they have vending machines with food.  Finally!!

I’d like to hope that it will.  Not sure some days.

Henro Day 9- Rainy Miles along the Pacific Coast

For the 9th day walking the Henro, I spent the entire day under an umbrella dodging puddles for a little under 18 miles.  My total distance so far is up to 157.9 miles.  On my right side was steep mountain peaks, and the left was the coast.  Although rainy, it was very beautiful.  When we finally got settled in for the evening, I got notification that there was a tsunami warning with a major earthquake in the northern part of Japan.  All seems good here, although the better part of my day today was spent thinking about all the efforts and systems in place Japan has put into their sea walls and infrastructure.  I didn’t document this well, but you see it everywhere.  

Due to Japan’s location in relation to the ring of fire,  they have more tsunamis than any other country in the world. 

On accommodation here was incredible.  Nothing fancy but really lovely people.  Definitely a highlight.

The raincoat gets annoying as you start sweating quickly.  I’ve decided that I prefer an umbrella and fresh air.  

This worm was around 1 foot long.

I wasn’t hungry but this machine was pretty cool.  If I see another one, I’ll definitely try it out.

This is my second night in the same accommodation with this guy.  He walks some and take the bus some, but heck, he’s 81 and out here on an adventure. 

Henro Day 8- The Coastline to Temple 24

​The distance between temple 23 and 24 is around 75 kilometers.  The path continues south along the east side of this island heading towards Muroto.  Today was my first day walking solo as Philip decided to take a rest day and just take the train to the next stop.  I walked just under 25 miles putting the total distance up to 140.01 miles (224k)

Here they make their logs out of concrete as well.  I had to really look closely to even notice, but they seem to hold up well.

I could only assume this is someone’s residence 

All along this coast, I’m seeing these big concrete walls and flood gates cutting across roads and river openings. At first it feels a little over the top… but after looking closer, I realized it’s not. This part of Shikoku sits right along the Nankai Trough, where big earthquakes can send water moving fast. These gates are there to shut things off and slow it down, buying people time to get to higher ground.

If you look closely, you will see that part of my trail eroded and fell to the ocean 

These little arrows are what I spend a lot of my day looking for.  Sometimes they’re obvious, and many times they’re not very well placed.  The app with gps is almost a must unless you want to walk a few hundred extra miles 

Henro Day 7- Temple 22-23

​Total distance walked 115.22 miles 

For my 7th day of my pilgrimage around the Island of Shikoku, I woke up at 5 am which was the longest night sleep I’ve had in years. (9.25 hours)  My accommodation near Temple 22 was the first place I’ve stayed which wasn’t as well kept and there was clutter everywhere.  I found it interesting that it was here, I slept so well.  

If you don’t include the 4 tunnels I walked through today, the first 10 of the 17 miles walked today was very wet.  I picked up an umbrella and quite enjoyed the rain.  Somewhere around mile 11, I came around the corner to find the ocean for the first time along my journey.  The sun came out as I followed the coast for the 2nd half of my day.

Every day I spend a little time examining the quality of their concrete work.  The infrastructure for retaining walls and irrigation ditches is very extensive and impressive.  I feel like their concrete seems to be holding up to time better than what I see in the United States.  I’ll keep doing my research, because I know you’re all on the edge of your chair with this thought.

I’ve heard some people make money selling pictures of their feet.  Please don’t attempt to do this with this beauty.  Looking at the picture below, you might think my feet are pretty beat up.  To be honest, they’re actually holding up quite well.  When I get a hot spot, I immediately put some tape on it before it becomes a bigger problem.  Currently I am blister free 

And yes, I made it to a temple today too. 🙂