Wednesday, 17 June 2009

• Mountains, Oceans, Bridges: Kochi Prefecture

   Kochi Prefecture is "The land of spiritual disciple" and also "the devil's land" because it is hot, rains hard and is the longest to walk of all 4 prefectures.  People aren't supposed to give you O-settai (freebies to help pilgrims) because it is supposed to be hard.  That said, the people are SO nice here.  I've been given more fruit and hard candy than I can eat and I got money and a ride down a mountain too.

  

  From Kannoura, I took a bus down 55.  I saw a few other pilgrims walking.  Eventually, guilt (and cheapness) got the best of me and I got off the bus and walked the rest of the way to the Mirakudo cave and Temple #24.

  

  On the way, I saw more pretty flowers and this incredible Kobo Daishi statue.

  

  It was at this spot that he sat looking at the sky and the sea at 19 years old and decided that he would dedicate his life to Buddhism. 

  

  Muroto cape!

  

  Another bathing spot of Kobo Daishi.

  

  

  A group of tour bus pilgrims coming out of the cave.

  

  Me, inside the cave, looking at the tour bus and hoping that at 28 I would figure out what to do with my life.

  

  How did that dude get there?

  

  I was amazed at this long and winding road leading up to temple #24.   Why are temples almost always at the top of a mountain?  gasp!

  

  I finally reached the top.  I'm pretty sure it was about 100 degrees, but no, only 28 (celsius)  I know that is hot, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to know exactly how hot.  Not knowing is better sometimes.  And what happened to all the rain that Kochi is suppose to get.  Its hot, sunny and 28 every day.  I could use the cool down!

  

  One of these things is not like the other...

  

  and then I drank the hell out of that ice cold coke. It was probably the best coke I ever had.  Thank GOD for vending machines at the temples.

  

  back down the long and winding road...

  

  I saw my car again!  Oh, how I love you cute green Mazda Demio or whatever you are called. 

  

  This temple (#26, I think) is a favorite of local fishermen asking for protection on the sea.  Likewise, there were fishmongers everywhere in this little town.

  

  Just some fish drying by the side of the road, what else, right?

  

  cute little street

  

  or death trap!? 

  

  Liked this statue

  

  When I reached the top of 26 (looking sweaty and deranged again) I saw the same tour group that I saw at #24.  They had me pose for a photo with them and then stuffed my hands full of candy.

  

  I stayed at temple 26 that night.  There were only 3 people there including me.  I kept running into the other two pilgrims throughout the next day~~not surprising really since we are taking the same route. 

  

  

  The temple lodge at 26 and my room.  These temple lodges are all REALLY nice.  We got served a ridiculous amount of delicious food for dinner. 

  

  My friend, Kazu who was staying at 26 the next day...and the ocean.  Love, love love walking by the ocean.

  

  A ways down the road we came to a little shop that had all these "pilgrims stop here" signs leading up to it.  I'm glad we stopped.  This woman was really nice.  She chatted Kazu and I up while she gave us free fruit and chilled tea.

  

  I had never had this before, but I've noticed it grows wild round these parts.  Its called yamamomo and really good.  Something like a cross between a raspberry and a strawberry, but more sour.

  

  This is called sumomo (I think) and it might have been the first time I've had this

  

  Another pilgrim rest stop down the road in Nahari (I like the name of that town).  A lady at the sushi restaurant next door rushed out to give us chilled oolong tea and little cakes.  After this, Kazu and I parted ways and I went to the post office and the station.

  

  road from Nahari

  

  I got off 2 or 3 stops down the tracks at Tonohama, which is at the bottom of the GIANT mountain #27 sits at the top of.  The guidebook Kitty sent me totally saved me this day.  It recommended leaving your bags behind at this particular inn and then hiking up the mountain.  The little old lady (its always a little old lady) picked me up at the station in her tiny Japanese pickup and took my bag.  Anyway, their mascot for this station is Henro-kun (Mr. Pilgrim).  Cute.  Even the vending machine at this station talks to you when you buy something, "Hey Pilgrim!  Do you have a point card?!"  I'm not even making this up.

  

  Half way up the mountain, beautiful terraced slopes.

  

  ah ha!  So that's how they plant rice these days....

  

  I keep seeing this mysterious marker on the route.  Its probably just another kind of road marker, but I like to think of is as some sort of secret pilgrim society mark....  yes, I have way too much time to use my imagination.

  The climb to the top of 27 was another lung buster, but I finally made it.  I felt pretty good about myself at that point, even if Kazu came tearing up the mountain and passed me half way up (that kid is GENKI).  I even went another kilometer up the mountain to the Shinto shrine at the top.  The only really notable thing about is this bomb shell they have in front of the main hall.  I asked the woman stamping my book about it and she said that after a war (WWII?) they found it near there and decided to display it (a sign that the kami protected the temple from getting bombed?)  And then she gave me some candy.

  

  By that time, the other pilgrim who stayed at 26 was there and he took this picture of me and gave me candy.

  

  Half way down the mountain someone gave me a lift and a lecture on how I couldn't refuse anything that people want to give the pilgrims because it their way of praying.  He then told me a story that he had down the pilgrimage 19 times.  The first time he did it walking because his younger sister was sick, then she was healed.  I was hoping I would hear miracle stories like this sometime.  Back at the inn called "Drive-in 27" I was the only pilgrim staying there again.  I ate this ridiculously large meal and then was given...... candy.  You see a theme here?

  

  The next day, I went to the zoo.  I'm such a dork that I showed up before it even opened and had to wait outside.

  

  It was fun being the only gawker in the zoo.  I could look at certain animals as long as I wanted to without feeling self conscious.  The coolest ones were the Lesser Panda, the giant ant eater and this crazy troll-looking monkey.

  

  out in the middle of no where again.

  

  more road markers

  

  Tour group saying the heart sutra. 
  Actually, when I took this picture I was beyond annoyance.  The Sakai family had suggested that I stay with their friend in Kochi.  I figured anyone the Sakais were friends with would be cool, right.  WRONG.  This woman annoyed me in everyway possible.  It totally ruined a whole day and 1/2 of pilgrimage.  She couldn't make up here mind about things, she ignored the fact that I wanted to go see the botanical gardens next to temple 31 (even the priest recommended it!), she tried to rush me through the temple visits.  She walked in on me twice when I was trying to use her bath... her shower was broken so I had to dump steaming hot water with a bowl on myself out of the tub.  I kept saying to myself, "she is trying to help, she is putting you up, she is feeding you..." but I couldn't help by be annoyed.  The pilgrimage is not a damn stamp race, I wanted to shout.  I finally devised a plan.  I announced at #33 (which she impatiently rushed me through) that I really preferred to walk at this point.  She insisted on taking me the #34, I insisted on walking, she insisted, I insisted again and took my stuff out of her car.  I pretended to talk the route, but when her car was out of sight I turn right around, got in a taxi, and headed back into Kochi city.  I found The Best Western!!!!  Internet!!!! 

  

  I really regretted my time with her.  As she was speeding down the road from temple to temple, I kept seeing things I wanted to see-see.  It occurred to me know more than ever that its really about the trip between the temples as much as it is about the temples themselves.  I got on the first train headed towards the art museum after somehow convincing the staff to let me check in early.  They have works by Chagall!  I couldn't miss EVERYthing along the way. 

  I found this diet coke with green tea flavor (plus catechin, whatever that is)  It was delicious.

  

  I wandered around the shotengai (shopping arcade) for a while

  

  After I ate a ridiculously large plate of curry rice, I saw a sign that said Kochi castle 1km.  What the heck.  I could handle looking at a castle at sunset right about now.

  

  I took this picture for Kyohei who loves Tosa dogs.

  I'm about to check out the Best Western now.  I'm going to try and take a bus back to #33 and start where I left off.  I always feel a little bit guilty and bad whenever I take a bus or train, so I'm not going to do that as much.  I think I'm ahead of schedule anyway, so I would like to slow this pilgrimage down a bit.  And no more staying at people's houses if I can help it.  Fuck that shit.  I want to go at my pace and not have to work around anyone else's schedule or conform to their idea of how many temples I should be visiting a day or what I should or shouldn't see on the way. 

  Another thing of note:  this is the first morning since I've started this that I haven't had fish for breakfast.  They had cornflakes!  cornflakes!  I thought I was going to jump for joy. 

  Ok, sorry for the long post.  Time to go and get ready.  I probably won't be online again until I get to Matsuyama.

   

   

  • 9:03 PM
  • 15 Views
  • 8 eProps
  • 4 Comments