98.0 km; 4hr 59min; (19.6km/h) Temples 1-12
The night bus from Yokohama to Matsushige was remarkably comfortable, 3 single seats in a row and even enough leg room for me to recline and get a decent nights sleep. Night buses always involve stopping at service stations, but still I arrive on Shikoku island just after 6am and ready to peddle off to temple 1 to start the meguri.
A short 12km peddle to Temple 1, and the first stop is the shops to the front of the temple. All the henro needs are found in this shop including the Henro kasa (straw hat), white robes and the walking stick to symbolize Kobo Daishi. If you haven't bought an English guide to the temples yet, buy one here as you won't find another one until temple 42 as I discovered.
You can buy everything else at almost all the temples, so topping up your incense stick supply or candles or even if you lose your nokyocho (book to collect stamps/seals) its no problem.
I spent a long time trying to decide on which Nokyocho to buy, as I knew this would soon become one of the most treasured items of the pilgrimage. More than a book of stamps, at each temple a monk or nun will stamp the book with the name and mantra of the temple, and then write the same very skilfully with large calligraphy brushes. There are many sizes of nokyocho, all surprisingly at the same price. I went for one with the images of the 88 temples lightly printed on each page, the adjacent page being empty ready for the ink and stamps of each temple.
Be aware that theres another shop inside temple 1 which has a better ambiance so you might prefer to buy your goods here rather than the more supermarket style first shops you see when approaching Ryozenji.
The first few temples are close together, barely 4-5km apart and although unspectacular they are still atmospheric and in good condition.
Dainichiji (Temple 4) is a in an attractive setting and its clear that this is a great time to visit the area. The forest and valleys are lush green and are frequently coloured in purple patches by the flowering wisteria.
At this time of year the rice fields are being irrigated for the first time of the year, if not already flooded. This brings the frogs out as well, they start croaking with glee with the return of the water and the noise although not deafening is as constant as the sound of the cicadas, the sound of hotter more humid times.
I soon make progress to Kirihataji (temple 10) and its very nice to sit and listen to the story of the temple by an old man who seems to be a caretaker of the grounds. Hes sweeping away leaves from the many steps up to the temple area but takes time to write in perfect English the story in my diary. While hes writing, a delivery van descends the very steep hill close to where we are sitting, and over cooks the hairpin bend till hes stuck in the trees. No chance of reversing, the road is too steep. So it takes 5 henros including myself to sit at the back of the truck to put weight on the rear wheels until the driver gets traction and he can navigate the tight bend back down the hill.
I make a big blunder whilst getting my nokyocho stamped and signed by taking a photo without permission. The nun is very old, and she is utterly offended by having her photo taken, I am really embarrassed and delete the photos and can only say sorry. I was really surprised, as there is generally no restrictions on taking photos around any of the temples. So after this point, I make sure I ask permission before taking a photo when people are the subject.
Around these early temples which are tightly packed its far faster travelling by bike than car. This means I keep seeing the same car henros, they are amazed how fast I travel, and even more so at the top of burning mountain temple, number 12 and the second highest temple of the 88 temples.
The route to temple 12 is perhaps the best climb of the meguri. I approached it from Kamiyama so it rises gradually for 5-6km along a large river, but the final 5km average 10%. The road winds up through thick bamboo forest then dense pine dotted with more flowering wisteria and eventually the temple complex after a short walk.
Its really great to relax at the temples and climbing the big mountains to arrive at such scenic locations and seal it with a stamp in the nokyocho makes the ride all the more enjoyable.
Great descent as well, then I make my way to Kamiyama Onsen which has a camp site behind the baths. Onsen are going to feature heavily on the pilgrimage. Not only a bath at the ned of the day, but you can always relax in the rest areas, write a diary and recharge the camera/ipod batteries. Plus they all have great food so you dont need to leave the building till it closes, then its back to the campsite.
Great first day - I had thought the early temples around Tokushima would be a built up area, but it turned out to be very scenic rolling hills and rice fields.
Amazing it took me 3 days to walk from temple 2 to 12. The whole time
ReplyDeleteI only saw one person (a German chap) who had biked the whole 88 temples. Took him 29 days with two days off for rain. Temple 10 is stunning and just a whisper of what is to come between 11 & 12.
The temples are all special in their own way, I particularly remember temple 10 as the groundsman wrote a story about the temple in my diary.
ReplyDeleteGo at your own pace and you will enjoy the whole journey. I covered ground quickly between temples on my bike, and I have a lot of admiration for the walkers like yourself, you are much more dedicated than us cyclists!
Hello Andy,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for writing about your experience.
I will be doing the pilgrimage in the heat of summer, as it's the only time I have available before I return to America. I too will be doing it by bicycle. I have been training almost everyday, and I ride my bike to work everyday; but I probably won't be anywhere near your level. Thus I wanted to ask you about your trip.
For your route, was it the shortest route, the scenic route, or a combination? and in your total distance for each day you rode are you including riding during your non-temple transit times? I'm trying to plan my route and adding up distances and such, but they don't come close to what you have for your total of the day.
I know that it won't be exact and my guide and my actual ride will differ, but I'm hoping it's not by 50kms per day :P
I'm comfortable doing 100kms per day, but probably not if it's all hills and mountains. I'm aiming for 16 to 17 days, though I do have a buffer of a few days just in case.
Any tips you can offer?
Cheers!
Hello Zoomy,
ReplyDeleteI know another henro whose first ever bike tour was in the heat of August, he was on a mountain bike with makeshift pannier bags, but he made it in 3 weeks.
Ive seen blogs by riders who ride around in 5-6 days, just seeing the temples or passing by the area, but in order to visit all the temples and at least collect all the nokyou I recommend 12-21 days.
The times I posted are rolling time for the day. Most days I would be either visiting temples or eating between 7am and 5pm. The sun is up soon after 4am, so if you're camping you will probably start cycling to the first temple from 5am onwards.
The route I took was more or less following the meguri road signs. You will see signs for walkers and road traffic. Sometimes it pays off to follow the walkers path, very quiet, often through the paddy fields etc but sometimes you will be faced with steps or unrideable terrain - best to follow the road signs. I didnt deviate from this path, so its about as short as possible, the route is scenic enough without taking any diversions! (The only diversion I took from the meguri was to visit Konpira san in Kotohira)
You could use my times as a guide for the first few days to compare your progress. I kept a steady pace over the whole tour, no parts rushing around more than others. I dont think its possible to average more than 100km a day and spend a respectable amount of time at the temples. Also note I had great weather throughout - you may have typhoons in summer, not just a day of rain.
It is definitely best to treat the pilgrimage with respect, its not a race. You will meet many Japanese retirees who have planned the meguri for many years, and for most it is a true spiritual experience.
If you only make it half way around the island, then that gives you an excuse to come back to Japan to complete your pilgrimage!
Thanks for the reply Andy.
ReplyDeleteI have from August 7th to the 31st to complete the pilgrimage, but my current plan has me finishing in 17 days, I feel comfortable and confident with this.
Yeah, I'm hoping my No Typhoon streak holds this year too. I've been in Japan for three years now and have yet to experience one in Shikoku island. More reason for me to stick to a shorter plan of 17 days than dragging it out, if a typhoon hits I can accommodate it by shifting days as necessary.
Thanks for the advice! :D