88 Temple Shikoku Pilgrimage - Day 3

Day 3 - Monday, 2016-04-04

Tokushima / Cape Muroto

After breakfast we took a 45 minute bus ride and were dropped off  at Temple 23 (Yakuo-ji) to start today’s hike. On the way we stopped, again, at a convenience store to buy lunch, I am getting better at buying lunch, I am sticking to a mixed green salad and a rice ball with salmon filling.

We were again under a light drizzle when we reached the temple, which was a pity. Yakuo-ji is beautiful and the path to gate is lined by flowering trees, I took some pictures, but the overcast day did not help to highlight the beauty of the place:



Temple gate:



Temple courtyard:





Main hall altar:



This is a small Shinto shrine inside the Yakuo-ji temple, this is quite common in Japanese Buddhist temples, showcasing the transformation of, integration with and influence of the native Shinto religion on Buddhism as it was adopted in Japan:



Cherry blossoms and praying pilgrims:

After touring the temple we took a trail along the rugged and mountainous shore, called Hiwasa coastal trail. It's not part of the pilgrimage route but it is a scenic trail following the ragged and hilly coastline.  We were up and down the whole time, no flat segments, the steps built with logs on the slopes made you feel that you were on a step machine, my leg muscles were burning. But it was beautiful walking through a forested area with frequent glimpses of the crashing surf 300-500 meters below sheer cliffs. And, when we could not see the water, we still could hear the waves crashing on the rocky shore. Our lunch break was on an overlook with a great view of the ocean and mountains.

View of the bay and mountains across the bay:

The climbing begins:

The staircases:

Finally a downhill short stretch:

We finished the hike at around 4 PM and took us a one and a half hour bus ride to the ocean- side hotel at Cape Muroto at Shikoku’s southeastern tip where we are overnighting. Our rooms had great views of the rugged shore, just a few meters from the breakwater. We had a fantastic multi course gourmet dinner, the cooking style was occidental, but the ingredients were all local.