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.
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