Yasaka-ji to Sairin-ji

The pilgrim's route from Yasaka-ji to the next temple, Sairin-ji, passed beneath this blooming camellia just outside Yasaka-ji's main gate.

The path led through fields of rice, leeks, and cabbages...

Tucked away in a copse of trees in the midst of farm fields was this lovely Shinto shrine, here seen over a field of cabbages. In addition the 88 "official" temples (fudasho) of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage there are twenty other sacred temples (bangai) along the route along with numerous other shrines. Some, like the one above, aren't even marked on the maps.

The gate (torii) to the small shrine in the fields.

Here, a short but well-maintained segment of the pilgrim's path branches of a rural road.

Yasaka-ji (Temple #47)

Approaching the main entrance gate to Yasaka-ji. This temple dates to the beginning of the 8th century when it was built by the Lord of Iyo.

A closer view of the entrance gate. Yasaka-ji means "Eight Slope Temple" because it is said that eight paths once led to it.

The underside of the entrance gate is covered with a colorful painting!

The main temple building at Yasakaji.

Wash basin at Yasaka-ji with an elaborate dragon-shaped spigot. The basin is used for ritual purification (hands and mouth) before entering the temple grounds.

En route from Joruri-ji to Yasaka-ji

It was a short walk of about one kilomter to get from Joruri-ji to Yasaka-ji (Temple #47). On the way, I saw a group of pilgrims (henro, or へんろ, in Japanese). Many were wearing the tradtional conical straw hat called a sugegasa (菅笠) and white vest (hakui, or 白衣, in Japanese).

Along the route of the pilgrimage, one comes across many stone markers known as hyoseki. Some are old like this one...

...and others a little younger.

Joruri-ji (Temple #46)

Took a taxi to Joruri-ji (Temple #46) on the southern fringes of Matsuyama city. A very quiet, peaceful setting in a small rice-farming hamlet. Only a couple of other people on the temple grounds. The smell of incense burning, birds singing, and the scratching of a rake as an attendant tidied up the grounds. Beautiful!

Footprint (of the Buddha) stone at Joruri-ji.

At Joruri-ji Temple.

Taisan-ji (Temple #52)

Main gate at Taisan-ji. Again, we had the temple precincts almost entirely to ourselves. After the temple visit, we trekked back to central Matsuyama through ricefields and neighborhoods. As darkness began to fall, the floodlit Matsuyama Castle served as a beacon showing the way home. We walked about 15 kilometers today.

Through orange groves to Taisan-ji (Temple #52)

It took a bit of route-finding, but we finally located the old pilgrim path that wound through orange groves and over a low ridge before making it's descent toward Taisan-ji. A couple of farmers offered us oranges from their trees when they found out we were pilgrims. My first gift as a Shikoku pilgrim!

Enmyo-ji (Temple #53)

A view of the temple precinct at Enmyo-ji. I walked the pilgrimage route from Enmyo-ji (#53) to Taisan-ji (#52) to central Matsuyama today with my friend Bob. Beautiful day, but breezy and quite cold! Not many other pilgrims to be seen today.

Matsuyama Castle

Perched on a 140 meter high hill in Matsuyama city, the Matsuyama Castle (Matsuyama-jo) provides great views across the surrounding city and out to the Seto Inland Sea. The castle is one of twelve "original" feudal castles in Japan.

Matsuyama Tram

Riding the electric tram from Dogo Onsen, one of Japan's oldest public bath houses, to the Matsuyama Castle.

Chinkabashi (ちんかばし) on the Shimantogawa

An example of a chinkabashi, or "sinking bridge" on the Shimanto River. The bridge is designed without railings or other appendages that could snag floating debris during times of high water and threaten the integrity of the bridge. The bridge submerges itself, i.e. "sinks" into the water, when the river floods.

Scene in Rural Shikoku

En route to Uwajima city, we stopped for a bike ride along the Shimanto River passing farming hamlets, small shrines, fields of daikon (large radish), citrus and vegetables. It was such a scene of rural tranquility that I fancied myself riding through the landscapes depicted by Hayao Miyazaki in his animated filme, Totoro.

Ashizuri Chrysanthemum

December blossoms of Chrysanthemum japonense ashizuriense at Ashizuri Cape. Also, along the cliff-tops at Cape Ashizuri are "forests" of camellias (as big as small trees) which break out in floral splendor in February.

Ashizuri Misaki (Cape Ashizuri)

Spectacular weather and spectacular coastal scenery at Cape Ashizuri, the southern most point on Shikoku Island. This area is part of Japan's Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park.

John Mung Statue at Cape Ashizuri

At Cape Ashizuri stands this statue of a man commonly known as John Mung (or John Manjiro). In Japanese, he is known as Nakahama Manjirō (中濱 万次郎). He was a fisherman born in a nearby community who in 1841 at the age of 14 was shipwrecked on an isolated island. He was rescued by an American whaling vessel and traveled with its crew to Honolulu and later to New Bedford, Massachusetts. He returned to Hawaii aboard another American whaling vessel, returned again to New Bedford and set out for the California Gold Rush. He returned to Japan in 1850, and in 1853 as a result of his experiences in America, was made a samurai in direct service to the Tokugawa shogunate. He was involved in the opening of Japan to the west and was part of Japan's Embassy to the United States in 1860. He later studied military science in Europe and served as a professor at Tokyo Imperial University. Quite a resume for a fisherman from a small village on Shikoku!

Reflection at Kongofuku-ji (Temple #38)

I was quite struck by the beauty and serenity of this place. There were only a couple of other people in the temple grounds during our hour-long visit so we essentially had the place to ourselves. We were privileged to have the temple priest accompany us during our visit. He invited us all inside the main temple building where he chanted a sutra for us.

Kongofuku-ji (Temple #38)

Kongofuku-ji is Temple #38 on the 88 Temple Pilgrimage. It sits is a lovely setting surrounded by subtropical woodlands atop Cape Ashizuri.

Tojin Daba

This cluster of giant boulders in the hills above Cape Ashizuri is known as Tojin Daba. There are all kinds of stories about how these are vestiges of a mysterious ancient civilization, but they look like a beautiful natural outcropping to me!

Okinohama Beach

A view of the Okinohama Beach en route to Cape Ashizuri. The beach is an important sea turtle nesting ground. The scene reminded me of the Oregon Coast though our local guides were hoping that we'd tell them that the beach resembled those of Hawai'i.

Fishing boat on the Shimanto River

A lovely, blue-sky day on the Shimanto River, the longest river on Shikoku. Just opposite this landing we enjoyed a delicious lunch of grilled unagi (eel).

Henro-goya

Pilgrims walking the 88 Temple Pilgrimage Route can take advantage of shelters built for their convenience along the route. Most are simple, open air structures, but they provide a place pilgrims to get out of the weather and rest. The shelters are called henro-goya ("pilgrim huts").

Kōchi Castle (Kōchi-jō)

As the day comes to a close, a maple tree adds a splash of color to a classic Japanese scene in central Kōchi city, the capital of Kōchi prefecture. The origins of Kōchi Castle date to the early 17th century. Though it's been restored and rebuilt over the years, the castle is still the original structure and not a replica.

Winter Camellia

A camellia blossom brightens this December day outside the city of Kochi. We're at a little restaurant called the "Log Cafe Cotton Time" for lunch. It's sunny and warm with an almost tropical feel to the air.

The Yoshinogawa

A parting shot of the blue-green waters of the Yoshinogawa River.

Kazurabashi, Iya Valley

The suspension bridge of Kazurabashi (かずら橋) is one of the few remaining examples of vine bridges that once spanned the narrow Iya gorge. It's possible to walk across, but it's best to have a good head for heights. The planks forming the bridge's two meter wide deck are spaced about 6 inches apart so you can see right through to the river below. Made of woven vines (now actually reinforced with steel cables) the bridge is replaced every three years. Some people have called the often misty Iya Gorge area "Japan's Tibet."

Rotenburo at Kazurabashi

We spent the evening in the Iya Valley. The hotel's open-air baths (rotenburo) are perched on a slope above the hotel and accessed by a cable car. The setting of the baths--and the views from them--are, well, remarkable.

Thatch Roofed Farmhouse in Ochiai

A traditional thatch-roofed farmhouse in Ochiai village. Several traditional farmhouses in the village are preparing to receive overnight guests. This will create Shikoku's version of the farmhouse stays visitors currently enjoy at Shirakawa-go in Gifu prefecture on the main island of Honshu.

December Snow

Snow dusts the peaks in the vicinity of Ochiai mountain village, Iya River Valley.

Iya Valley Funicular

There are some lovely hotels in the Iya Valley of central Shikoku. One is perched on the steep-walls of the Iya River gorge, and a funicular carries hotel guests down to the valley floor where the riverside rotenburo (open-air hot spring bath) awaits! Sometimes bathers can spot monkeys along the riverside. There are no other settlements in the vicinity of the hotel and this isolation is so much the charm of the place!

Hinoji

A view of the Shikoku mountains in the Iya Valley region. Here, the Iya River makes a U-shaped bend in the shape of the character "hi" (ひ) in the hiragana syllabary hence the name "Hinoji." This is a place of steep-walled valleys and rugged mountain ridges, sparsely settled and "wild" in character.

On the Yoshinogawa

A tourist boat makes its way up the Yoshinogawa. It was December and there were azaleas blooming in the depths of the gorge. From our boat, giant carp were easy to spot in the crystal clear water.

Oboke Gorge

Spent the night at the Sun River Oboke Hotel deep in the Oboke Gorge. I awoke to this view of  morning clouds slowly dissipating to reveal the peaks that hem in the gorge.

Mountains on Shikoku

Shadowed ridges of the mountains of central Shikoku rise south of the Yoshinogawa (Yoshino River). We are bound for the steep-walled Oboke Gorge of central Shikoku.

Tokushima Ramen

Here's lunch in Wakimachi village. Probably the best bowl of ramen I've ever had.

Autumn display in Wakimachi

On December 11, maple trees in autumn finery frame the Yoshida House in Wakimachi. The merchant who built this house in the late 18th century made his fortune in the indigo trade.

Wakimachi Udatsu

Took a Sunday morning stroll down the main street of Wakimachi village, Tokushima prefecture. This street is known for its "udatsu," the thick wall extensions about the first floor eaves of the building lining the street. The udatsu were built to slow or prevent the spread of fire from one house to the next in the event of a conflagration.

Lantern Light at Ryozen-ji

We were fortunate to have a personal meeting with Yoshimura Chozen, the head priest of Ryozen-ji.He shared with us his thoughts about the pilgrimage and then led us in a short prayer in one of the temples. Serenity at close of day.

Temple #1, Ryozen-ji

We are at Ryozen-ji, Temple #1 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage Route (also called O-Shikoku). The pilgrimage route encircles the island of Shikoku and is about 1,400 kilometers in length. There are 88 "official" temples along the route where Kukai (or Kobo Daishi)--the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism--is said to have trained or spent time during the ninth century. The origins of the Shikoku pilgrimage date to the 12th century although the pilgrimage consisting of the 88 temples didn't emerge until at least the late 16th century.

Whirlpool at Naruto

Looking down on one of the whirlpools that forms in the Naruto Strait during the change of tides. On the underside of the Onaruto suspension bridge that spans the Naruto Strait there's an observation platform with glass panels set into the floor through which you can observe the whirlpools.

Big Sur in Japan?

First lunch on Shikoku was at a restaurant called the California Table with a wood deck overlooking the Naruto Strait where the Seto Inland Sea meets the Pacific. A little too cold to sit outside today.

Fuji-san under the wing

Under the wing of my ANA flight to Tokushima, this view of Fuji dusted with snow. Just over four months ago, I was standing at the summit.

Jet Lag Recovery

A welcome sight near Gate 67 at Haneda.

Arrival in Japan

Arrived at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda at about 5:20 AM on December 10 after a twelve-hour  flight from Los Angeles. Triple 7s and 747s lined up at the domestic terminal ready to depart on domestic runs.

Off to the "Lost Japan"

Watch for my reports and posts as I travel the route of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage on Japan's island of Shikoku. The adventure starts on December 11.