After a number of days of feeling great and making good progress I buggered my knee.  I had planned on taking a day off in Matsuyama anyway.  Now I am hoping for body as well as mental recuperation.

April 9th Day 26 – To Uwajima
This was a non-temple day. I followed the highway for a while and then onto a trail that climbed over a pass to get by a 1.7 km tunnel. Trails like this are both a pleasure and a problem. They are slower and more taxing but I walk better on them, I think they are easier on my body parts and they are certainly more enjoyable. At least for me. I have met a few flatland Europeans lately that don’t agree

My accomodation was again too early and so as I entered Uwajima I decided to head up a moderate hill to Uwajima-jo (castle) and a nice view of the city and harbour . Built about 400 years ago the castle was never burned down and so is one of the few original castles in Japan. On my last visit I visited many castles and I was again surprised at how big they look from the outside but how small they are inside.

My accomodation was without meals again and so I stopped twice during my walk through Uwajima to eat and chew up some time. This was my least expensive accomodation yet but the lady was so nice. She brought lots of snacks and took my clothes to wash. It was a nice change from the full ryokan meal deal.

The next day I visited temples 41, 42 and 43. As usual when I don’t have a provided breakfast I am under way early, and so even with 7 km to start I was at the first temple at 7:30. The walk to the next Temple included a road with long rows of tulips. At Temple 42 I met at a Dutch woman , Angela, that I would bump into over the next days.
I really enjoyed the next significant trail that climbed over a high ridge dropping back down after a good four hours of trail walking which even included a tunnel.

I was pretty bagged as I laboured up the road to 43. So I was somewhat surprised when a voice from a car called out “Ken”. It was Jessica from Colorado who I had last seen two weeks ago. Her feet had almost finished her. She was now riding with a Japanese car henro. They were off to 44. It would take me two days to get there. I had a nice final trail walk over the ridge down into town where I was again treated to a “let me wash your clothes while you have your bath and then come for your 10 course dinner”. The nice side to life as a henro staying in booked accomodation.

April 11th Day 28

This was another long road walk that didn’t turn out very well. To break up the morning I had a coffee in a Family Mart, one of the day’s few treats . The highlight of the day was going to be another trail walk over a tunnel. But I got to the tunnel and there was no trail. Looking more closely at my map I realized I should have picked up the turnoff down the hill a ways. I wrestled with the idea of going back but there’s something in my DNA that does not allow that. The 1100 meter walk through the tunnel wasn’t actually that bad. The big mistake that I made was going a bit too fast down the 8 or 9 km steep busy road that just would not stop.

I struggled on through Ozu and onto Uchico with a knee tightening as I went. The only saving grace for the day was the minshuku. This one is run as a restaurant with the minshuku on a second story. The whole place was very nicely decorated and maintained. In the restaurant the owner had an impressive collection of manga books and a collection of model cars that had taken 20 years so far. I have been at times using Skype to book ahead each day but if I think there will be issues I get my host to help. He turned out to be a gem. After all options for the next day failed my host and I worked out a 40 km day that began with a 10 km bus ride. He also gave me a pack of stick on cold patches for my knee.

In the morning, after a western breakfast for a change, my host helped me get onto a school bus with instructions to the driver where to let me off. The part of the route that I bused over was the ugly busy road part. I began walking as the roads became quiet mountain roads. After about 4 hours the tiny road became a trail and finally topped off at 800m, the highest yet on this walk. Along the way I connected with Angela from a few days ago. My knee was bothering me but I was hoping it would resolve itself.

We dropped down into the next valley and up again to Temple 44, the halfway point of my walk, temple wise. Angela caught up again as I was leaving 44 for the final 4 km up through the forest over a smaller pass to a large purpose-bulit minshuku. Probably twenty five henro were here. Lots of machines for clothes, a toilet in every room. Quite a change. I had dinner with Angela and Irma from Switzerland. This was a very good day for me but the knee is a niggling issue. On the trails it is not bad but on pavement I struggle. There is not much doubt now about what is best for me.

I booked another 30 km day for tomorrow that I know I shouldn’t do. I will have to find a bus at some point.

April 13th day 30
Without a pack I was away at 6:30. Within 5 minutes I found the trail that left the road and rose onto a ridge. It was a lovely up and down walk for two and a half hours to Temple 45. Dropping down from the ridge I passed some minor temples before the main temples. It made for a very different approach. The temples are also different in that they are nestled up against a cliff face. The normal approach to this temple is a very long set of steps up from the valley. For aruki-henro, if you find the trail, you drop down from above. Neat.

I had an hour and a half walk along quiet roads back to my minshuku to pick up my pack. Now I had to work on my knee. I caught two buses on up the road toward Temple 46. The second bus dropped me and one other henro at a stop high above the valley. From here it was 4 km, 1 hour walk down the rest of the way into the Matsuyama valley and around to Temple 46. The fast guy that I met a few days ago pounding up the trail past me was wolfing down a quick lunch at 46. He said he had another 15 km to go and was going to up his days to 40 km.

I walked across the street and checked into my minshuku. It is even larger than last night. We are now on the outskirts Matsuyama, maybe that’s what’s happening as we come close to the big city. I only walked 15 of 30 km today. I hope it helps.

April 14th Day 31
This was a 15 km half-day. I am walking into the center of Matsuyama. Along the way I will visit temples 47 48 49 50 and 51. My knee is no better after my night’s rest but at least I can walk slowly and there are no significant hills.  I am trying to be careful. It is all City Street walking often on quiet roads but also on busy small roads with no sidewalk. As automobiles began to take over in these old cities the pedestrian world suffered. At least, unlike in Kochi, it is not hot and the temples are more or less strung out in a straight line.

Yesterday after leaving Temple 45 I walked some with a henro from Hokkaido. I loved his chuckle as we attempted to communicate. Today at each temple, there he was. He greeted me each time with his chuckle. He walks faster but spends longer at each temple. He will now get away on me and I will not have his smile and chuckle to look forward to.

Temple 51 is one of the key temples of the circuit. I visited this Temple in 2010 and I have been looking forward to a revisit. It is also about a 10-minute walk to the hostel where I am booked in for two nights in the hope that my knee will recover a bit. A further 10 minutes from the hostel is Dogo Onsen. This is Japan’s oldest onsen, some say dating back 2000 years. I hobbled down to see if my recollections from eight years ago were accurate. They were, over priced compared to others but still worth it because of it’s history.

Now I have a day off to see what happens.

After a day off my knee is certainly better, if not perfect. Tomorrow I’m off again. One day at a time. 

Into the Final Dojo (Nirvana)