Steps: 15.058 / 35.758 (12,3km/30ish km?)
Temples: 83
“Train magic “ is a term Jonas has come up with for those times when we use public transportation to fix logistics around sleeping and/or luggage storage.
When the trail follows the train tracks, it’s sometimes nice to book a few nights in a row near a station, and then use the … Read more
Steps: 34.838 (31,0km)
Temples: (75) + 76 + 77 + 78 + 79
We went to bed early last night because we had to be up and ready for the temple’s morning prayer service at 6am.
All pilgrims who wish to can attend the morning service and this morning we were a small group of around ten people. We all … Read more
Steps: 8.939 (5,6km)
Temples: 75
Tonight we are spending our first night at a temple. A few of the temples along the route offer housing to pilgrims, but it was only recently that we discovered how to book these (it’s exactly like a hotel btw – you just call them).
Temple 75 is the birthplace of Kobo Daishi and hence … Read more
Steps: 32.487 (24,9km) (+10km)
Temples: 68 + 69 + 70 + 71 + 72 + 73 + 74
Woof today was a long one. In fact it was so long it feels like several separate days have happened since we left our ryokan at 6.30 this morning.
First, there was the day where we decided to climb up on a … Read more
Steps: 33.995 (26,3km)
Temples: 66 + 67
At 950 meters above sea level, temple 66 is the highest located of all the 88 temples on the pilgrimage.
Luckily, our wonderful inn-keeper had volunteered to drive us back to the trail head, which we passed by yesterday, saving us from 9 kilometers of backtracking.
Steps: 37.228 (32,4km)
Temples: 65
With a little help from google-sensei we found our way across (or more accurately below) the interstate this morning and back to the trail. First part of the day was a climb to temple 65, which lies roughly 300 meters above sea level.
On the way back down the mountain we met Koichi-san, … Read more
Steps: 40.010 (35,1km)
Temples: 12 (one of the “extra” temples)
Today was an easy day in the sense that pretty much all we had to do was put one foot in front of the other and walk straight ahead along an even road.
However, our feet and legs felt heavy and by the time we arrived at our hotel by … Read more
Steps: 31.051 (28,6km)
Temples: 62 + 63 + 64
Preparing ourselves for a whole day of walking in the rain, we set out the door with the words “The more annoying you find it, the more you have to smile”.
The more we do this, the more I realize how important your mindset is – especially when it rains. A … Read more
Steps: 35.743 (29,0km)
Temples: 60 + 61
Right before coming here, Jonas read a book called Small Gods (one of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett) wherein it is explained that the minor deities (or “small gods”) loose their power, if people stop believing in them.
So naturally, whenever we walk by a small, seemingly forgotten deity deep in the … Read more
Steps: 25.273 (21,5km)
Temples: 56 + 57 + 58 + 59
It’s been a while since we have seen this many temples in one day. Starting out at Imabari station, temples 56-59 lay equidistant over a 15 kilometer stretch.
58 is a little higher up than the others and was a joy to visit (I always like the … Read more
