Temple Protocol

1. For all temples you visit if on the meguri or not, you will enter through a main gate. This is the first sign you are visiting a buddhist temple, not a shinto shrine. Bow when you enter and leave the gate to the temple area.

2. Wash hands and clean your mouth in water, which is always located near the entrance to the temple area.

3. When arriving at the temple the henro may stop at the belfry and ring the bell to let Buddha and the temple's main deities know that they have arrived. Apparently you should only ring the bell when you enter and not when you leave, as ringing the bell as you leave may shatter and spoil any enlightenment experience you might have had while at the temple. I wish I had known this beforehand.

4. Proceed to the Hondo (main shrine)

5. Place one Osame-fuda in the box provided. These are the slips of paper on which you write your name, address and a wish or prayer. This is an important step, and in fact the temples on Shikoku are often called Fudasho, ie places where the Fuda are offered. The first image to the right show the colours of the osame-fuda, they correspond to how many times the henro has completed the meguri. I met several people who had been 4-5 times, and one person who had completed 21 meguri!

6. Osaisen (coins) should be dropped in a box in front of the shrine. Senko (incense stick) as well as a candle should be lit in memory of your ancestors.

7. Chant the Hannya-shingyo (heart sutra) once.

佛説摩訶般若波羅蜜多心經 BUSSETSU MA KA HAN NYA HA RA MI TA SHIN GYOU The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. 観自在菩薩,行深般若波羅蜜多時, KAN JI ZAI BO SA GYOU JIN HAN NYA HA RA MI TA JI When the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was practicing the deep Perfection of Wisdom, 照見五蘊皆空,度一切苦厄, SHOU KEN GO UN KAI KUU DO ISSAI KU YAKU he intuitively perceived that the five aggregates are all empty; thus passed beyond all sufferings and difficulty. 舎利子,色不異空,空不異色, SHA RI SHI SHIKI FU I KUU KUU FU I SHIKI Sariputra, form does not differ from emptiness, and emptiness does not differ from form. 色即是空,空即是色, SHIKI SOKU ZE KUU KUU SOKU ZE SHIKI Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form; 受想行識,亦復如是,　 JU SOU GYOU SHIKI YAKU BU NYO ZE the same is true for feelings, perceptions, formations, and consciousness. 舎利子,是諸法空相, SHA RI SHI ZE SHO HOU KUU SOU Sariputra, these are the characteristics of the emptiness of all dharmas: 不生不滅,不垢不浄,不増不減, FU SHOU FU METSU FU KU FU JOU FU ZOU FU GEN They neither arise nor cease, are neither defiled nor pure, neither increase nor decrease. 是故空中,無色無受想行識, ZE KO KUU JUU MU SHIKI MU JU SOU GYOU SHIKI Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no feelings, perceptions, formations, or consciousness; 無眼耳鼻舌身意,無色聲香味触法, MU GEN NI BI ZESSHIN NI MU SHIKI SHOU KOU MI SOKU HOU No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; No form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or mind object; 無眼界,乃至無意識界, MU GEN KAI NAI SHI MU I SHIKI KAI No eye sense-sphere, until we come to no consciousness sense-sphere, 無無明,亦無無明盡,乃至無老死,亦無老死盡, MU MU MYOU YAKU MU MU MYOU JIN NAI SHI MU ROU SHI YAKU MU ROU SHI JIN No ignorance nor the ending of ignorance, until we come to no old age and death nor the ending of old age and death; 無苦集滅道, MU KU JUU METSU DOU No Truth of Suffering, Cause of Suffering, Cessation of Suffering, nor Path to the Cessation of Suffering. 無智亦無得,以無所得故, MU CHI YAKU MU TOKU I MU SHO TOKKO There is no wisdom, nor is there attainment, for there is nothing to be attained. 菩提薩埵,依般若波羅蜜多故, BO DAI SATTA E HAN NYA HA RA MI TA KO Because Bodhisattvas rely on the Perfection of Wisdom. 心無罣礙,無罣礙故, SHIN MU KE GE MU KE GE KO Nothing obstructs their minds. Because obstructions exist not, 無有恐怖,遠離一切顛倒夢想,究竟涅槃, MU U KU FU ON RI ISSAI TEN DOU MU SOU KUU GYOU NE HAN they have no fear and pass far beyond all illusions and imagination and awaken to ultimate Nirvana. 三世諸佛。依般若波羅蜜多故, SAN ZE SHO BUTSU E HAN NYA HA RA MI TA KO All the Buddhas of the past, present, and future, by relying on the Perfection of Wisdom, 得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提, TOKU A NOKU TA RA SAN MYAKU SAN BO DAI attain Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment. 故知般若波羅蜜多, KO CHI HAN NYA HA RA MI TA Therefore, know that the Perfection of Wisdom 是大神咒,是大明咒,是無上咒,是無等等咒, ZE DAI JIN SHU ZE DAI MYOU SHU ZE MU JOU SHU ZE MU TOU DOU SHU is the great mysterious mantra, the great mantra of illumination, the supreme mantra, the unequaled mantra 能除一切苦,真實不虚, NO JO ISSAI KU SHIN JITSU FU KO which can remove all suffering, and is true and not false. 故説般若波羅蜜多咒,即説咒曰, KO SETSU HAN NYA HA RA MI TA SHU SOKU SESSHU WATSU Therefore is said the Mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom: 羯諦羯諦,波羅羯諦,波羅僧羯諦,菩提薩婆訶, GYA TEI GYA TEI HA RA GYA TEI HA RA SOU GYA TEI BO JI SO WA KA GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA 般若心經 HAN NYA SHIN GYOU The Heart Sutra.

8. Recite the mantra/shingon of the main deity of the temple 7 times.
9. Recite the Komyo-shingon sutra 3 times.光明真言 - Light Mantra

唵阿謨伽尾盧左曩摩訶母捺囉麽抳鉢納麽入嚩攞鉢囉韈哆野吽
On abokya beiroshanō makabodara mani handoma jimbara harabaritaya un

Om, the Lord of the Great Sun, Mudra (hand gesture, seal of the Buddha), Mani Jewel, Light and Lotus! Turn the Wheel of Eternal Compassion to all Beings. Hum
10. Kigan and eko prayers. (Kigan menas prayer, eko is to "transfer merit to all beings")

11. Head to the Daishido shrine, (enshrines an image of Kobo Daishi)

12. Offer osame-fuda, money, incense and candles once more.
13. Chant the Hannya-Shingyo sutra once.
14. Chant the Gohogo Mantra at least 21 times.南無大師遍照金剛
namu daishi henjo kongo
Homage to the Great Master, the Vajra of all-pervading spiritual radiance
15. Kigan (the concluding prayer to invoke the power of deity and extend it to all beings)
16. Chant a goeika. (A buddhist hymn which consists of several stanzas. Each temple has different kinds of verses admiring its deity (Honzon), praising the power of the deity and adoring the nature of the temple. It is chanted with a small bell and stick.)

17. Leave for the temple office and ask ask for the seal in your nokyocho.

So how much of all this did I manage? Well, I made sure I at least bowed on entering and leaving, washed my hands, lit an incense stick and after I read the guide book I started to leave an osame fuda at each temple. I would have a prayer or thought at each temple, and get my nokyocho stamped, but as for reciting any mantras or sutras, I passed on this. And as reciting mantras is about THE most important part of shingon buddhism, I was missing a large part of the pilgrim experience here.

So maybe my 88 sins have not all been cleansed yet....

Day 15 - Koya San

54.5 km; 3hr 0min; (18.1km/h)

After having the usual combini breakfast in the hotel room, its back to the road and very quickly on the outskirts of Wakayama. Very soon on route 3 which is back in the nirvana land of rolling hills, terraced rice fields and mist rising from the trees. Just about manages not to rain, until I arrive at the info office in Koya san.

Route 3 has one steep section, but the main climb is on route 480, after joining 370 from the south. So all the routes meet here, yet still the traffic is not great. Virtually all the visitors to Koya san will ascend the mountain tram to the north of the town, and as its a weekday with poor weather this keeps this also keeps the traffic low. But its still Golden Week, where are the crowds?
The last 5km of the climb are never ending bends and turns on a very smooth road, the gradient is only around 7-8% so its very comfortable climb. Still, Koya san is around 1000m and so higher than anywhere I visited on Shikoku
. As the ride started from sea level plus a few minor hills in between, so its a good ride to complete my adventure.

The western entrance to Koya san has a huge and very impressive main gate, yet I could hardly see it through the clouds, almost fog by the time I got to the top!

When you arrive in Koya san you will most likely be dropped off by the bus by the information center. They're very helpful here and can arrange a nights stay in one of the many shukobo here, you just pick a point on the price scale. Its more expensive than staying in the temples on Shikoku, 10,000 yen was the bottom end of the scale.

They book me a place at Shojoshin-in, I am very happy with this as I took many photos of this temple when I visited the town on a previous visit. Its at the eastern end of town, just before the path to the Okunoin. Bath not ready till 4pm, but I check in and leave my bike to walk around town.

Have a slow lunch as the rain eases, then I take my time among the giant cedars of the forested cemetery on the 2km path to the Okunoin. There are over 200,000 grave stones here from military commanders to ordinary people. There is even a gravestone from a pesticide company, saying sorry for all the termites and ants they have killed over the years.

Kobo Daishi was laid to rest, or according to legend started his eternal meditation on March 21st 835 ad at the age of 62. It is believed he is still alive, and 2 meals are prepared for him each day. A great many people, buddhist or not, come to this temple to pray and pay homage to the daishi. It is the central sanctuary of the Daishi faith.

It is an impressive place to end my journey, after following in the footsteps of Kobo daishi to arrive at his resting place here in the Okunoin. After this, I will be back on my own journey again without the guidance of the daishi.

One more official stamp in the nokyocho, but I don't stop there as there are some blank washi pages and so I visit the Hondo and the Konpon Datto (the great Stuppa) where I really do get my final stamps in my nokyocho.

After enjoying the rest of the afternoon amongst the beautiful buildings and forest of the town, its time for a bath then evening meal at 5:30pm. In Shikoku the meals were communal which was nice as I got to talk with other henro, but here I am given a room to myself. Very exclusive, but I would have liked to talk about the journey with other pilgrims about my last 2 weeks at this point. The very tasty and substantial vegetarian meal is served by a monk.

The town of Koya shuts down at 5:00pm, the doors to the temple close at 6pm, so it really is a place of peace and meditation. No party here, at the end of my journey, but quiet reflection on a great journey.

Ceremony is at 6am in the temple tomorrow morning, I will thank Kobo daishi for leading me safely on this wonderful pilgrimage. This is one tour I could repeat in the future, but for now I'll take the photos and memories, and hopefully persuade other cyclists to become ohenro if only for 2-3 weeks. But who knows, one lap of Shikoku in the footsteps of Kobo daishi might be the first of your 21 circuits, or 41 or....

Day 14 - Kechigan

97.4 km; 4hr 32min; (21.4km/h) Temples 84-88-1

Kechigan means "pilgramage completed", and that's what I managed to do today after more than 1400km of cycling!

Wake early, and its obvious that my final day on Shikoku will be a wet one. The rain started later in the night, and the wind has dropped, so its not going to clear. I'll be able to make use of the most useful of my osettai, a pair of waterproofs to cover my panniers. Thanks Akiko san, hope you finished your meguri safely! Osettai are small gifts given to henro on the pilgrimage and range from sweets, money, towels to meals or somewhere to stay overnight. A pilgrim must accept the gift, and offer the osame fuda, the slip of paper with the image of Kobo Daishi, to the person offering the gift.

The first nokoyocho is the earliest, 6:55am as the monk is obviously aware that I had stayed nearby and was eager to move on and complete my meguri. I meet another Japanese cycle henro who I passed yesterday, he ended up doing the same as me by pushing his bike up the footpath! I don't know where he stayed though, theres many possibilities on this large hill. So the descent is great on the closed roads, especially with break pads, and I fly past the tollbooth at the bottom, though almost have fear that they will call the police for this serious crime of cycling on a road for cars.

Temple 85, Yakuriji, also causes problems as its another temple with the possibility of using a ropeway/mountain tram to climb the 366m hill. I wanted to cycle along route 145, but as its raining hard I'm not using the maps as often and end up on route 146 and at the start of the tramway. Its not far, and I am determined to walk/cycle to all the temples today and head up the very steep path beside the tramtracks. Some of this is rideable, again a few steps, but I wouldn't advise this route try to cycle up 145 instead. At the temple I enjoy the falling rain and chat with henro on the steps, but we can't sit here all day and we must leave the shelter and travel onwards.

I remembere 86 & 87 being very wet, and having a nice pagoda, but not much else. SO after these were visited and respected there was only one temple left. The climb is really gentle and only 16km from 87. On the way up I see 3 Japanese macaque monkeys in the thick bamboo by the side of the road. Quite a surprise, as I was only just beyond the outskirts of Takamatsu.

Up and up, then I arrive at Okuboji. Initially no one around, I visit the Hondo and Daishido as usual and stamp my nokyocho with no special ceremony or certificate. I end up buying an extra stamp on a piece of washi paper, but it feels unnecessary.

I take many photos, and meet several people who are now finishing their walks. One couple has taken 3 years to reach this point, breaking the meguri up into 10 sections. You will find Japanese are amazed to learn that I have a 2 week holiday, long weekends are the norm and short 3-4 day holidays to Okinawa or Hawaii are the common way to go on holiday.

Great udon lunch across the road, put some dry socks on and feel recharged before heading eastward - towards temple 1!

Yes, the full meguri is a circle, and ideally you must complete the circle. It also makes a lot of sense for me to do this and leave the island via Tokushima to Koya san now that I have plenty of time. If I had been rushed, I might have headed back to Takamatsu and caught the train home, but I'm glad I didn't have to go back to Takamatsu.

It's a totally different feeling now as I cycle through the terraced rice fields, enjoying the scenery free from visiting the temples and the rituals of the meguri. One noticeable climb up to 1.7km tunnel on route 318, then I7m back in Tokushima ken and soon enough I'm back on route 12 where I was 14 days ago, and counting down the temples from 7 down to 1! Its a great feeling, all down hill and mixed feelings for the henro setting out today. Mixed, as its still raining and they don't get the amazing views and scenery I had on day 1, but also glad to know that they are starting out on a great journey to discover Shikoku, Kobo Daishi and perhaps themselves.

At Ryozenji, temple 1, I can give my final osame-fuda and more incense and pay respects to this small but perfect temple. Kechigan accomplished, yet still theres a blank space in my nokyocho - Koya san.

I leave Shikoku on the 4:30 ferry from Tokushima, 2 hour sailing over to Wakayama. Amazing Japanese attention to detail is appreciated even here as I put my bike in the ferry. Small blocks are put beneath my tyres to stop it rolling, as they are fall all the vehicles on the boat, and strips of material are wrapped around my bike frame to stop the ropes damaging the paintwork.

Its very nice to stay at Tokyu inn, Wakayama with the comfort of a good hotel and views of the castle and the rest of the city.

Js msta shikoku.

Day 13 - Steps, repairs and more steps

99.2 km; 5hr 7min; (19.3km/h) Temples 76-83

Konpira san is a great place to stay and well worth the very small detour from the main pilgrimage route. In fact it's not really a detour at all, you would go further than this distance between temples on most days.

More overnight rain, and when it stops I head up the 785 steps to this very impressive shrine. Shame not all the temples on Shikoku are of this scale, but then I suppose it would take much, much longer to get round. Sure, there are lots of steps here, but if you've made it this far on the pilgrimage you've climbed many more steps than this already, you'll find it light work! The steps are lined with souvenir shops, I am here early and can only imagine the scenes down here will be overflowing with people later in the day. You can climb another 260m to get to the top of the mountain, but as its cloudy there won't be a great view today and I head carefully down the sea of steps and rejoin the meguri with the idea of reaching temple 88 tomorrow.

Early temples are on the flat, easy to locate and we hit the gills again with temples 81 & 82. Its really noticable that the signposts to temples are much clearer in Kagawa ken, on a par with Tokushimas helpful henro signs. Initial high ambitions of completing all the temples today quickly evaporates as I hit the lower slopes of Shiromineji. Along with Negoriji, these two temples stand atop a range of hills which jut out of the flat plains in the northern region of Kagawa ken.
The descent here is very dangerous now due to my non existant brake pads, I still haven't found good replacements. I can hardly brake at all, going round hairpins is becoming quite worrying. Clearly something to take on my next tour, pads wear down quickly with the extra weight and wet conditions.
Then amidst the highways of Takamatsu, a golden superstore comes into view with a "Sports Bikes" shop at its front. All 4 pads are down to the metal now, my rims must be severely weakened after the last few days. But with the new pads, its amazing being able to slow down and stop at will, I was stupid to let them wear down so far without replacements.

I finish the day at 83, Ichinomiyaji, which now I do not remember without seeing the photos. Many temples are like that, and this one is my first ride with heavy traffic along busy roads of Takamatsu, the part I do remember.

Head on towards 84, Yashimaji, which again is set on a 300m bump jutting out of the plains. with the intention of camping near the top. At the bottom of the climb I'm told by a kitchen worker from roadside restaurant that bikes aren't allowed up the road. Of course I take his advice, then try to cycle up heedless and reach the tollbooth where I hope to sneak past the sleeping guard. But no such luck. Yes its true, this road to the top of the hill and Yashimaji is car only. I can't work out why, unless they've had too many accidents on the descent from people cycling to fast.

Anyway there's no way to get the bike up this way, so I decide to take the henro footpath to the top, which is not too far from the road but takes a direct route to the summit. Its steep, far too steep to ride in places and a few steps here and there but otherwise its a smooth paved path and some parts are rideable so its possible to get rider, bike and gear to the top with a bit of effort.

I'm rewarded with a great view of the setting sun over the inland sea, and then a night view of Takamatsu (its best view?) and a deserted temple grounds which I can explore at will. Decent camping area, again its under cover so ready for the approaching rain clouds.

I understand now that after the great distances between temples in Kochi ken, when I see the temples all clustered together on the map in Ehime or Kagawa ken, its easy to think "oh this temple is close to that one, easy route to the next one" and soon enough you've worked out its easy and quick to get between a lot of temples, but it all takes time. Best to just plan one temple ahead, then around 3pm take a good look at the next 20km and try to locate a good place to stay for the night.

Day 12 - Floating on a cloud down to Kukais' birthplace

99.1 km; 4hr 39min; (21.2km/h) Temples 65-75

The overnight rain starts later than the previous night, and so it fails to cease raining until later as well. This means its the first time to cycle in the rain, which is very light, on the meguri so far. I actually enjoy the rain it makes a a change from all that sun and heat, and it seems to bring out the small crabs on the mountain roads! Many of them have or course been crushed under passing vehicles, and they all wave their pincers menacingly at me when I get close, but I doubt they could do much damage to my triple layer panaracer tyres.


Its a good 5km climb up to Sankakuji but not too steep. Theres a good crowd of henro all in good spirits despite the weather, again I think they are enjoying the change in weather conditions. The descent in wet conditions takes the remainder of my brake blocks away, more adjustments are needed here. I pass a few mamachari bike shops on the road, but none of them have replacements. I'll be using my feet to stop soon.

Temple 66 is Unpenji, the floating cloud temple, and its aptly named today. Its the highest temple of the meguri and one of the 3 temples with a convenient ropeway to the summit. You could cycle up the south face, or of course walk up to this temple, but I take the easy route and enjoy the rest in the cable car once again. 2000 yen though, its not cheap, and it's not the most impressive of temples either once you get up there.

Things pick up on the descent though, the weather clears up and its only a few km between temples so it'll be another good haul for the day when we're through.

Most notable is temple 71, Iyadaniji which has 370 steps to get to the hondo. Another temple which is tough for the aging car henro. Hayai desu ne, that's the phrase I hear most of all today as I easily get between the temples faster than the cars and almost as fast as the motorbike henros. Great pace and cruising between the temples, but not rushed at all, and the target is to get to temple 75 before the nokyo close for another day. Comfortably flat, minor hills in this area so no surprise 2km climbs like the end of day 10.

It's always nice to finally accept the end of the days cycling and temple visiting, and relax at the final temple, but this s is even better to difinish at 75, Zentsuji today. Its the birthplace of Kobo Daishi, when he was known as Kukai, and its by far the most impressive and largest temple complex on Shikoku. Many shrines, a huge pagoda, 1500 year old camphor trees adorn the extensive grounds. I am too late to visit the tunnel-path to enlightenment as it closed at 5pm, but I'm sure it would be an experience similar to my visit to Zenkoji in Nagano a few weeks ago.

The shukobo is full here, but that turns out to be fortuitous as I meet another cycle henro who reminds me that the nearby town of Konpira san and the hill Konpira san is a major tourist attraction in the area, and so we head around 7km south towards Kotohira san, aware that the rain clouds are massing behind us.

First have some really tasy udon at the back of an udon factory, then its another great camping spot with a view over the city of Kotohira, beside the oldest surviving Kabuki house in Japan - onsen just 200m away in the hotel, I am really loving this cycle touring in Shikoku now.

Day 11 - Mountain Mist

88.5 km; 4hr 35min; (19.2km/h) Temples 60-64

Very light rain fell overnight until about 7*30am so it was dry in time for the ride to day, despite the late(!) start. Very comfortable sleeping on the grassy field, another camp spot I would recommend to anyone traveling this area.

Breakfast at combini, then its temples 61, 62 & 63 which are tightly clustered
before the serious climb of the day up to Yokomineji. You can leave your bags at temple 63, just ask the monks nicely and they will be happy to oblidge.

Long climb this one, the first section takes you up to a lake which has the best views of the day by far. Take your photos here, the rest of the climb is dense bamboo an dine forest! The ascent, descent and relax at the temple takes a full 3 hours so its a good thing not all the temples are as difficult to get to as this one. The descent is very tricky, its very steep, many cars and the roads are still damp from the mornings rain, so its slow going - and heavy on my brake pads - I'm down to the metal here and need to adjust them to get some more life out of them before they're replaced.
Chilly as well at the top, but the warmth returns as I arrive on the lower slopes.

After the descent and reloading the panniers on my bike its a case of eating lots of combini food/mos burger/evening snack and riding towards the foot of temple 65. The road along route 11 is a long drag, but a quick look to the right and the view of the high mountains, which are never clear from clouds today, is enough to raise the spirits.

I end the day in Iyomashima town which is the least scenic nights stay I have on the entire meguri. First attempts to find accommodation at a hotel and ryokan are full, but very helpful taxi drivers phone around for me and find that Hotel London, a business ryokan, has a room for me. Nice to have a bed, wash my clothes and dry my tent out!
At least that's what I planned, and indeed washing my clothes was the easy part. But there was only one drying machine - and every other henro in the ryokan had the same idea, it turned into quite a battle to get to the dryer to load the clothes, just like a student accommodation block. Even when I did manage to load my wet clothes, someone removed them before they were fully dry and so I gave up and went to sleep, waking at 4am and doing the drying then! So I was stuck in my yukata all evening, I even had the indignity of being called a 'ojiisan' (old man) by some younger female henros. Obviously this was due to my old persons attire and not my youthful physique.

Day 10 - Spirited Away fom Matsuyama

129.6 km; 5hr 42min; (22.6km/h) Temples 44-59

A mixed day today, great descents then confused and backtracking followed by great coastline then a time trial finish across the rice fields.

The rising sun is my alarm clock as usual now. I'm going to buy one of those self inflating ground mats before my next tour, they're super comfortable even on a concrete floor and roll up into a tiny space. Thanks Nakata san! Glad not to be feeling any effects from last nights sake session.

Look for my sunglasses everywhere, but not to be found. I cycle about a km then head back to the hotel, look around the car park where I first parked my bike but then give them up as lost. Pretty scratched up anyway, I'm always losing or sitting on sunglasses.

Very nice to visit the mountain temples, such as temple 44 Daihoji, early in the morning while the morning mist still lingers on the mountain tops, it adds to the ambiance of the surroundings. Beyond here there's a small bump in the road, then its descend the 800m we climbed yesterday and travel north towards Matsumoto. Among the best descents here, and even more pleased that its downhill all the way, a feared steep ridge beyond the main road never appears and we are soon down the mountain and on the flat plains again.

The temple bagging goes into full effect today. I somehow miss temple 49, due to it being so close to 48 and 50. NO help from Family Mart or passers by, but now I realise I was asking directions for Ishiteji which is temple 51 so they were pointing me beyond temple 49. What would happen if I missed a temple on the route, would I go back one day just to complete my nokyocho? I'm not sure, but it would always nag me if single temple had been missed. Anyway its a short backtrack so the order is 50, 49, 51.

Ishiteji is among the most memorable temples on Shikoku, and must be one of the highlights of Matsuyama. Large in scale in every way, very impressive pagoda and huge temple lanterns on the hondo. Also one of the biggest incense burners by the hondo, the air is really thick with smoke here.

I stop by Dogo onsen, which is one of the oldest and best-known onsen hot springs in Japan, with a history stretching back over 3,000 years. The main building in the anime movie Spirited Away was modeled on the building. However its Golden Week, and the queues are large. It would take me one hour to get into the baths and as I would only get sweaty again cycling after the bath it doesn't seem worth the wait. Plus there are many temples waiting on my meguri! So instead I eat opposite the onsen and watch the passers by, the rickshaw runners trying to attract business and the various street artists playing to the large tourist presence here.
This would be a great place to end a day on the road, but its midday for me so I head on after refueling with some nice udon.

Temples 52 and 53 are still in the Matsuyama city limits then the urbanity clears up and we have some excellent coastal riding around the north-westerly part of Shikoku. The roads here were much more pleasant than expected - not heavy traffic, views across the inland sea and many sandy beaches beside the road.

Why so many temples around Imabari? I don't know but there's a large cluster of unremarkable temples around this area. I realise that I can get as far as temple 59 before 5pm, and as this would leave me a clear run in the morning to the big ascent to temple 60, the peddles are turning faster between temples as the pace increases.
Its all going well, until temple 58 - Senyuji, as up till this point I had been sailing around these coastal temples at great ease. But the approach to Senyuji suddenly rose, and the road signs still said 2km to go! Not far, but 2km up hill the time really ticks by and then a long hike up from the car park to the temple really turns the plan upside down. I never race around the actual temple area, its always good to relax and treat the temples with respect, but after I've got my nokyocho stamped its a semi-run back down to the bike then follow the henro signs towards temple 59.
No time to look at the maps now, I put all my faith in the henro footpath signs. They have to be the shortest route, and there doesn't seem to be any major obstructions in the journey here, but its a real maze of roads if I miss a sign I'll be lost in the concrete and have to end up spending the night somewhere in the edge of this urban area.
It all goes well, the signs are small but I don't miss one and I make it to 59, Kokubinji before 5pm. I'm not the only henor racing here, there are several other latecomers as I relax and head south to the next onsen marked on the road map.

Theres a large michi no eki not too far south of temple 59 with a great onsen, decent food and a huge area to camp on. I meet some American cycle tourists here, they'd cycled New York to San Francisco last year but over here there route seems less definite. They've cycled over the bridges from the mainland and hope to get to Osaka.

Sunglasses reappear, wrapped up in my tent - this is not the last time I manage to do this. Good thing I didn't buy the 30,000yen Oakleys in the Imabari bike shop earlier!

Day 9 - Buddhas tree and a Rocky Cave

146 km; 6hr 8min; (23.8km/h) Temples 41-45

This was the fastest, longest, highest finish of a stage of my meguri, and certainly one of the most memorable and enjoyable, I couldn't believe it gets better! Also feeling great after a days rest, really appreciate it today.

Earliest start, I'm well into the camping mode now waking at sunrise and packed up and on the road at 5:40am. Already bright and almost immediately remove the rain jacket as its just too warm. More nice coastal scenery early on then we head inland towards the first temple of the day, Ryukoji.

If you're cycling and following the henro foot signs, it sometimes pays off but after Ryukoji the henro path leads me into smaller and smaller streets until the path disappears up a narrow set of steps around a small reservoir. On this occasion it was easy to follow my nose and sure enough there were more roads built around the south of the reservoir. There's always another side road in Japan.

The side road leads me on to temple 42, Butsumokuji. This is the only other temple on the meguri apart from temple 1 that sells the English guide book to the 88 temples, so I buy a copy from the monk in the Nokyo, he speaks fluent English. Also he is the nephew of the author of the book, Taisen Miyata san, so theres a good reason why the book is on sale at this temple. The author is currently at the Koyasan Buddhist temple, 342 East First Street, Los Angeles and his nephew has spent time at the temple in LA as well. So now I finally have some info on the temples! There has been almost nothing in English so far, but thats not surprising at all as we are in Japan. So I advise sorting out your guidebooks before heading out to the island if you can.

The descent down to Ozu after a long tunnel on route 56 is my fastest speed on Shikoku. Mostly straight with wide, sweeping bends. Only 63.7kph due to wind resistance on my city bike, but it feels fast enough for me.

With the Koinoburi flying high in my direction, the strong tail wind takes me quickly into the mountains along fantastic roads rising very gradually up to temple 45, Iwayaji. This is the first temple I arrive at out of order, as by road it makes more sense to visit 45 then 44 on the way down to Matsumoto. You can do the temples in any order you like, and of course it needn't be all in one go. Many people take several years to complete the meguri, breaking the journey up into achievable sections.
One henro I met today has been waiting 20 years to take the pilgrimage. He is perhaps the most common walking henro, retired men who are generally very fit. He worked for NEC and lived in Ghana for a number of years. The other type of henro is the young hippy, not so many of them but they camp out every night of the pilgrimage. The young henro I met today had walked many places including the European pilgrimage of SaintIago de Compostella, from France to northern Spain.

Iwayaji is one of the most memorable temples on Shikoku. Its a long hike from the car park, at least 20-20mins on an attractive forest path which has steep steps in sections and many jizu and buddha statues along the way. The temple name means "rocky cave" due to the temple being set at the foot of a cliff with caves dug out in the soft rock. One cave is around 30m long as has a small shrine at the end.

Tonights accommodation is once again, beside a great onsen - even if its in a large hotel this time. The camp ground is a shelter beside the hotel shared with 4 other henro. However, I can't fully know if these guys (apart from Fukao san, aka Nakata) are permanent henro or just homeless. One has travelled around Shikoku 21 times, by foot, bicycle and motorbike. Some cheap sake appears and I wonder if my head will feel like another 5:40am start the next day, but we all enjoy a good drink and retire to our tents at a good hour.

Day 8 - Rest Day

0 km; 0hr 0min; (0km/h) Temples 0

A big zero on the clock for the day as I decide to rest at this great spot and recharge the legs for the second half of the meguri. The campspot is on route 56, just south of a tunnel and the small Ainan hanto, about 15km south of Uwajima. I recommend this as at least an overnight stop if you are touring the area.

I hadn't planned to take a rest but the first 7 days have gone so well that I'm confident to reach the final temple in 2 weeks. It's always beneficial to take a rest but I also could have continued cycling today if I had been pressed for time. Also I was looking at the weather, and if it looked like a rainy day coming up then that would have been the rest day, but as it was the forecast was perfect for the next 5 days, so lets relax and enjoy the sunshine!

This section of coastline is dotted with small fishing villages and today I get as far as walking around the small bay to the nearest village. Lots of mussel beds here, and the mussels are being brought ashore by the boat load and polished clean in the sheds by many obasan and ojisan.

Very good guard dog here, seems to spot the foreigner from a great distance. Luckily the hound is well chained up.

The rest of the day is sleep, read, onsen and relax.

The totals so far are 7 days of riding, 751km on the clock and 40 temples visited. The distance is over half way, but I still have the worry that trying to visit another 48 temples in Golden Week will not be possible due to crowds of henro and traffic congestion. At this stage, I think Matsuyama will be a true indicator of my progress around the island, and I will know if I need to speed up or just keep going the same comfortable pace I've managed so far.

Day 7 - Sunshine and Seaviews

119.2 km; 5hr 4min; (23.5km/h) Temples 39-40

Yet another perfect day on the road!

Early start for the service at 5:40am. Gaijin friendly couple offer me their rosary beads for the service and show me how to hold them properly between the fingers of both hands, and also point out where we are in reciting the sutras. The sutra is certainly hypnotic especially with the monk chiming the large bell. After the chanting, the head monk gives a long talk in Japanese, which appears to be amusing, but I understand no mor than its about some bloke who walked around Shikoku. So yes, to get the most out of a stay in a Shokubo you'd best understand more than the basic Japanese. But anyone is welcome, and you should stay for the atmosphere as it is certainly very friendly.　

The road north west from Ashizuri Misaki, along the west coast, is tremendous and I'd love to do a few circuits of this section of the ride if I had more time, but it's on to temple 39, Enkoji. Scenic route as any other and with the koinoburi flying in your direction you know you have a good tailwind.

Today seems to have brought the cycle henros out. One over enthusiastic youth is like a slave to the road and pilgrimage, I hope he takes a rest soon. He's carrying everything on his back, including a large trackpump, so I'm guseeing this is his first bike tour.
Another cycling henro is more friendly and we exchange osama fuda. These are the pieces of paper on which you write your name, address and a wish or prayer. You are meant to leave these at every daishido and hondo at all the temples, as a mark that you have visited, but they also seem to be used as business cards between henro.

After visiting the second and final temple of the day, Kanjizaiji, I find a good tourist map of the area at a road service area. These local maps are very useful, and this one leads me to a great camp site by the sea with a fantastic onsen on the opposite side of the road.
Can't get over how convenient it is to have onsen close to camping sites, again I can bathe, drink, eat and watch a bit of TV (mainly for weather reports) and write my diary. After that I head back to the campspot for a few more beers with a friendly retired Danish man and his Filipino "friend", as she was introduced.

Day 6 - South to Cape Ashizuri

116.3 km; 5hr 21min; (21.7km/h) Temples 37-38

Great sunrise this morning over the bay and the pacific ocean, this was a great camp spot and my gamble with the the falling boulder signs at either end of the road payed off. But in this country, falling boulder signs are not to be taken lightly as you would soon find out on any of the disused roads through the mountains. Earthquakes and landslides are common and my tent wouldn't have put up any resistance against rocks falling from above.
The day starts with a 6km climb up 七子峠 and I am guessing it the best time of day to climb up this section of route 56 in light traffic. Again, the climb up is rewarded with a much more gradual descent and I stop for breakfast at a combini with "henro priority" seating outside, I make the most of this with my coffee and pastries.

Only 2 temples today due to the distances in this area of Kochi prefecture. 37, Iwamotoji is the first and is distinctive for its painted ceiling but its otherwise small and I continue on south. I pass through Yokohama tunnel, and the coast appears at the southern end. Back to the ocean after the morning in the hills!

Happen across a pilgrims rest area at a point I need a rest. Beside the rest area a builders/architects temporary shed is in place, they are constructing a henro path from this point onwards. Its here I spot they have internet access and so I manage to ask for 10mins or so to check email etc. I've not seen any or been looking for any internet cafes on the route so far, but you'll find them for sure in any large town. Comic/internet stores are your best bet, and although some people stay over night in these places in Tokyo, I don't think the average henro would spend the night in one.

Cross the Shimanto river which is supposed to be the most beautiful in Japan, but maybe I'm not looking at its best side. I would guess the best region is further up stream, I'm just crossing near the estuary so it looks like many other rivers in Japan.

Up till now I've not been using my iPod touch for music at all, the scenery and finding the next temple has kept my mind busy. I've only used it as a dictionary and for the maps I'd loaded in before leaving Tokyo. I could get the whole way around Shikoku with my preloaded maps, but I've got a 1:50,000 scale road atlas for back up and its better for the overall picture and planning of the next day. Anyway, as theres a distance between the temples and I fancy some music I put on some Stone Roses and and am blissfully riding along that I miss my intended route along the east coast to Cape Ashizuri. Instead I end up with a choice of turning back, or going along the western road which I'll be returning on the next morning, or head over the top. I go for the latter, and its a bad choice. The road rises 450m over 6km, and at the end of the day this is almost too much for my left knee, it really is about to give up. SO much that it coasts up, carried on by my right leg alone. There's no need for this road at all, the route east or west around the coast are in great condition, and this central route doesn't even have a good view point so it is a final painful climb but again the reward of the descent into Ashizuri misaki almost makes up for the pain of the climb.

The temple at the cape, 38 Kongafukuji has a very tropical feel to it with the plants and landscaped lake in the grounds, plus the many turtle figures around the temple grounds.

I stay overnight at the shukubo here, its 5,800yen for the night plus two meals. Staying at the shukubo is a real opportunity to meet the henro and of course everyone will want to know why the foreigner is cycling around Shikoku. It's very difficult with Japanese who don't know a word of English, more luck if they know a few words, but you would definitely get the most out of the tour knowing more than a few basic phrases. As it is, I still don't know much after being here 2 years, but still they will all say 日本語わ上手ですね。But its a lie.

Set the alarm for 5:40am morning service, breakfast 6am!

Day 5 - Views of the Pacific Coast

87.9 km; 4hr 10min; (21.1km/h) Temples 32-36

This was another amazing day on the road. Wake up around 6am from the idyllic camping spot and make the short journey up to temple 32. Another henro is stirring from his shelter below the temple. Generally retired folk will be staying in minshuku and shukubo, but younger henro are camping or sleeping out in the open every night of their pilgrimage. Its very accepted here and as long as you set up camp late and leave early then no one will complain.

The temple of my year, 34, is Tanemaji. Its set amidst the flooded rice fields and I arrive amidst the incense and a very tuneful henro bus crowd. I buy a manga comic of the life of Kobo Daishi at this temple, I know that trying to read this will be a much more challenging adventure for me than cycling around the island and all its temples.

Temple 35, Kiyotakiji is the toughest climb of the day, but as it only rises 200m its not a big one - just steep, and that's after leaving my bags at the bottom of the climb. This temple is really attractive with a large buddha statue and a wide vista of the countryside you've just climbed out of.

After the sweet descent and a stop at Mos Burger (Japanese burger chain, really tasty and I needed the salt) it was south to one of the most attractive regions of Shikoku for me. There is a small peninsula which you arrive by bridge at the eastern end. The bridge is not so old and you used to need a boat to get the short distance across the water and on to 36, Shoryuji. The peninsula is a ridge about 10km long and about 250m in height but with steep cliffs and amazing views over the ocean. Shoryuji, the temple of the green dragon, is a very attractive with its waterfalls, pagodas and steep steps. In fact the aged henros climbing the steps seem to make more noise going up the steps than when they start chanting at the temple.

Very close to this temple is the Meitoku Gijuku International Boarding School. I saw all the signs in English, welcoming all nationalities etc and as I had been without an English guide book to this point I had the idea that they just might have some guide to the 88 temples in English. Why not, they are next door, it is part of the culture of Shikoku and it would help them learn English? Well that was my plan. Instead, I met the deputy headmaster Junichi Yoshida san, and then his nephew the headmaster of this prestigious school and of course its not every day that an Englishman arrives on the doorstep of such a school in the outer regions of Shikoku so I was dutifully shown around the campus. I was invited to talk briefly with all the best English speaking students and they were very impressive. I am sure this is one of the best schools in Japan, they have famouse baseball and sumo stars as their alumnee, but I was struck at how well behaved the children were and how polite they are to their headmaster. World apart form a school in Manchester, and also, what would happen to me if I turned up inside a school in Manchester in tight lycra clothing? Not worth thinking about.
Anyway, I then find out they have a second campus, which today is having an opening day for the new foreign (mainly Chinese) students and I am to sit through this ceremony in the guest seating area. Again, I am struck by how organised the whole procedure is and how precisely each student jumps up and says "hai" when their name is read out. Also I am aware that I am smelling a bit after the days cycling yet the kind teacher who is translating the events to me (perfect English) is pretending not to notice.
Of course all this time I am thinking "but what about temple 37?" but in reality its much nicer to accept the hospitality of the staff and appreciate their efforts. Also I am reminded that Junichi san is trying to teach me about the word en, 縁 I think thats correct, which means fate or the mysterious force that binds two people together. So on this day "en" had brought me to this amazing corner of the world, I am happy with that.

Back up the hairpin bends and onto the ridge, the remainder of the peninsul is a joy to cycle. Definitely one of the best roads on the island.

Soon stop for ramen at a michi no eki (roadside service area) and pick up a tourist map, and more importantly discover theres a great onsen not far away in Kuroshio, Nakatosa town. Its the perfect end to a great days cycling, the onsen is set on a 100m cliff top above the ocean with views over the bay and lighthouse. Perfect temperature as well so its an onsen to spend some time in, but quite pricey for a nights stay so roll down the hill to a road which has been closed for long enough that a good layer of moss has grown on around the verges - perfect for a soft nights camping.

Day 4 - Confused in Kochi

124.7 km; 6hr 18min; (19.7km/h) Temples 24-31

Very clear skies at Cape Murato this morning as they were last night. It was the first time in a long while since I had seen the milky way so clearly, and that was through the window from my room in the minshuku as it was too chilly to go outside. Might not have seen this were it not for Junichi san,in the room next door to mine, being called several times through the night by his office Sumitomo with some system admin type questions - the paper thin walls don't mask the phone ringing at all. He didn't seem bothered about being on call 24hr even on his holiday, laughing at how simple the questions were.
Short & sweet & steep up to temple 24, Hotsu-Misakiji up a raised road full of hairpins which gradually rewarded us with a larger vista over the ocean. Junichi san joined in the pilgrimage to temples 24 & 25 as they are no major diversion from the main road. But he did find that walking to 24 in cycling shoes was more tiring than the ride up the hill, due to the hard cleat road shoes he had on. So at temple 25, Shinsojo, in the very scenic fishing port of Murato, he changed his footwear to trainers as its another temple with a long, long set of steps up from the main gate to the hondo and daishido.

After that, Junichi san set sail off towards Kochi along route 55 once more as I took out and back diversions to temples 26 & 27. At temple 26, Kongōchōji, I give a short interview to a journalist for the Sanyo Shimbun who is himself walking the entire meguri. I am able to answer a few basic questions in Japanese, but at least he seems genuinely happy to have reported a gaijin henro. Don't know if I made the paper, but I make it onto his blog at least.

I give the prize to the steepest road climb of the meguri to temple 27, Konomineji. The sign at the bottom says only 4km, but as its over 400m and we're starting from sea level, plus the first section is a easy rise through some terraced rice fields, its only going to get steeper. The hairpin bends at the top just below the car park bring back memories of Hardnot and Wrynose pass in the lake district, but with much tighter hairpins. Still I've a triple chainring and it gets up anything even if it quite slowly. The relief at arriving at temples on mountain tops always means you can appreciate the grounds and setting more, and its nice to relax and have a walk, pay your respects and the stamp in the nokyocho feels well earned.

Feels like a longish ride along the coast to temple 28, might be the fair headwind but the warm conditions make it enjoyable. Some sections along route 55 have a decent cyclepath which is appreciated as the road is getting busier towards Kochi city.

For some reason reason I have the mistaken belief that I can get to temple 34 at this point and stay at an onsen nearby. Its clear at this point, on the outskirts of the city that temple signage in Kochi ken is far from the comprehensive signage of Tokushima ken. I make a small U turn on the way to 29 after missing a junction but not a major error. Its clear on the way to 30 which I completely understimated the distance to, that the target end point for the day will need to be reduced. I think its due to the scale in my road atlas changing between pages.

In the end, after cycling off road through the paddy fields, I arrive not lost or off course, just bewildered at the distance and time it took to get there. Also here I visit the adjacent shinto shrine which is huge and mighty impressive. Its quite refreshing to see the different architecture in the buildings here. Its clear that nobody is around, all the pilgrims are at the Zenrakuji which is very small and unremarkable. Its a bug business being on the henro circuit, and almost feels a shame that the shops of the shinto shrine here are deserted.

31, Chikurunji temple with its large 5 storied pagoda is on a hill with panoramic views of Kochi city, and so is an impressive temple to end the day.

So after temples close at 5pm, its very tempting to cycle as close to the next temple as possible in order to maximise the next days henro time. No minshuku or shukubo here, but find a fantastic spot just 400m below temple 32 with views towards the ocean. Tonights meal is just down the hill in an izakaya, soba and beer is enough to fill me up. Chef is utterly amazed that a foreigner has arrived in his establishment. As I am seated by the serving counter, he sits the other side and unnervingly watches me eat and write my diary.

Time to buy breakfast from close Lawson on the other side of the lake, and its back to tonights campsite for a good nights sleep, made easier by the soft sandy base and the warmer conditions.

The lesson of the day is to take each temple as it comes, and enjoy the moment at each temple without thinking about the one 5 down the road.

Day 3 - Road South to Cape Murato

137.9.0 km; 6hr 4min; (22.6km/h) Temples 20-23

This was an amazing days cycling! Ive never taken so many photos and videos in a day, I could have filmed the whole day and watched it again.

Early start 6am for breakfast, its a wonderful experience to roll the bike out of the temples porch area and walk through the grounds back through the main gate to Tatsueji. Its a chilly start but this does not last long as we're soon on the slopes up to Kakurinji, temple 20. The first 2km are steady, but the final 3km is the real tough part of this climb, I would say 14-15% in places. This section is an out and back road from the the main road and this is a pattern for most of the bigger climbs. This means you can leave your panniers and tent at the bottom of the climb, go visit the temple, then descend back to your luggage and reload. I would be very surprised if you have any problems doing this yourself, I would think it more likely a wild animal might have a sniff at your bags rather than anything be stolen by humans in Japan. If you're concerned, just leave a message marking them as henro luggage to be sure.

Great to get a first view of the distant ocean from Kakurinji, only a few hours away now. Beautiful roads along a wide river in a deep valley on the way to Tairyuji, temple 21. This is the first cable car of the route, theres another one at 66 and 85. Of course you can walk to them all, and its possible to cycle to all the temples as well, but this one and 66 I'll enjoy the lift. Here I buy a one way ticket and take my bike up the cable car, but be warned its a steep descent down the east side and the road is very broken plus sticks, leaves and stones litter the surface.

More great scenery, koinoburi (large carp shaped windsocks, flown around this time for families sons ) flying high above and between houses and rice fields on the route. I head to route 55 which is the road south, it goes all the way from Tokushima to Murato Misaki as far as Kochi. For a main road, its sooo quiet! The distance can really be eaten up on this road, long gradual climbs and the descents just go on forever.
I hadnt planned on cycling much further than Byodoji, temple 22, but I end up teaming up with Junichi san who is trying to cycle around the island in 5 days! Hes one day delayed now because of the heavy rain on Saturday, so its a massive 200km down to Murato Misaki for him today. So with a tail wind from the storm still blowing and help from Junichi san, we make rapid progress along the pacific coastline.

Some nice surf beaches here, I think Uchizuma is one of the best. Not a surf town at all, so if you want to reach the waves here you'll need some transport as I dont see any surf rental shops around. Nice to watch, but no real desire to get into the ocean at this point, the cycling is too good at the moment.

Just route 55 skirting the eastern side of the cape, virtually no traffic, and the sea to our left, powered by Family Mart energy gels it feels great to speed down the coastline southwards.

We arrive at Cape Murato just after 5pm and find a minshuku (B&B) absolutely on the southerly point of the cape, again 6000yen is the cost here. The minshuku has a nice bath, good to get cleaned up then explore the shoreline of the cape.
Later the minshuku owner shows us her 88 temple scroll which is incredibly expensive and we are honoured to be shown the scroll, but I dont understand much else about what she is telling us about it.

Minshuku have sentaku (washing facilities) by the way, so a very useful place to wash and dry all your clothes after the first few days. I recommend this pattern of camping a few nights then use minshuku for washing clothes, better nights sleep every few days and I'll do that again in the future. There are still many coin operated laundries by the side of the road, especially in larger towns, so its no problem to wash clothes.

Day 2 - Spring / a nameless hill / shrouded in mist.

50.0 km; 2hr 14min; (22.4km/h) Temples 13-19

The predicted rain arrived just before midnight, and thankfully my tent is under shelter as the owner of the campsite recommended. Its near typhoon rain, hitting the shelter hard and later the wind picks up to gale force. No way was I going out in that, so its sit around the campsite reading all morning. The rain continued till after midday, and I had given up hope of any cycling this day and was busy packing for a day in the onsen when the rain stopped at 1pm as suddenly as it had started. The best thing about storms like this in Japan is that generally the next few days will be warm and dry, and in fact the great weather lasted the next 12 days.

Kamiyama onsen is still a few hundred meters above sea level, so the ride was all downhill back to temples around Tokushima. Great scenery, clouds clearing away from the mountains and mist rising off the forests, it was a great feeling descending beside the surging rivers.

Temple 13 was crowded and my first experience of the henro bus tours. My greatest fear, this is what could slow the whole pilgrimage right down. Most pilgrims travel by car or bus, but when the bus tours turn up the tour guide takes a sack load of nokyochos/scrolls/clothing to be stamped and signed. Its only at times like this that several monks are enlisted to stamp the seals of the temple, and the only time the peace and tranquility of the temple is more distant.

The road from 17-18 was fantastic - route 203 climbing steadily for 3km over a hill which means you can avoid any heavily developed areas of Tokushima city. More wisteria in bloom, mist really clearing away and the skies becoming bluer by this time. Surprised not to see the sea from the top of this climb and descending the east side, more hills and buildings obscure the not too distant coastline.

Onzanji, Temple 18, was a great setting tooked away up a small hill again in dense forest. Nearly all the temples which are off the flat have many steps leading away from the car/bus parks. I think this is great for the long cycle tourist, it means you get to use other muscles and have many breaks from cycling during the day. The bus henro might not agree - they all tend to be pensioners, so any number of steps leading to temples leaves them out of breath.
At the nokyocho I ask how far it is to temple 19. I worked out it was around 5km away, but the nuns said it was impossible to get there before 5pm (when the temple closes) as it was now 4:40pm. So my first race challenge is on! Across more rice fields, around 38kph and memories of training with Tokyo Cycling Club come flooding back as I keep the pace going and keep looking up for the small red henro signs, or any other signposts pointing the right irection. In fact, Tokushima is so well signposted you really dont need a map. Not so in Kochi ken, but that is later. I could have made a wrong turn at the last section, but my judgment is good and my choice at a junction leads me to the honmon, main gate of the temple.
Just before 5pm I get to the temple grounds and even have to excuse myself from over friendly monk trying his English as I get to the Nokyo to sign my book. Once its done, its a great feeling to relax and fully absorb the setting knowing its the end of the day and its been another great day.

Tatsueji, temple 19 is my first stay at a shukubo (temple lodging). And its a really nice place to stay. Big room, it even has tv, and dinner is vegetarian in a communal area so I meet the others staying at the temple. Only 5 others tonight, 2 are walking and the other 3 travel by car. Also, good to find out that beer and alcohol is not taboo in the shukubo! The cost is 6000yen to stay here, evening meal and breakfast. This temple has an evening service, and Im just too late to attend, so its eat, bathe and relax after a short days cycling, but thats good as there are big hills and a long way to travel the next day.

Day 1 - Journey to Burning Mountain Temple

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.

Pilgrim eve

Bags are just about packed, now just waiting to take the bike to Yokohama and get on the night bus to Matsushige, near Tokushima and the start of the Shikoku pilgrimage. The pilgrimage starts in Tokushima as its the closest point on Shikoku to Koya san in Wakayama prefecture. Koya san is the headquarters of the Shingon sect of buddhism and is the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, and many of the pilgrims (known as o henro) will visit this temple complex before or after the Shikoku 88 temple tour.

Weather looks decent tomorrow, terrible on Saturday but after that its going to be a great temperature for cycling. So lets hope the bike (and me) make it to the island in one piece for an early start tomorrow morning. Little chance of a good nights sleep though, these night buses can be a real pain, but its half the price of the train, and gets me there nice and early instead of wasting half a day.

Here goes...

Final Hanami Ride of 09

The peak of cherry blossom in Tokyo was around Tuesday, 7th April so by now the flowers have all but blown away into the rivers leaving pink river banks in the intertidal regions. You don't have to go too far into the hills to find the blossom again, as its a few degrees cooler further inland, but this will be the final ride in the cherry blossom for this year.

Getting wamer now, the sign above the road at the start of the climb behind Takao san was 23 degrees at 10am, some areas of Tokyo were up to 27 yesterday. Spring is a very brief period indeed in Japan, passing from the snow and ice to hot and humid almost with the 2 week period of the cherry blossom.
For us, it made for a very pleasant day in the sunshine with the cherry blossom gently falling like snow. If it wasn't for the 161km and ascent of Wado Touge, it would have been a very pleasant ride.

The route was the same as my Return to Wado Touge route, plus a very nice extension south of Sagamiko lake. Very quiet roads to the south of the lake, most traffic continues on to Yamanaka ko and towards Fuji san.

With the return of Thomas and Sergey this week, the pace is faster but thats OK as the main section of the ride from Takao station and back is only 75km.

Thinking that would be the toughest part of the day over, we head along the still in bloom Asagawa before linking up with the Tamagawa for the run home, only to find a strong headwind which is going to bring the pace right down again. At least it means its safer cycling through the prams, roller bladers, backwards walkers and toy dogs which are constant obstacles along the riverbank cyclepaths every weekend.

This is my final long ride before the tour starts in 2 weeks, I wont be doing anything like this distance in Shikoku. Nice to relax on a Sunday morning as well, glad I don't have to go out and do another 100km today....

Is it possible?

Is it physically possible to complete the pilgrimage in 2 weeks? I'm now having doubts, having read through more accounts and meeting up with an experienced Henro san in Shibuya last week. Its going to be Golden Week, the busiest time for bus loads of henro. Even if it takes a minimum 10 mins to get the nokyocho signed with calligraphy and stamped, thats still going to be 880 min or 14hrs 40min, even if I find the temples on time!

I think the mileage is doable, but delays locating temples, climbing up to them and general faff, its going to be a tough challenge to complete in 14 days.

Okumasushi Madness

This weeks tour of the mountains north west of Tokyo took involved another train ride out to the start and finish point, Ome, just over half an hour from Tachikawa.
From studying the route using terrain view on Google maps, its very hard to spot any flat in this ride at all. And in fact there was none. Even the supposed "ridge" after the main climb of the day was undulating to say the least.
This week the usual suspects were Alan & Naomi, Dave and Patrick. New faces (at least to me) were Deej on his new bike "Black Thunder" and Brett. On a scale of 1-10, the gears on Deejs new steed go to 11 - I didnt know they went that far, and that means my triple chain ring only gave me a 2 gear advantage on him.
His first ride on the new bike, and he rode out to Ome and back - a massive 228km for the day !!

It was the first day of spring for the bikers, with the arrival of cherry blossom means we can now cycle in shorts without fear of blizzard conditions on the mountain tops.

Too many passes and climbs today, but the big one is called Sadaminetoge. Its a small winding track through great scenery, gradually rising 650m climb over 12km, except the final 2km which must have taken the majority of the ascent. When you start seeing the circles in the concrete road, to prevent ice and such in winter, you know you're on the steepest sections. Couldnt imagine doing this climb in summer.
Descent was fun due to aggressive speed bumps across the road as well as rock slides, but it was possible to weave your way down without hitting them too hard. Although Alan learnt this after the first few, his water going flying after he was launched into the air by one of the bumps. Still, it keeps the roads clear of racing motorbike gangs.
Other than that one, the descents were fantastic, and speeding through the 2km tunnel downhill before the start of the final climb was exhilarating to say the least. I really dont like these long tunnels, its always best to stick to the middle of the road to prevent any vehicles from even thinking about passing on the way down. As it was, we were on the breaks due to the traffic on this occasion.

Anyway, its a tough ride. A long day in the saddle, and good training for whats to come in only 3 weeks time now.

3 Prefectures

小田原　足柄峠　三国峠　山中湖　乙女峠　小田原

Odawara - Ashigara-touge - Mikuni-touge - Yamanaka-ko - Otome Touge - Odawara

This weeks hills ride started and finished in Odawara, with a big loop out to Yamanaka ko with 3 main climbs including the fearsome 三国峠 Mikuni Touge. The 3 prefectures of Shizuoka, Kanagawa and Yamanashi meet at the top of the mountain, hence the name Mikune Touge (3 lands).
Initially missed my intended train but luckily we are in Japan so after changing trains in Yokohama and later at Ofuna I was still in plenty of time to meet the others in Odawara. Alan, Naomi, Dave, Patrick and Todor started out.
First climb of the day up Ashigara Touge is tough enough - Todor san is in trouble already, and we catch him cutting corners by hiking between hairpin bends at the summit. Hes having a bad day and heads back after the descent, but still puts in an impressive ride back to Enoshima.

Before this ride, I was reading various warnings about the main climb of the day - gradients of 18%, snow, 800m of climbing a very tough 100km+ ride - all true, apart from the gradient was only 14% I believe.
As we climbed higher, the temperature dropped noticably and the remains of yesterdays blizzard (which prevented a TCC splinter group climbing the mountain) still lay at the sides of the road. At the top I am still out of breath when Naomi arrives apologising in a very Japanese way for being so slow and holding us up. Unbelievable, we have hardly reached the summit ourselves.

Descending down to Yamanaka ko we were treated to magnificent views of Mount Fuji as well as the lake itself. The road doesn't drop much to the lake, the real treat is the descent down to Gotemba after leaving the lake at its southerly point. The descent here is great, fast and very very long (~20km) until the final climb of the day, Otome Touge which was again long but a very gradual gradient and so an enjoyable climb. Through the tunnel, then descend amidst the Hakone day traffic down to Odawara.
Very close to Lake Ashi and Hakone, we could see the steam rising from the sulhpur beds high on the mountainside where the cable cars take the hordes to east their blackened eggs, hard boiled in the steaming waters.

So training is well on track with regards to distance and mountain climbing with less than a month to go before heading off to Shikoku.

Return To Wado Toge

Another sunny Saturday between days of rain, so get out there and bag a few more mountains and another 132km ride for the legs.

Trying to shake off a cold at the same time, the last week I've been unsure what my nose has been up to. Was it allergy to the cedar tree pollen which many Japanese and several gaijin are complaining about, or the yellow sand from the Gobi Desert in China which blew over, general pollution or a cold? In the end I think the latest cold virus is the culprit, but it still could be due to all the factors around atm.
The ride along Tamagawa is helped by a tail wind, temperature around 15°C, so great March weather. People seem to be booking their spots beside cherry trees already getting ready for hanami, which should be later next week. Up and over Takao, this climb still gets you breathing, but can't be considered a true climb any more after last weeks route.

Hazy day, so no view of Fuji san from the viewpoint on the climb up to Wado Toge. Today the climb is from south to north, up through the small villages and blossoming plum trees before the road narrows and becomes duodenal like.

At the top of Wado Toge, theres a stony track leading north. You can see it clearly on google maps, and it leads down to where we're descending to, but its mountain bike territory. Would be good, but it would be tough work getting an mtb up here.
Descend to Hachioji, then back along Tamagawa - this time the wind between Fuchu and Noborito is not as welcome. Tough section, then back home.
Good days training in all.