March 25 - Matsuya Ryokan
Left hotel a little late around 8:30AM. Rain, rain, rain until around noon. The walk along highway 11 was dismal due to weather and traffic. Even the side streets felt cramped and full of people and traffic.
For the first 3 or 4 hours I was struggling both mentally and physically. My stress level was high and the time and distances seemed to creep along. After so much time and effort just getting to Shikoku I had to unwind and settle into a pilgrim's pace. That working combination of mental patience and physical relaxation that allows me to put one foot in front of the other while the Earth passes effortlessly beneath me.
With the rain all but done and having settled into a walking rythm the afternoon flew by. Before I knew it I had traveled 24km and was at my destination, the Matsuya Ryokan (Miyazaki, Map 68 #4).
I met another Henro, Mr. Nozawa, in the genkan (foyer) of the inn. We got a chance to speak a little at dinner. Although he appeared very unassuming (and he was), he was actually quite fascinating. A retired automotive engineer, he had designed the Suzuki engines for most small Suzukis sold in Japan as well as some American models such as the Sidekick, the Samurai and the SX4. Between his broken English and my mangled Japanese we had a great chat.
The owner of the inn told us our venerable map book didn't account for road revisions in our next day's trip. So she proceeded to give us directions to avoid confusion. I couldn't keep up and at some point I waved the white flag and focused on my meal. One way or the other I would find my way regardless of revisions. Besides as long as I tagged along with Mr. Nozawa there's no way we were going to get lost (knock on wood).
I attempted to call ahead to the Okadaya Inn, but they were full up. They suggested I try the Haka Chisou Inn. The Haka Chisou is about a 20 minute drive off the trail, but they said they would pick me up at the Okadaya and drop me off there the next day so that I can pick up where I left off. Sounded good to me.
Thought for the Day
"You never know who you're going to meet on the journey, but you're sure to meet someone and that alone makes the trip worth it."
March 26 - to the Haka Chisou
Didn't sleep well. Kept waking up. Finally gave up around 5:AM.
Had a great breakfast. Left the Matsuya alone around 6:30AM. Had a great walk with lots of time to think about the decisions I've made in my professional and personal life over the past decade. I struggled darkly between self-recrimination and self-righteousness. Neither healthy nor productive. But sometimes that's where my mind goes when I have long hours to think.
Along route 126 (Miyazaki map 69) I was finally able to silence the negative thoughts and replace them with more constructive ways to mend my fences. It was like magic. Problems that seemed insurmountable earlier, now seemed doable.
With my new found optimism I rolled into the Family Mart to buy my lunch. Mr. Nozawa was right behind me.
We decided to walk to Sankakuji (T65) together. Which was a relief to me because we were coming up on the stretch of road that the owner of the Matsuya had told us about. We got past this with very little trouble and began our ascent to Sankakuji temple.
It was at this time that Mr. Nozawa jinxed us by mentioning to another Henro how great it was that we haven't had any rain, even though it had been threatening the whole day. Within 5 minutes it was coming down in sheets. We had to duck under an awning just to put our rain gear on. I nagged him about jinxing us.
Fortunately as we headed into the mountain forest, where I thought we might see the most rain, the rain stopped altogether (not to return until the day I flew out of Osaka). The remainder of the day was partly sunny towards the coast and overcast towards the interior.
At Sankakuji we were told that one of the trees there was 1,000 years old. I took a photo of the one that looked the oldest, but quite honestly the photo on this page could be a picture of tree that's only 500 years old (about the time the first pocketwatch was being made in Germany and the Spanish Inquisition was adding sodomy to it's list of crimes punishable by death).
The walk out of Sankakuji was beautiful; Sunny and warm with a vista of the valley below. We made pretty good time in our walk to the Okadaya Inn. Mr. Nozawa was kind enough to call to the Hakachisou Inn to arrange for my pickup. He was staying at the Okadaya. We agreed to meet up in the morning and walk together if possible.
The Hakachisou owner picked up five of us in various spots along the route. All told eight Henro were staying at the inn.
The place was pretty far into the hills. It was a mix of old and new construction. The older main house contained the kitchen, dining, baths and rooms. The newer was a detached building like a townhouse with very modern rooms and private bathrooms. I was given a new room to myself.
The bath was fantastic. I shared it with the same two men I shared the middle seat in the mini van with on the way to the inn. We sat tightly in the same order (only we were naked). We had a good laugh about that.
The dinner was great too. The owners/caretakers of the Hakachisou were very open and friendly. We talked and laughed well after dinner. They received a phone call around 8:PM from another gaijin (foreigner) who needed a place to stay. She said "he speaks great Japanese too" while smiling at me. I said "don't say that to me. It makes me embarassed." She replied "I'm sure you're more handsome".
This proved to not be the case when Juha arrived. He was a young exchange student from Finland and his Japanese was very good (English, perfect). He was in a bad way physically though. He had developed shin splints earlier in his trek and was still suffering horribly from them. But hey, he was only 23 years old, so how bad can it get?
A few of us stayed up a couple of more hours talking. Quite honestly, the Hakachisou may have been the best place I've stayed at as a Henro. Accomodations, meals (including a bento), price (6800 yen) and hospitality were tops.
We had to wake up around 5:AM the next morning so that we had time to eat and get a ride back to the Okadaya Inn, so I finally said goodnight. Of course the futon was set up for me when I returned to my room.
Thought for the Day
"The farther you get from the city the more friendly and informal people become (even city folk)."