Woke early at 5:45 and hit the road. Tough climb to Temple Konomine 27. Left my pack at guy’s house and took just under 2 hours up and back. Temple Master Singhon was not there though. Walked on as it got very hot and felt sluggish and saw there was train line so took it 13k limiting my walk to 21K. On The Camino and other pilgrimages I would rarely take a bus or train but this walk requires some significant urban walking.
Got off train 4k before Sumiyoshi-so and nice walk near beach on bike path and sweet couple saw me walking and stopped and gave me osettai of bottle of cold grapefruit water. Delicious.
Sumiyoshi Minshuku is great. Seaview and Keko the owner sewed my torn Hakue. Nice tea and cold water and very good bath and great green Yukata. They also let me use washing machine. Awesome dinner of sashimi, cooked fish, soup, etc.
22 April, 2018
Equally good breakfast with fried egg and some ham slices, fish, soup, yoghurt, banana and a cut up tomato.
Walked 10k to 28 and talked with 2 Danish guys and Japanese American retired scientist from Washington DC. Also passed a statue maker with some interesting items:
Walked on to beautiful Temple 29 where I gonged and then chanted and the calligrapher said the chanting was good and would I like to enjoy a matcha tea experience.
She showed ne a sign saying 400 yen. I said sure and she took me outside and then to another building and sat me at a nice table with a view of their gorgeous gardens and gave me a sweet and the matcha tea which was quite nice.
I asked how much I owed and she said it was osettai. And pointed to a guy taking photos and that I would be in Kochi newspaper. She then took me out to get some cold water for the road. Very nice stop.
Walked on to 30 through rice fields and then ran into Gandalf just before Temple 30. Temple 30 the calligrapher gave me a pack of tissues with little Buddhas on it. The Japanese translates as “thank you for coning” and was drawn by a resident monk. So sweet.
Walked on to Supria Chres Hotel where the sweet checkin girl gave me two band aids for osettai and then a tea and sweet. Nice hot bath spa before going out for Italian for dinner. Rode a bike provided by the hotel.
Temple Kokubun 29 had beautiful gardens:
