Day 23 in the mountains

A mountain day on the Michinoku Coastal Trail

Our taxi worked beautifully, dropping us at Terashita Kannon for the Walking Course of Prayer. Terashita Kannon and Ushioyama Shrine stand together here, a Buddhist hall and a Shinto shrine sharing the same wooded sacred ground; Terashita Kannon is also the first stop on a 33-site pilgrimage. We explored the shrines and a remarkable old pine before losing the course partway through. Fortunately, we still found the route up Mt. Hashikamidake, where the view stretched all the way to the sea.

The cool weather made for lovely walking through the woods. Farther down, the landscape changed to fields and villages: a woman carrying freshly cut rice, farmers planting garlic cloves in long silver-covered rows, persimmons, chestnut and walnut trees, and someone coming off the mountain with a bag of gathered mushrooms. We kept noticing the carefully tended vegetable gardens—and how few houses had lawns.

Our planned 12-mile walk somehow became 16 miles, with 2,226 feet of climbing. After eight hours on our feet, reaching Kadonohama Station felt like an achievement in itself. The taxi saved us some walking; apparently we found replacement miles elsewhere!

The Prayer Walk

One unexpected highlight was wandering into a 1,300-year-old sacred landscape hidden in the forest. Over the centuries Buddhism and Shinto intertwined here—Kannon statues, shrines, ancient trees, a monk’s hermitage, a five-story pagoda and even a beacon built to pray for sailors at sea. Governments later separated the religions, storms destroyed buildings and the forest reclaimed others, yet people still leave flowers, sake and prayers.

Perhaps the lesson after 1,300 years is simple: beliefs and buildings change, but the human need to remember those who came before us, respect forces larger than ourselves and hope for safe passage remains remarkably unchanged. And occasionally the path disappears—or a small but aggressive bear appears—which seems an appropriate reminder that safe passage is never guaranteed! 😂Read more