Temple 12 to Temple 13, 19.5km
Actually that photo was after the rain had stopped. For the first 30 minutes- almost exactly the time it took to clamber the 273 vertical metres over the first 2km -it was quite damp. Deploying the pack poncho made little difference as the effort required ensured that I was soaked anyway!
Due to the expected early camino foot acclimatization, Sam and Max hitched a ride from our hostess into the nearest village and figured out the local bus protocols (enter through the rear door, take a ticket, then match the ticket to the price displayed when you get to your destination) to get them as close to Temple 13 as public transportation permitted. They still had 7km to walk, but that was kinder and gentler than the official goat track that I started out on. My descent was also challenging – a long steady downhill on paved roads guaranteed to jam your toes into the front of your hiking footwear.
We eventually met up at T13, and after observing the temple traditions (or our non-Buddhist version thereof) we still had time to kill before the advertised check in time at the ryokan. These family-family “inns” are definitely the way to immerse yourself in the Japanese culture. We are the only guests tonight, so we ran water for the giant Japanese soaker tub, dressed up in the provided yakutas, did laundry and drank beverages from the fridge (not included but not excessively priced either. Dinner was another culinary experience, made more enjoyable by the hostess giving lessons on wearing a yakuta and tying the belt correctly, and hilarity with the google translations as she misunderstood that we spoke Italian. Some linguistic dexterity was required to say the least. Maybe my Italian is better than I thought!
There was some interesting wildlife today, plus a couple of pictures taken earlier in the week:
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