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Japan

March - May 2024
A 64-day adventure by Uncle Woully Read more
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  • TravelerJapan
    Day 1

    The long flight to Japan

    March 11 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    I sneak out of the hotel room early but Oliver and Jill were awake and I get to say goodbye again.

    The flight is uneventful and I reach Japan where I am a bit bewildered trying find the sim card office. I had prepared enough that in the end I managed to find the hostel.
    Japan is really well organized and luckily uses English for travelers in the big cities.

    I'm pretty tired but I'm focused on trading and I stay up long enough to get my review done and my trades in.

    The hostel is super basic and there are a few young kids from various nationalities there. But I'm too tired to engage in conversation and it's off to bed.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    1
    Day 2

    Osaka rain day

    March 12 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    I know it's raining all day so the plan is to find an interesting museum.

    I am trying the area around the Osaka castle. I take the metro with a day card so I can go anywhere all day without walking too much. I run into the history museum but they are closed on Tuesday, pity that would have been a perfect start for the first day in Japan.

    I'm on my second cup of coffee staring out at nice architecture and the castle in the park, drenched by unrelenting rain. I'm dry. I'm happy and I'll read up on some Japanese history on my phone.

    I'll walk to the castle in a bit. Then I might try another inside attraction. Meanwhile I get into a nice traveler conversation with Tino from Italy who is a contemporary in the restaurant business traveling all over the world living from city to city doing his consulting. He's in Japan for a month just traveling around unbound by any kind of schedule.

    I walk to the downtown waterfront and find a small Japanese locals restaurant where I have udong noodles with seaweed. Then I go to the famous Osaka shopping street, It's enormous, many city blocks with covered pedestrian streets to avoid the rain. It seems the entire city has descended into the street to hang around the shops and the food vendors. I have some Takoyaki octopus dumplings. Delicious.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 3

    To Tokushima

    March 13 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    I tried to make a bus reservation online but it was not really possible, however I did figure out the bus route. As a result I was able to find the closest station to board the bus. It was a very nice Osaka neighborhood walk to the station. The Japanese place a decibel meter by construction sites so the public can monitor how loud the work is.

    I'm finding lots of healthy food choices available even in the 7/11s which are everywhere in the city. The warmth in the bus makes me very happy after yesterday's cold. I didn't realize how much this matters.

    Fukoshima is a very approachable small city and the have a "Vie de France" pastry shop that is to die for. I'm in trouble for sure. As a Henro I am presented with free entry to the Awaodori dance performance. I feel so good again to be on the road with just a backpack. It's the ultimate freedom and felicity.

    The tram takes me to the top of mount Bizan from where you can survey the entire conglomeration below. I walk back down the mountain to check into the hostel. In the elevator I meet other pilgrims who have done the first 4 days and are back in town, as the trail comes somewhat near here and it is apparently not uncommon to take public transportation from the trail to a hotel or hostel and back to the trail in the morning.

    They invite me along to an Onsen hot bath and dinner. A fun time where I mostly hear their stories of the trail but not much introspective conversation. It's not the Camino.

    Because of the pandemic many lodgings closed and now on the rebound there are more pilgrims than before and reservations must be made well in advance. I had my first three nights reserved but not beyond and this hostel is already full for tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 4

    Good foot work - good life

    March 14 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    That's what the bill board said, how appropriate. The downtown train brings me to the first temple on the other side of the wide flat industrialized valley. I ride with Agnes, a French lady who has all her accommodations lined up for the entire walk. She gives me a link to a geo-referenced map of the 88 temple trail. It's very handy and prevents getting lost in the woods, which the group I meet yesterday managed to do a couple of times.

    I'm just visiting three temples today. We speak French and I keep her company on and off as we're on the same schedule. The temples reflect many centuries of Japanese culture. There is a Japanese group that follows the ritual and chants beautifully. I observe their energy, it's uplifting the spirit. As I do this I connect with the universal power again.

    Agnes is a caretaker for a couple who are 101 and 95 years old every morning the man leans over to his wife and gives her a kiss on the mouth to show her his love and we believe that that is part of his longevity.

    I get to meet the man who wrote the guidebook that everybody uses. David is telling me a few things as he is guiding a Canadian couple from Temple 1 to 4.

    Agnes is having a hard time and needs to take a bus to the fourth temple, I'm afraid that she won't be able to stay on her detailed schedule without a lot of public transportation. I find the bus stop for her and we part ways.

    I walk in the park down town and receive a recommendation to go see the Sakura, cherry blossoms, by the river. I go to the Awaodori dance performance which is mesmerizing in it's simple elegant movements.

    The rest of the evening is spent on a jet lag nap and obtaining lodgings for the next few days. This is going to be a rather tricky situation, I might get caught out which won't be good considering how cold it is over night. The climate of Japan is a lot like that if northern Europe.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 5

    Temples 4 to 10

    March 15 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    Up too early but did some more lodging research. Prachantam from Portugal and Antar from Ukraine, who are both advanced yogis were also up and we rode the train together. Prachantam told interesting travel stories, he lived here for 2 years and first came to Japan in 1974.

    I start at temple 3 and I do a good job sauntering about. I manage to stand still look around and take pictures. I also managed to get off the track and find other places.

    There was absolutely nobody on the trail and frankly the trail just ran through subdivisions so one might say it was not interesting but I was just happy to be and it didn't bother me at all, so maybe I'm making progress in finding inner peace.

    At the last temple there were seven older ladies who had tables set up and provided coffee and plum paste dumplings. They were quite the animated group. Since I don't know Japanese I said Awaodori, the name of the dance, to break the ice and they were laughing and giggling and brought up the music and they were dancing. It was a good time.

    Overall I did 33 km in about 11 hours, not a great average but considering that I purely enjoyed the day and the weather was impeccable.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 6

    Climbing to temple 12

    March 16 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Today is a little tricky because of the lodging situation. I check out and get on the road early walking over to the youth hostel for tonight. I dropped my bag there and I managed to also check in. So I'm all set and I hike with a light pack.

    I set off through a few fields to Temple 11 from where the path goes up steeply to Temple 12. It is around 4500 total vertical so it's quite the workout which I welcome. I run into Ed from London again.

    On the way down from Temple 12 I meet a couple of younger Japanese folks that knew a little English and it turned out that was very fortunate as we ended up taking the bus together from Kamiyama to Tokushima. Satochi
    runs a small food truck, he is an amicable older man with a story that he displays via a QR code. He has had his financial tribulations and it's working of 11 million yen debt with his food truck. He has a good spirit.

    Getting a train ticket usually goes well. But at this small station I couldn't quite make out what do, so I showed a picture of where I want to go to two teenage girls to help me. They were very lovely and giggling, they wanted a picture with me and they also did the funny face waving thing Oliver does with his phone. Across the world teenagers are the same and connected.

    Two long days hiking and one small blister, Fantastic hike today through the woods, brilliant weather,    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 7

    Sunday rest day

    March 17 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    After just 3 days of walking it seems a little early to take a rest day but I actually need it.

    I have a chance to download Shogun the book and start in on it and I have some homework that I brought along on my tablet so it'll be very productive and I can get the next lodgings figured out.

    I just can't be all business, on the way to the station I run into this Sunday morning market in this little town Kamojima where I'm staying and they're playing some nice jazz that just morphed into Japanese jazz, it's excellent. They have some food trucks out and people are mulling about, there will be some live music later. It's the twist in the road that brings you to the unexpected surprise. The local sushi is melt in your mouth good.

    I board the train and end up at Vie de France again. I spend some time there researching the great nature parks in Japan. Once at the hostel I take my old man nap, har. Agnes is here and Ina too, this hostel is the hub for Henro. I had found a great lively restaurant close by and decide to return there. I had a super great time with the locals.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 8

    Temples 20 21 and 22

    March 18 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 7 °C

    I'm going to skip walking through the city and dash on the bus to the trail that leads to Temple 20. Agnes had figured that one out and I'm tagging along for the ride. Unfortunately we have different speeds hiking so we walk together in the beginning but then Fredric a French guy caught up with us and I walk with him and say goodbye to Agnes. Fredric is wheezing so I end up dashing off.

    It is a good climbing day today through the woods on super nice trails. The clouds disappear, the sun comes out, it never really gets warm but it is a glorious day. I run into Christian from Denmark and we are the same speed so we walk to Temple 21 which is an absolutely amazing place with tons of great energy, very large cedar trees and a very well laid out temple. If you could only visit one temple this would be the one.

    Our conversations flow naturally and reach some depth which is really refreshing, he has been studying Japan for a long time. This is a dream for him to be here.

    We dash off to Temple 22 but we take the longer route of two possibles so we do a little extra work. Christian goes to his hostel and I go to the train station and get saved by a Lawson convenience store where I get some food and drink for the train ride. I'm trying to get back to the place I booked for tonight.

    My Japanese hosts are very nice but I think they forgot to give me the control for the heater. So I'm absolutely freezing inside and I go down to the kitchen and figure out the Japanese remote and turn the heat on in my room. Japan is a very wet country and it doesn't take much to feel cold, for me at least.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 10

    Hiwasa rest day

    March 20 in Japan ⋅ 🌬 10 °C

    I walk down the coastal road to the hole in the rock. A small path leads all the way down to the water. It's sunny and much warmer, at least it feels that way. I enjoy that moment. The Onsen last night was great and I meditated. I'm relaxed.

    Back in town I visit the next temple, number 23. It's peaceful. It starts raining. It is solo all the way today. A cup of miso soup warms me up. I leave my bag at the hostel and I'm on my way to the public Onsen. Time to get warm again.

    I check in to Ichi hostel and I recognize this pair of boots. It's Agnes again. So we're comparing notes and photos and we'll go out to dinner again. Just the short walk is so windy and nasty we arrive stone cold. They have no room for us, Agnes la Francaise, raises a minor stink and they figure out that she is very hungry and they make space in a corner. Then we are served a fantastic meal.

    I have my plans set all the way to Kochi. One night so far, but there is a lot there and I could stay a second night.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 11

    Coastal road walk

    March 21 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    I had breakfast of savory dishes that I bought the day before at the market down the street. Agnes and a Japanese traveler were having a conversation. I started out just after 9 and arrived at 5, but it was supposed to be a sub 6 hour walk. The pack felt heavier than I was happy with and once at the hostel I did a triage. Maybe I can go to my day pack with further minimalized gear. I bet I can lose 2kg. Then I'll leave the rest at a storage place.
    Today I met the Australian named Nick, who I had passed on the downhill between 20 and 21. He is married to a Japanese woman, Takara. He is a trove of information on Japan so the conversation was worth walking slowly for. It was relaxing.

    The hostel provided me with a private room with a full view of the bay. It's quiet, I have some leftover Mizo to cook with cabbage. I'm still listening to Shogun.    Read more

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