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.
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