In November I stayed in a hotel above Okayama’s main train station. Over several days, I got to explore cities and countryside within an hour of Okayama via bullet, express, and local trains. In this post, I’m recalling one of those days when I hiked part of a pilgrimage route.
I began my day in Okayama as I did every day in Japan, by making a pour-over coffee then sipping it while reading newspapers on my iPad from the comfort of my bed.
Eventually I got myself together and went downstairs to fuel up with breakfast before taking the elevator to the train station, below.
I’d been taking my time, and this was a later start than I should’ve planned.
I’d decided to visit three temples of the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage. I’ve posted many times about this 715-mile pilgrimage via 88 temples around Shikoku, one of Japan’s four main islands.
Over the years, I’ve hiked to 21 of the 88 temples. I’ve visited some of the temples two or three times, so this isn’t a bucket list exercise.
Although I’ve great respect for many Buddhist traditions, I was a hiker, not a pilgrim. I simply appreciated being able to hike without getting too lost: I had a full GPS track of the pilgrimage on my phone, and the trail signs were adequate.
I took an express train from Okayama across the Seto Inland Sea, then a local train to a small country station, my starting point.
Temple 80 (of 88): Kokubunji
Temple 80 was a short walk from the station.
When you enter the grounds of a Japanese temple, there’s always a temizuya (purification station) for ritualistic cleansing of hands, and, symbolically, mind and spirit. As I have done with every Shikoku 88 temple I’ve visited, I made a point of photographing the plumbing.
That day there was no water, so presumably pilgrims were using a simple spigot further along the path.
After nosing around the temple, I started the hike in earnest, up a lovely mountain path that would eventually take me to the next temple about 1,000 feet above.
Along the way, my path was blocked by a chainlink fence topped with barbed wire protecting a military facility. For a few minutes I thought I would have to turn around. Then, I saw an arrow on a post pointing to a narrow path squeezed between fence and forest.
Temple 81 (of 88): Shiromineji
For some reason, the plumbing was also out action at Temple 81.
As I was exploring the extensive grounds, I realized I did not have enough time to get to Temple 82 and then go down into the valley before sunset, which was around 5:00 p.m. I’d been a bit too laid back in getting started that morning.
Instead I walked down the longest set of stairs I’ve ever encountered, 1,000 feet down into the valley.
I was now at a very different point in the valley from what I’d planned that morning. The next bus would be in two hours, and the nearest train station was about four miles away. I opted to walk on sidewalks along roads through an agricultural area to the train station.
I returned to Okayama by taking a local train from the rural train station, then transferring to an express train.
Every Trip is a Prototype
In a previous post, Iterative Travel, I suggested that every trip is a prototype for future trips. The Temple 80 and 81 hike was no exception.
I’d planned to walk to three temples (80, 81, and 82), but had miscalculated the time it would take. In June 2023 I’ll be back in Japan, this time with my partner and our 15-year-old nephew and his dad. I’ll propose we hike to all three temples (80, 81, and 82).
Even if we’re slow getting going in the morning, we’ll have a better shot at completing the hike: the sun sets over two hours later in June than November.
I stayed at the JR (Japan Rail) West Group Via Inn, Okayama. ¥15,264 (US$104) per night, including taxes, excluding breakfast. Trains were covered by a three-week rail pass.