On April 2 we boarded a plane for Tokyo and did not return until April 30. One month vacations are nice! This year we left a month earlier than last year because we wanted to catch the sakura in bloom – something I have not seen since 1981. We were lucky. Temperatures were initially rather low and so the cherry trees were in full bloom for more than a week.

(Click on the picture to see it full size, use a back button to return to this spot.) The key reason for returning to Japan for me was to continue the walk around the island of Shikoku I started last year. The initial plan was not to loose any time and catch the first boat out of Tokyo on Saturday evening, the next day after our arrival. Even though the ship was more than half empty last year ( and as it turns out also this year) that particular Saturday they were fully booked and so I had to wait until Monday and that way lost two precious walking days which would have allowed me to reach a more convenient ending point by crossing the entire Kochi Prefecture. The way it worked out, I will have a long bus trip when I resume my walk in the future. This year I decided to follow a suggestion of my guide book and keep a brief diary. The reason was two fold: I remembered from last year that there were so many impressions that after a few days memories turned into a bit of a blur and it was difficult to sort out my photos. The other reason was that since I was planning to be on the road for two weeks, there was a real danger of loosing track of time if I did not make daily entries. So here is a brief synopsis of this year’s journey:

Monday 6 April

Head out to the Tokyo harbor in mid afternoon in order not to miss the ship. The trip takes almost an hour on the Yamanote circular loop train and the new driverless Yurikamome elevated rail line and then a 30 minute walk from the stating to the dock. Hard to imagine the ship was fully booked on Saturday, there is only a handful of passengers-most of them truck drivers or people transporting their cars. Meet a young American (well maybe not that young) who teaches creative writing in Wyoming and is traveling around to gather material for a book. Also a Japanese pilgrim who is planning to go around Shikoku on a collapsible bicycle and another pilgrim who has no stomach – it was removed due to cancer. But that apparently does not prevent him from eating, drinking or walking the trail.

Tuesday 7 April

We arrive in Tokushima harbor shortly after 1 p.m. Turns out the man without a stomach ended his trip last year almost at the same spot as I did. We take a bus to the central station and then a train to the pacific coast of the island. He gets out a few stops before I do and that puts enough distance between us so that I never run into him again. I get off at Kaifu, one stop beyond the spot where I boarded the train on the trip back last year – and this way I cheat a little by not walking about 4 km, but I am concerned about being able to walk to my evening destination before dark. I have about 10 km to go to Shishikui and it is already 4 p.m. I make it in time even though I have to ask several times, the map in my book is not detailed enough to show where the minshuku (bed and breakfast and supper place) is in this town. The owner ask me to put my laundry in a basket and next morning it is in front of my room washed and neatly folded. That was the only place this happened, the rest of the time I had to do my own washing by hand every evening.

Wednesday 8 April

Sunny and warm, I am glad I brought sandals on this trip. Having two types of shoes adds a little weight but well worth it for the additional comfort – this year had only one blister and it was on the index toe of my left foot – do not quite know why. There is only one way to Muruto Cape – side of the coastal road. But there are not too many cars and the road is almost flat. I have so much stored energy that I arrive embarrassingly early, 1 p.m., having averaged 5 km/hr. But this is a rather deserted part of the coast and there are not many places to stop. It is either here or another 20 km and that would be too far. For this reason the ryokan is full of pilgrims including one who looks like Japanese Bin Laden. He is collecting the longest trips on the planet, so he rode the Trans-Siberian (longest railway trip) and took the bus from Buenos Aires to Caracas (longest bus trip in the world).

Thursday 9 April

Make it to Cape Muruto meeting many of the pilgrims from last night along the road. Rice planting is in full swing. Visit temple 24 and 25. In Muruto, a larger town with more accommodation I am the only guest in my ryokan (country inn). This used to be a town with a large tuna fishing fleet, now they are down from 30 to about 5 ships. The tuna ships are large and they would often be gone a year or more. The inn keeper tells me they would often fish offshore east Canadian coast and according to the fishermen there is no more boring town than Halifax.

Friday 10 April

Late start – 7:30 in the morning. Visit temple 26 and stop at the foot of 27 but do not go up, it is late and the temple is on top of a high hill. Did not see any other pilgrims along the road all day, must be because of my late start – they have all gone ahead of me.

Saturday 11 April

Leave my backpack at the ryokan and climb up to temple 27 early in the morning. It is at 430 m and I am glad I did not try it fully loaded. Pretty good climb, lot of sakura trees still in bloom – probably due to increased elevation and lower temperatures. Pick up my backpack and continue along the coast. The trail mostly follows the road, there are more cars and it is a hot day. Getting tired. I spend the night at an improbably sounding “Bicycle Depot” that is the name, I am not translating here. It was recommended to me the previous night by one of the pilgrims. Apparently the local government built a 40 km long bicycle path and also provided accommodation – looks like it used to be a school – but it is quite nice. Very few guests, excellent supper in a room overlooking the Pacific while they are playing Mozart in the background.

Sunday 12 April

Reach the suburbs of Kochi the prefectural capital. This is when I start getting into trouble because the map in my guide book is not detailed enough to navigate in this complex area. So I have to look for trail markers which can vary from a red arrow sticker on a lamp post to a 500 year old stone monument with a hand pointing in the right direction. This is not like European hiking trail where you can see from marker to marker. These are more sparse to provide more challenge and I feel like a hound dog following a scent. But if you miss one turn you are lost and have to back track. So I am glad to run into a woman from Nagoya who has the pilgrim atlas – a book I will definitely have to buy for next time. She mentions that since she turned 65 she can ride city busses in Nagoya for free, but her back pack looks 3 times bigger than mine and is probably even heavier. Yet on steeply climbing roads I have a hard time keeping up. Turns out she has climbed Kilimanjaro, hiked the Inca trail, been to Nepal three times and plans hiking in the highlands of Papua New Guinea later this year. This is a new generation of Japanese tourists, quite different from those traveling in groups we used to see in Banff. We barely make it to temple 31 before the 5 p.m. closing time. I realize that since I spent most of the day waking in rice paddies my calves and back of my knees got a nasty sunburn. This will make taking a hot Japanese bath more challenging in the coming days.

Monday 13 April

The trail continues around the suburbs of Kochi. Walk up to temple 32, then look for breakfast because last night was in a business hotel without meals. Stop at a roadside café where they have a breakfast set consisting of thick toast, potato salad, fried chicken, vegetable juice, strawberries, miso soup and coffee, all for the grand sum of $5. And of course, no tip – this is Japan. The days when Japan was unaffordable and Europe was a cheap destination for students are definitely over. Last year we paid $ 500 a night for a 3 star hotel in Rome. Run into the same pilgrim that was in the minshuku before Muruto. Spend the night at the foot of temple35, plan to leave the luggage at the ryokan in the morning and climb up without the extra weight.

Tuesday 14 April

Fairly heavy rain. Discover I lost the plastic cover for my hat but the innkeeper lends me some tape and the Nagoya woman produces a plastic sheet from her huge backpack and we improvise a cover that holds up very well. Visit temple 35 and 36 in the rain but it is cooler and a nice change. Poncho, rain pants and hat keep me nice a dry, except for my feet – have to invent something before I head out next time. Spend the night at a state-run minshuku on top of a hill. Arrive very early and so my room is not ready but the bath is. It is open air, overlooks the Pacific and I am the only one in it. The clouds start to lift and scenery changes every five minutes – each frame a different wood block print. This is the bargain of the century. Top flight hotel equivalent for $ 65 - I have a very nice Japanese room with a covered veranda and a priceless view of the ocean. Then I go down for dinner – it is basically a five star hotel meal. To top it off, a little rainbow appears and keeps on grooving until it is the largest rainbow I have ever seen. Everybody runs for their cameras – I do not bother- some magic moments cannot be captured. In the lobby I find a copy of the Pilgrim’s Atlas –now I will be no longer at the mercy of the sketchy information in my guide book.

Wednesday 15 April

No trace of the rain, blue sky, spectacular views of the coast. Met the young boy I ran into in the rain the day before, also a young Buddhist priest. He has a bell attached to his back pack and the rhythmic ringing is kind of hypnotizing. Perhaps it helps him meditate. We exchange a few words but I do not want to disturb him. Later I see him at a rest stop reading email on his cell phone – I guess the meditation was not too deep. Second half of the day has lot more traffic, tunnels and big trucks – sometimes scary.

Thursday 16 April

Get an early start. The trail moves into the mountains, cross to passes, each about 280 m, before noon. Stop at a convenience store – 3 other pilgrims, two I have met before. Even though I am not hungry I try a tiramisu they sell – surprisingly good. Looks like I will arrive early and so I take an afternoon break at a little coffee shop on the side of the road. It is also a pastry shop and I have a superb strawberry tart in a town that barely shows up on the map. Why cannot Houston have at least one decent place? Visit temple 37. Supper includes “katsuo tatake” a Shikoku spetiality – fantastic!

Friday 17 April

Morning is nice and cool but I am running out of energy. It seems like I am not moving. As the temperature rises my backpack gets heavier. In reality it is only about 5 kg but with every degree above 20 C it feels like another kilo has been added. Nice outcrops of deformed turbidites along the coast. There are three old pilgrims in the minshuku and dinner conversation revolves around treatment for blisters and where the best noodle restaurants on the island are.

Saturday 18 April

Cross the Shimanto River. Meet a young Australian, he is doing the entire 1200 km in one stretch, camping and carrying a huge backpack. But he looks in his early 20s. Later the same day run into a young French guy who is also camping all along the 1200 km trail and speaks no Japanese. Surely he must get extra points for that! Actually, during the whole month I think I heard more French than English – Japan must be the destination of choice in France at the moment. Stay at a strange hotel, very large but in total disrepair. At first I am told that pilgrims have to take supper to their room (there is only one other pilgrim) but then I get invited to eat downstairs. This place has 6 floors with at least 15 rooms per floor but the only other guests is a “family” consisting of parents and 6 boys around 20 – all surfers. Have to feel sorry for surfers in Japan, the waves are tiny – we have bigger waves in Galveston on a calm day. But the supper is kind of fun – totally different from the “tapas” style meal in a ryokan. This is more like an Italian family dinner with big plates of food being passed around.

Sunday 19 April

Reach the other big cape of Shikoku, “Ashizurimisaki” and temple 38. The cape is a granite pluton, interesting change in geology. Continue along the coast which again offers spectacular views and reach Tosa Shimizu by the evening. I am again the only guest in what turns out to be a large and run down establishment. But the supper and breakfast are huge – this is the first time I lest something unfinished.

Monday 20 April

Heavy clouds, forecast calls for rain in the afternoon. This is supposed to be my last walking day, but because I lost 2 days in the beginning I will not be able to make it to the next train station no mater how much I walk today. Decide to walk in the morning and then take a bus back to the train station. It turns out that buses are infrequent along this stretch of the coast – it is either 9 or 12 a.m. I decide for the early one and a night in Kochi, which I did not really see. Make it to the outskirts of Tatsu Kushi and board a bus back to Shimizu and then another one back to Nakamura train station. Looking from the bus I see pilgrims walking spaced about 3-4 km apart and realize that this slow stream goes on year round and has continued over 1000 years – it is more than I hiking trail. Pilgrims are known to gain sudden insights (satori) along the path and I have had my modest ones. I noticed that as the rising temperature seemed to add weight to me backpack, my focus shifted. In the morning, when it felt like I was not carrying anything I wished the trail continued forever, it was so pretty. Then as it got heavier I would start looking forward to the next rest stop, then to getting to the end of the day and then wishing the trip were over. The more weight we drag around with us, the more we focus on goals and loose the ability to enjoy the present. On the trail and in life.

Take the train back to Kochi and even though this retraces only part of the 2 week journey, I am surprised how much ground I have covered. Reach Kochi shortly after lunch, it rains a little but have time to visit the Kochi castle, walk around the town and sample a local pastry shop. Very pretty city, lots of rives and canals, many of them with large carps, palm tree lined avenues. Several tree-covered hills add interesting relief and streetcars provide a feel of bygone eras. Stay at a business hotel, only $50 and this includes very large Japanese style breakfast. Reserve a berth on the ship for return trip. Have supper at a small robata restaurant and nobody pays any special attention to me. Japanese have really gotten used to foreigners even in this provincial town, while only 30 years ago in a city as large as Osaka westerners were instant celebrities. In a way, this is much more comfortable.

Tuesday 21 April

Still raining when I board the train for Tokushima. There are more tunnels than open track along this route. And coming out of one of the tunnels we left the rain behind and entered a zone of clear blue sky. Had a good views of the spectacular Oboke gorge. Two western women also boarded the train (French, perhaps Quebec? but did not hear enough to be sure). No eye contact – another measure of how common foreigners must have become. 30 years ago, especially this far off the beaten track, foreigners treated each other as lost relatives – now they have obviously become too numerous and treat each other the same way they would back in Houston or Montreal. Have an afternoon in Tokushima and good weather and so I do sightseeing which I did not manage last year. For supper drop into a small yakitori place and have a rather disappointing culinary experience but after walking around some more I pop into another establishment and have a first class katsuo tatake.

Wednesday 22 April

Board the ship back to Tokyo. This time I am the only walk-on passenger. Have a nice view of Japan until sunset – from the sea it looks like one long mountain chain. Then Japanese bath – again I am the only one in. Arrive in Tokyo next morning at 5:30. 38 temples out of 88, this will obviously take a few more trips.

The remaining time in Tokyo was a chance to meet some old friends, wander around Tokyo with Monica, revisit Kamakura and Yokohama. Of course that week the swine flu was front page news every day and going back felt a little bit like heading into the middle of a plague stricken country. But getting back we were glad to see the house has not been flooded or broken into, all the plants survived and papayas are getting bigger. Pretty soon it will be blueberry season.