Welcome

For those reading who don't know me, or have forgotten my name, I am Neil Gordon and I intend to keep this blog up to date with my travel activities in Japan - taking place from mid July 2010 till some time in January 2011.
I'm English and am interested in the Japanese culture and language, as well as computers and technology.
The blog name neiltanken is simply my name + 探検 (tanken) - which means expedition.

16/11/2010

Henro Day 43

I walked with KN-san and WN-san again this morning, but I wasn’t going to reach the hotel I was planning to stay at by their pace, so I bid farewell at about noon and resumed walking alone.

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Sakaide City, temple 79 – Koushouji

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Takamatsu City, temple 80 – Kokubunji. Alone again from here on.

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Before clikmbing the mountain path to #81, I saw the tag in the photo to the left. It said “Keep to your own pace” which was frighteningly fitting to the situation.

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Sakaide City, temple 81 – Shiromineji

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A Japanese maple tree which was in the Shiromineji precinct.

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The mountain path between #81 and #82.

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Takamatsu City, temple 82 – Negoroji. I forgot to photo the Daishi hall, but there was a beautiful maple tree here too, so please enjoy!

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I stayed at a place near Negoroji called “Zen Kappa Doujou”

I ate dinner together with the disciples (may be the wrong term, please forgive me!) and ate according to Zen manners. While kneeling the whole time, you set your own tableware in a set manner and order before eating.

After finishing, you put warm water into your bowl and, taking a takuan (pickled daikon radish slice) with your chopsticks you use it to wash the tableware. After washing all the tableware, you use the takuan to wash your chopsticks, eat the takuan and drink the water then use your cloth to wipe the tableware and chopsticks. This was the biggest shock to me (lol).

Finally you pile up your tableware and wrap it in your cloth (in a specific manner and order, of course) and the meal is finished.

From 5am I partook in Zazen (Zen Buddhist meditation), morning service (we had to read various sutra which took a surprisingly long time) then went to the dining hall and ate breakfast in the same way as the previous evening’s dinner.

I thought that Zazen was something where you had to sit cross legged with a straight back and if you don’t stay still you get whacked by a monk, but nobody was whacked.

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