Category: 2019

It was a strange evening ceremony in Temple 6 last night. But first we enjoyed another inadequate dinner made upContinue Reading

Sorry for losing your comments yesterday. Something got switched off by mistake. This is a very weird feeling, reaching TempleContinue Reading

Today there were mini mountains with steep trails and urban highways with nothing of note. I told Blanca that myContinue Reading

What a relief to set off this morning and to close the door forever on that awful Momo-ya ryokan. OneContinue Reading

As you might have gathered by now, choosing accommodation on this pilgrimage is a lottery with mostly winning tickets butContinue Reading

The day opened with a 6am morning service in Temple 75. The few benches were already occupied by the busContinue Reading

It was like arriving home, turning the corner and seeing Temple 75. I came here four years ago only toContinue Reading

As I opened the door this morning there was an enormous flash of lightning followed by a loud crash ofContinue Reading

I crept out of the hotel before dawn this morning and took a deep breath to get in the mood.Continue Reading

There’s a gap in the map between Temples 64 and 65 of some 50 kilometres with little of interest andContinue Reading

Sometimes on this pilgrimage I find it difficult to plan a day and today was one of those days. TheContinue Reading

I only had a very short walk from my hotel over the road to Family Mart for breakfast at 6.30.Continue Reading

As I walked through dilapidated Hojo yesterday afternoon looking for my accommodation I was prepared for the worst. But asContinue Reading

My expectation for today was an interesting walk around the city to the coast and then a beautiful walk upContinue Reading

I have the luxury of a 2nd rest day in Matsuyama. It’s the perfect place for a rest because there’sContinue Reading

Everything you want to see seems to be covered in scaffolding at the moment. Long gone are the days whenContinue Reading

Autumn has finally arrived. The temperature has dropped from 30 degrees last week to a more reasonable 21 and theContinue Reading

Today felt like a day off after yesterday’s marathon. First there was a return walk up the road to TempleContinue Reading

I was ready to leave at 6am this morning and I set off at 6.05. That’s how long it tookContinue Reading

I was happy to depart from the dreadful Fujino-ya ryokan this morning. Somehow they charged me 8200 yen, the mostContinue Reading

A 6am departure from the pleasant Ailin hotel in Yoshinoya. I wasn’t hanging around for breakfast because a short distanceContinue Reading

For the first time my 5.45 alarm awoke me from a deep sleep and an hour later I had draggedContinue Reading

I was happy to reach Sukumo last night even if it meant staying in a business hotel. A business hotelContinue Reading

Actually I enjoyed my stay in the Tatsukushi-en minshuku last night. It was right on the beach. I had theContinue Reading

I’ve left Sandrine behind at Cape Ashizuri because she has to return to France for work. Last night’s accommodation wasContinue Reading

I left at 6.30 this morning clutching my bag of croissants and set off down the coast for the lastContinue Reading

If you’re used to paying for your cappuccino with a slight flick of your Apple Watch you’ll struggle in Japan.Continue Reading

Sure enough there was chanting at 6am in the temple but I was already awake from the first train pastContinue Reading

No winners of yesterday’s photo competition. I thought it was a breakfast cereal factory but the owner of the ryokanContinue Reading

If you struggle to get started in the morning try walking out into Typhoon No 18. Mercifully it is followingContinue Reading

The little town of Tosa, where we stayed last night, scored highly on my list of essentials for the walkingContinue Reading

Summer is back. 31 degrees (88F) and humidity at 125%. It was a hard walk from Temple 31 to 34Continue Reading

It was only good fortune that I should be in Kochi on a Sunday for the weekly market. The centreContinue Reading

I marched across rice paddies visiting temples 29 and 30 today. On the way I caught up with a largeContinue Reading

Back at Temple 11, as I was walking to my ryokan, a kind man called over to me, gave meContinue Reading

A night of total luxury, last night. And this morning I was expecting a light breakfast of coffee and bread,Continue Reading

The sun returned but the temperature is a more modest 26 degrees; plenty warm enough. I left the hotel andContinue Reading

Life couldn’t be better. The mighty Pacific Ocean pounding the shore, endless beautiful beaches and a surfers heaven. Great bigContinue Reading

The Pacific Ocean is my view on my left side and the hills of Shikoku on my right side. AfterContinue Reading

Such a pleasant day yesterday, who would have thought a typhoon was in the neighborhood. Mercifully it steered itself awayContinue Reading

We had a good stay in Panda House last night. It’s surrounded by bamboo. The house looked like it mightContinue Reading

Just the two temples today, 20 and 21 but each was on a different mountain and our accommodation was aContinue Reading

After breakfast in Starbucks, Tokushima, I set off along the straight and rather tedious main road out of town withContinue Reading

Last night’s accommodation next door to Temple 13, “Myozai” looked less than impressive but once again the owner couldn’t haveContinue Reading

Last night’s guesthouse, the Farm Morian Loft, was a truly excellent experience. I enjoyed a superb dinner and a massiveContinue Reading

Today I had my first proper Japanese breakfast and it slightly exceeded my expectations. Miso, seaweed, rice, egg, ham, picklesContinue Reading

I ordered chicken for dinner last night but it turned out to be chicken sashimi. I sent it straight backContinue Reading

I caught the 06.37 train from Tokushima back to Temple 3 with S&E to meet サラ and continue our pilgrimage.Continue Reading

I’ve had a very pleasant last couple of days in Kyoto viewing 3 more [insert adjective] temple gardens and aContinue Reading

Hello from Kyoto, the former capital of Japan and home to numerous Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples with their tranquilContinue Reading