Monday: Traveling to Sado, final “Island off Islands” I’ll stay in a ryokan and… walk.
Category: Place
Meeting Bashō
The moon and sun are eternal travelers. Even the years wander on. A lifetime adrift in a boat, or in old age leading a tired horse into the years, every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. From the earliest times there have always been some who perished along the road. Still…… Continue reading Meeting Bashō
Exploring Matsuo Basho
Explored places Matsuo Basho visited 1689 traveling his “Narrow Road to the Deep North.” It’s fun figuring this out.
Destination Kanazawa
Saturday morning: a bullet train, then an express train to Kanazawa.
Kazurabashi Vine Bridge
Walked across Kazurabashi vine bridge in vertiginous Iya Valley in the interior of the island of Shikoku.
End of the Line
Took 3 progressively smaller trains to the end of the line in southeast Shikoku to see what was there. I then hiked.
Temple Plumbing 2014
Just after you enter the grounds of a Japanese temple, there’s always a fountain for ritualistic rinsing of hands and sometimes the mouth. Here’s examples from the temples I visited April 2, 2014 when I walked the route of part of the Shikoku Henro pilgrimage (“Shikoku 88”). I wrote a similar post in 2013 when I visited…… Continue reading Temple Plumbing 2014
Temples 1 through 5
Wednesday: hiked to temples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage temples. More pictures.
A Day to Forget
OK I admit it: I got tired of figuring out this place all on my own, so I signed up for a “Landmarks and Viewpoints” tour for foreign visitors. This was a day to forget.At exactly the appointed time the bus rolled up to my Okoyama (Honshu) $26 a night capsule hotel (Hotel River Side).…… Continue reading A Day to Forget
Tokushima
Tuesday night I’m in Tokushima. Tomorrow I’ll walk the first few temples of the Shikoku 88 (temples) pilgrimage.