Konan to Temple 31, overnight in Tosa (near Temple 35, 23.7 km
Something of the amazing race today. Kochi City is a place well suited for a rest day, but due to the long weekend, accommodation was fully booked. We followed the suggested itinerary for the day, visiting Temples 29 (Tosa Kokobun-Ji) and Temple 30 (Zenraku-Ji) by weaving our way through the farmland on the fringe of the greater Kochi area. And despite the proximity to the city, it was pleasant walking – except for the heat, as it was a very sunny day.
After temple 30 the presence of the big city made itself felt. Lots of walking in close proximity to the highways – of which there were two, one at ground level ant the othere raised directly above it. On the positive side, the upper highway cast a welcome shadow onto the pavement we were walking on, although our ‘flying saucer’ hats are great in both the sun and the rain. On windy days they’re prone to taking off, or if you have the chin strap well tightened, you may inadvertently do the Mary Poppins thing!
According to our Henro Helper app (which is absolutely fantastic so far) the stage finished adjacent to the central city, but we decided to push on to Temple 31, Chikurin-Ji, perched (needless to say) on the top of a hill. It’s a beautiful temple complex, and shares the hill with the botanical gardens. After a short, steep climb I made a navigational error – lured by the pathway with misting spray when in fact I should have continued straight ahead. My temporary geographic embarrassment detoured me through the gardens, which are beautiful. The boys, who were ahead of me due to superior ascent speed, made a different navigational error and ended up in the conservatory! We reunited at the Temple, and made the decision to order an Uber (which was actually a taxi, but way more tourist friendly to organise than a regular taxi!)
Our Uber took quite some time to deliver us to our Minshuku high on the hill above Tosa. The “road” would not be accessible to North American vehicles – even our little Japanese taxi had to make several 3-point turns to get around the hairpin bends. Although tipping is not customary here, the Uber app suggested 100, 300, or 500 yen – about $1,$3 or $5. After the road challenges, we figured he’d earned the max reward! Tomorrow we’ll head back into the city for Kochi’s famed Sunday market, then we’ll reconnect with the Pilgrimage trail where we left it today and end up back here high on the hill above Tosa. It will be around 25 km, but we’ll be without our backpacks, so it should be less exhausting!
We’re staying in Onko-Sha, an old house apparently built by a carpenter more than 80 years ago. It is traditionally Japanese – which may come as a surprise – and most interior and many exterior ‘walls’ are sliding panels resulting in a very flexible use of space.
2saunter 