Awe to Shimanto Town, 26.3 km
It was a divide and conquer day. We had scrounged a ride for the boys on another lodging’s boat as the public ferry wasn’t operating being a stat holiday. They then walked for about 10 km to catch a train so that they had two light walking days in a row. Meanwhile, on another part of the island, I was trekking towards our eventual meeting place, Kubokawa train station. Ever on the lookout for a shortcut, after leaving my lodgings at Awa no Sato I completely ignored the official route and took to the old highway. By the time I’d left my accommodation, what I thought was a struggling business was packed with the breakfast crowd. While it’s not open for evening meals, clearly they have carved out a niche!
The valleys I passed through today seemed very prosperous. The normal daily rainfall for this time of year (according to the Japan Weather Office) is between 27and 76mm. We’ve had consecutive sunny days, so the rice harvest is in full swing. Every rice harvester was pressed into action it seemed, and their tiny trucks were ferrying the rice from the paddies. They probably can’t believe their good weather fortune!
I duly met the boys at the train station at 2:12 pm. Actually the train was 14 seconds late according to my watch, meaning that Japan rail is not as punctual as everyone thinks. Our lodging is close to the station, but as check-in is only available from 3p onwards, we visited Temple 37, Iwamoto-Ji which was only 5 minutes walk away. It is a very modest temple in terms of size, but clearly it has a passionate group of volunteers, who were busy setting up for a fundraising event when we arrived. Due to all the activity, we didn’t stay long, preferring to check in at the “Shimanto Hutte” and freshen up after another long, hot day walking during Shikoku’s rainy season! I’m not sure why the “Hutte” is included in the name, as there doesn’t seem to be a scrap of German influence anywhere (although there are some reproduction prints of Venice and Rome which is perhaps close enough!)
