I’ve walked more than half the distance and seen more than half the temples, so I’m well and truly making progress.

I’m in Matsuyama as I write this, near the top of Shikoku island on the northern shore. As predicted the towns and villages are much closer together and there are generally more roads and buildings. It’s both good and bad.

Good because it translates into more options for food and accommodation. There are more roads too, so it’s possible to chose between a number of possible routes during the day, some following forest trails and others through regional parks or wetlands, others past residential neighbourhoods and towns.

Typical pilgrim rest hut along the route

Bad because the feeling of being lost in a place time forgot has, at least for the time being, gone.

“Unmanned” kiosk on the road, using the honour system

It’s not all pretty valleys and roads – leaving Ozu

Since my last post I’ve spent a little over a week in the mountains and valleys and really enjoyed it, though it turned cold. Mornings were decidedly frosty and farmers’ troughs and water barrels had a thin layer of ice until the sun burned it off later in the day. I’ve also been treated to beautiful autumn colours with the changing leaves and hardy tufts of rice drying in the fields.

It’s orange and parssimon season here – mikan and kaki– and I’ve eaten pounds of the stuff. They make an obvious offering for us pilgrims and seemingly everybody on the island doles them out. Parsimons in particular are heavy, so rather than lug them around all day I usually just eat them as soon as I get them. My fibre and vitamin intake is well up.

The temples themselves are once again found in clusters only a few kilometres apart; it creates a sort of festive atmosphere as there are more pilgrims and day-trippers visiting, and more little shops and places to get something to eat.

My room for the night at a minshuku lodge

It also accentuates the different in appearance between us walking henro and the day visitors. Day visitors look clean and tidy and un-wrinkled.

The next week or so will have us walking along the Ituski-Nada Sea, part of the Seto inland sea that forms the barrier between Shikoku and the main Japanese island of Honshu. It’s a largely industrial area, though the 88 Temple route goes inland as often as possible.

Downtown Uwajima – Santa Monica east??

I’m not sure what to expect. The route as drawn in my guidebook looks busy and congested, but a lot of the temples are in valleys and away from the towns. I guess I’ll find out.

I see a new batch of pilgrims now. Most of the folks from the early days of the walk have disappeared, ahead of me or behind. I heard from one man that someone I knew from the first week had given up and gone home. I met an American guy from Virgina a week ago. When I introduced myself he said, “I’ve heard of you. You’re the Canadian”. So I gather I’m leaving a trail behind me (of something).

A few of the many direction signs along the way

I feel good. I’m well into a rhythm and aside from the odd ache and pain now and then I feel healthy and enthusiastic, still enjoying the walk and looking forward to what’s coming over the next few weeks.

It’s hard to know for sure but I reckon I’ll be finished around November 24. It’s customary that the pilgrim return to temple 1 after reaching 88 to complete the circle, and I’ll no doubt stumble into the temple grounds dusty and road weary but possibly wiser for it.

Stay tuned!