July 4; Day One: Imabari to Saijo
At ten thirty am, late, I was packing my bike when my landlady came up to me to chat. Casually, she mentioned that she and her husband wanted to adopt Little Bitty Kitty.
I thanked her and mentally put it on the list of things to confirm upon return. It was a kind offer, but I wanted to see what the cat might destroy while I was away. LBK was a feral kitten when I took her in, and though affectionate, still was not particularly gentle to walls, furniture, or anything she could catch to eat, though I fed her plenty. Cheered, I jumped on my bike and started off.
The main shrine at Enmeiji, Temple 54
Temple 55, Nankobo's GateOf course I was about three hours late; most henro start between 6 to 7 am in order to get a full day in before the temple offices close at 5pm.
Temple 56, Taisanji.
Kobo Daishi and a group of o-jiso sama.
My schedule had me hitting the six local temples starting at 54,(about 25 km of riding) then a 40 km ride to Saijo, and finally a ride up the mountain to temple number 60 – before 5pm.
Temple 57, Eifukuji
Temple 58, Senyuji.The gate leads to a path climbing 50 metres or so up to the temple itself.
Not such a big deal, I thought, but I had not considered the logistics carefully…it takes at least a half an hour to pray and get the Nokyocho signed at each temple, and taking pictures takes another 15 minutes or so… and the ride to 58 (Senyuji) is a long slog up the mountain…at 3pm I was leaving temple 59 and realized I probably wouldn’t make it to temple 60 by 5pm.
Kokobunji, Temple 59. Shake the Daishi's hand or stroke the ball for good luck!
I decided to try for it, but immediately, in a narrow lane leading away from Temple 59, I met a former student, an obaachan whom I hadn’t seen in about a year. We stopped to chat. Sadly, her memory seemed to be going; she told me she was almost 80.
An hour later, I got lost in the fields in the last 10 km to Saijo. An elderly farmer set me straight. I wasn’t even sure where the route leading up the mountain to Yokomineji, temple 60, started, so when I reached the area around 4:30,
I scouted around for a bit to check it out, then turned left and headed towards downtown Saijo to get a room at a business hotel. I used to teach one day every week in Saijo and wanted to try the small hotel beside the station.
Along the way I found this statue by Umakoshi san, the father of a friend of mine, Michico. He is a famous sculptor in Japan, who until recently lived in Imabari. His style is unmistakable. His son, going by the name Sensshin, is also a stone carver and also works in this style.
This is a stone statue of O-Jiso-sama carved by Sensshin. I bought it and brought it back to Canada for my friend Thomas, who has not been feeling well. I thought the little guy might help.
The hotel was quiet. The two attractive young women at the desk appeared a little nervous at my arrival, but I did my best to look small, attractive and nice smelling, and it seemed to work. I was even able to wash my clothes. This became a daily search, as I only had one change of clothing.
One wonderful thing about Japanese hotels, even cheap ones: they always give the guests a yukata, a cotton kimono to wear inside the hotel. I love wearing them, they’re totally comfortable, but also feel somehow a bit festive, I suppose because of their connection to summer festivals and onsen. And that’s the second wonderful thing about Japanese hotels: they nearly always have hot baths (onsen). When I come back to live in Japan it will be because of this.
I bought some convenience store (combini) bento and dragged it back to my room. No beer on this trip, as one is encouraged to abstain while on the pilgrimage. By the time I categorized my daily photos and wrote a few lines in my journal it was time to go to bed. Of course it had started to rain.
Saijo Hotel Room View.
