Henro Day 4

Some of the road from yesterday's guesthouse to Dainichiji temple.

Tokushima City, 13th temple - Dainichiji

Tokushima City, 14th temple - Jourakuji
It started raining here

Tokushima City, 15th temple - Kokubunji

Tokushima City, The room in Sakae Taxi, a zenkon'yado

I used the bathroom and room that I suspect was used by one of the taxi drivers in the past.
I was together with 2 guys about my age, one who was part way through traveling all Japan on bicycle and the other had previously completed the henro pilgrimage on bicycle and intends to walk it all this time.

Henro Day 3

Today the path from 11 to 12 was mostly mountainous with 2 peaks (respectively 745 and 700 meters) to overcome.
I walked about 16Km including the road to the night's inn.

Some of the paths I walked...

 

Some of the views I enjoyed while taking short breaks...

A hut for resting at which I passed on the way

There is a grand bronze statue of Kouboudaishi about 2 hours walk before the temple.

Kamiyama town, 12th temple - Shousanji - Main gate & Main Building

I stayed at a Zenkon'yado (a place to sleep charitable to pilgrims) called Sudachikan which included 2 meals for a very reasonable price.
The following morning they also gave me a Sudachi mandarin and onigiri and took my luggage to the top of the next mountain by car and waited for me.

In front of the Sudachikan store

The bedroom in Sudachikan's guest house

I shared the room with an Australian I met on the way to Shousanji.

Henro Day 2

I visited the following temples after getting a good night's rest.

Awa City, 8th temple - Kumadaniji

Awa City, 9th temple - Hourinji

Awa City, 10th temple - Kirihataji

Yoshinogawa City, 11th temple - Fujiidera

I stayed the night at Yoshino Ryokan (japanese inn)

This was a very comfortable place too.

Henro Day 1

Yesterday I met with K-san, got on the overnight ferry and today finally arrived in Shikoku.
We went from Takamatsu station to Bandou, then walked to the first temple - Ryouzanji - and I bought the henro equipment and outfit I needed.
K-san is able to walk the first 5 temples with me while leading by example.

Me in the henro outfit in front of Ryouzanji's gate

Visiting a temple goes as follows:
Take off the hat (tsugegasa or just kasa)
Put on the Wagesa (buddhist stole)
Bow at the gate
Place the staff (kongouzue) in one of the provided holders
Wash (purify) hands and mouth at the Chouzu (for hygene reasons just pretend to wash one's mouth)
When there is a bell, it's okay to ring it (unless there is some notice saying not to)
Go to the main temple building, ring the bell if there is one and bow three times
Read the sutra
Bow and and put a votive card into the designated box
Go to the Daishidou temple building (this is devoted to Kuukai i.e. Kouboudaishi), ring the bell if there is one and bow three times
Read the sutra
Bow and and put a votive card into the designated box
Go to the Noukyoujo and get stamps and a sutra written into one's Noukyouchou (book for recording each temple's sutra)
Bow at the gate when leaving the temple

And so today I walked to the following:

Naruto City, 2nd temple Gokurakuji

Itano Town, 3rd temple Konsenji

Itano Town, 4th temple Dainichiji

Itano Town, 5th temple Jizouji

Kamiita Town, 6th temple Anrakuji

Awa City, 7th temple Juurakuji

I stayed at Guesthouse Ishida in Awa City

The host lady was very kind, the food was delicious and the room was spacy.

Kyouto

28th
Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine (at night)

29th
Touji temple
Higashi Honganji temple
Nishi Honganji temple
Kiyomizudera temple
The Yasaka Pagoda
Yasaka Jinja shrine (at night)
Gion district - Maiko, Gion Corner (a sample of the following arts/performances - Tea ceremony, Koto performance, Flower arrangement, Gagaku performance, Noh Kyougen performance, Kyoumai dance, Bunraku puppet show)

30th
Rain, didn't do much

1st Oct
Together with the 2 Australians I met at the lodgings
At Saga - The Bamboo Path, Nonomiya Jinja shrine, Lunch at a small restaurant called Adashino

2nd Oct
Together with 1 of the Australians
Sanjuusangendou temple (apparently the longest wooden building in the world)
Yasaka Jinja shrine (daytime)
A temple which I forgot the name of, but it took an admission fee.
Display and small shop related to anime Yojouhanshinwataikei
Various Shrines and temples on the way to Heian Jinguu shrine
Heian Jinguu shrine (they were preparing for a music concert inside the grounds)
The old Kyoto Imperial Palace
Cycled by a large chunk of the Kamogawa river

3rd Oct
Checked out "Tezuka Osamu World" - watched an animation showing the birth of Atom Boy then read some of Tezuka's manga "Zero Man"
Kyoto Manga Museum

4th Oct
Nijoujou Castle
Kinkakuji temple
Shoukokuji (and the crying dragon)
Shimogamo Jinja shrine
Ginkakuji temple
The Philosopher's Path
Get on the overnight ferry to Takamatsu in Shikoku from Koube port

Summary of recent stuff

I bid farewell to Y-san's family and stayed 2 nights in a capsule hotel near Asakusabashi station.
During which time I met with "team russia" M-san and her boyfriend again.
Or so I thought - while I'd been travelling the two of them had gotten married! Congratulations!
We are Ramen togather, then played the original famikon (Nintendo Entertainment System) together.
It felt kind of nastalgic, but I was a poor child who didn't have his own Nintendo. (lol)
We had dinner at their local Izakaya (Japanese style pub/restaurant).

The followind day before going to Nagoya I looked around Ueno zoo.

Kanei temple's 5 story pagoda (inside teh zoo grounds). Penguins and the Higuma brown bear.

There was still time before my night bus to Nagoya so I went to look at the Tokyo International forum.
I found there was a talk titled "How to enjoy Noh" so I went and listened to it.
The talker was the 11th head of the Fujita school of Noh flute playing, Mr Rokurobyoue Fujita.
He told us various interresting things about Noh.
For example, apparently when Noh flutes are made they aren't tuned, so the same song performed with a differrent flute actually sounds differrent.
Apparently Noh started as a way to thank or petition the gods, but over time developed into an artform.
If I can, I'd like to make the time to see one of Mr Fujita's performances.

Inside Tokyo International Forum

I struggled a little to get sleep in the night bus, then slept another few hours at a net cafe after arriving in Nagoya.
I then met my slightly distant relative K-san at the station.

We went to a place called Inuyama and visited the Momotarou Shrine, then Inuyama castle.
Inuyama castle is one of Japan's few remainng castle's which hasn't burned down and been rebuild at some point.
We were able to climb to the top of the tower and see the outside view unobscured.

 

Momotarou Shrine

Inuyama castle and the view from the top

After that we went to Meijimura, which is a large park with various historic buildings rebuilt/moved to within it's grounds.

From the next day I checked out Nagoya castle and the Oosu Kannon temple alone.

Noh masks from the Noh theater near Nagoya castle, Nagoya Castle and the elevator believed to have been used by the Shogun when he developed a bad back (joke)

Oosu Kannon Temple

On my last day in Nagoya I ate Breaded Chicken in Miso sauce (a Nagoya specialty) with K-san and her mother.

Next update - in Kyouto!

The Edo Tokyo museum

I went to Ryougoku and visited the Edo Tokyo Museum.
I didn't knowit before coming, but Ryougoku is famous for holding Sumo wrestling matches.
It appeared there was a match on today.

I entered the museum and checked out the exhibitions while talking to a guide then continued alone.
There was a model of Mitsuiechigoya, the original version of what is now Mikoshi department store which I saw the other day.
In the Edo period, it wasn't a department store but sold clothing.

A model of Ryougoku's port facing the Sumidagawa river.

The first Japanese phone box. It looks pretty different to the red box England started with.

A satire of the Salary Man lifestyle, apparently the starting point for Manga.

A 5:1 model of one of the baloon bombs which Japan used in WW2.

There were various other models of buildings, Japan's old cars and household electronics as well as a recreation of a pre-war Japanese household.

On the train back I was standing next to 2 of the Rikishi (Sumo Wrestlers).