88 Temple Shikoku Pilgrimage - Day 9

Day 9 - Sunday, 2016-04-10

Takamatsu / Tokushima

Today is our last hiking day. we are walking from temple 87 to temple 88, the last temple in the 88 temple circuit. We will stop and visit the Henro Museum along the way.

After being dropped at the trailhead with our purchased lunch in our backpacks we started or hike to temple 87 (Nagao-ji).

Temple 87 main gate:



Bowing at the gate to the temple:



Temple 87 main hall:

After visiting temple 87 we walked through streets in the outskirts of the town, on a flat terrain for about 4.5 Km until we reached the Henro Museum (Maeyama Ohenro Koryu Salon) at the edge of town, at the foot of the steep mountain range we have to cross to reach temple 88, the final temple. The museum was small but interesting  It filled some holes in our knowledge of the pilgrimages history.

After the visit came a decision point: walk or  ride?  The remaining 8Km were going to be challenging, with some ups and downs and culminating with a net ascent of 850m to summit the mountain, followed by a precipitous descent of 300m on the other side of the mountain to reach temple 88. Two of our group decided to take the bus to temple 88 and wait for us there, the rest decided to walk.

As we were beginning the ascent, we passed a farmer’s house with 2 little girls playing outside, one looked to be 7-8 years old and the other about 5, they waved and shouted hello to us and we answered their greetings. A few minutes later, after we had already left the road and started up the trail, the 2 girls came up, running and breathless to hand us cookies as an osetai!



We passed a small recently planted rice field with an elderly farmer tending the field. All the farmers I have seen on this hike were elderly, I guess the younger generation prefers to work and live in the cities.



And the climbing continues...



One of the several breaks from the steep hike:



This trail marker was ominous and inauspicious. It was really going to be a steep ascent!



We had to scramble on all fours!



Finally, breathlessly, we reached the top, where it was a bit hazy but beautiful.



Small Shinto shrine at the top of the mountain, the abode of the mountain god.




Going down was also steep, it consisted of steps made with logs all the way to the temple. Uneven steps, some small others large., My thighs were burning, my legs were cooked noodles by the time I reached the temple 88 , Okubo-ji.
These pilgrims came by bus:



Main gate:



Lighting incense:



Chanting the Heart Sutra:

I lingered a bit at the main hall, listening to the various groups chanting the sutras, taking in the atmosphere of the place. Our trek is over.

I am glad I came. I enjoyed the beautiful rugged scenery, the alluring simplicity of the wooden-built temples, the Buddhist rituals and the company of my fellow hikers.

Before starting this pilgrimage I did not quite know what to expect, I had some of the usual fears people have about going to foreign places with quite different culture of theirs - the food, language barriers, local protocols, etc. The food was varied and excellent, I experienced Japanese food quite different from what is found in the typical Japanese restaurant in the USA. The language barrier left me feeling that I missed out on what for me is one of the best experiences of a pilgrimage, the interaction with fellow pilgrims to learn about their motivations and aspirations and for the camaraderie. As far as the local customs, I am sure I raised many eyebrows when I unwittingly  broke many of the uncountable rules and protocols that are second nature to the Japanese people. But I felt welcome and was helped many times by locals,. Even when communication was a challenge, they tried to help.

Did I feel any spiritual awakening or experience? No, but I did not come here for spiritual insight, I came open minded, but not in search for answers. However, I was always in awe when visiting the temples like when visiting the churches on the Camino de Compostela. Not so much for the buildings, beautiful as they may be, but for the faith and hopes of millions of pilgrims that came before me. You couldn't help but feel their presence. Would I came back to finish hiking to the remaining temples of the 88 Temple circuit? I do not think so. Would I came back to Japan? I certainly hope so. Would I recommend this pilgrimage? Definitely yes.