Henro Day 14-16 The long road to the far corner.

Days 14, 15, and 16 added almost another 60 miles, bringing the total to 286 miles walked.

At this point, I can only imagine that the fatigue of reading my walking blog probably feels a lot like my feet do right now.

It’s a strange feeling—you move relatively slow, but stack enough hours together and suddenly you’ve covered a massive amount of ground. One step doesn’t feel like much… until you’ve taken somewhere around 650,000 of them. 

The best part of a journey like this is the people you meet along the way.  Our host here was so incredibly sweet and kind

Day 15 was a wet one.  We walked over 21 miles in the rain.

The irrigation canals and water control systems are really fascinating if you look close enough this device could connect the trough, of fill a different canal below.  You things similar to this all over the place.  

Never seen a port-a potty like this one.  

One of my best friends from high school has joined up for a week.  I’m thrilled he’s here and looking forward to catching up

Tunnels and temples

I feel so big here 😳  What a fun stop for dinner 

Hopped on a ferry boat to cross a large body of water. 

Probably not interesting to most, but I am very fascinated with all the achievements and things humans have built and accomplished.  It’s crazy to think what it takes just to make some cement and how much is then made with that product.

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.