• Susan WaglandJapan 88 Temples PilgrimageTraveler
    Temple 14 bell
    Temple 14 bellBreakfast in the lorry parkNice house with shed and own rice fieldRural scene, power lines everywhereHillside graveyardWeeping cherry treesWalk through the tunnelLily gingerTemple 13Jizo with offerings of bottled water, local citrus fruit and camphor leavesTemple 14Roof of main hall, Temple 14This was loud @JacquesUnusually bright house, most buildings are neutral coloursTemple 15Calligraphy from Temples 14 and 15Temple 16Temple 16 main hall, dragon on roofTemple 16, Yonaki (evening/cry) Jizo, makes children stop crying at nightTemple 16, KukaiTemple 17 was grand1Dragon waterMain hallMy Ryokan Uroko-roRyokan roomDinner: pumpkin soup and baked mackerel came later

    Temples 13-17, Kokufu

    October 11, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    I chose an alternative, more rural route to Temple 13 and saw no other Henros. It went through a National Park with pine trees and weeping cherries and passed a power station surrounded by orange-flowered shrubs.

    First, I walked 5km to a convenience store to buy breakfast and lunch. As you can't eat in the shop, even in the 'restaurant area', my breakfast was outside at a picnic table by the lorry park.

    Every temple is different. Some are grand, some modest. Each has its own deity. Temple 17 seemed popular and a Japanese family was enjoying the rituals, especially ringing bells.

    I'm sleeping in a traditional Ryokan guest house on a futon with tatami mats. Dinner, with a couple from Vancouver, was very tasty homemade Japanese food. The owner helped me with future bookings as I can't use my phone in Japan, or speak Japanese.    Read more