16th Nov – Day 10, Temple 54 (Enmeiji), Temple 55 (Nankoubou)

Dragged myself up today at 7:18am. The bed was too nice and didn’t feel like walking again. Japanese houses has lower door. I got hit on the head at least 6 times!

I bid Shin-san and Miu goodbye, and started off my journey again at 8:24am. It was a sunny morning, but quite windy. It was cold when I lifted up my sleeve, but warm when I kept them down! Started to worry if I could finish my pilgrimage on time. I had to leave Japan by 22nd January 2011 due to visa requirement. If I did not start covering 20km a day, I would not be able to make it! On one hand, I would not want to rush myself and try to follow Rule 1 as close as possible, but I was probably way too slack so far.

Had an early lunch. Ironically, it was at Circle K again! I had the best of both beef and chicken today, for…. the same 398yen! Today, I wasn’t tired at all. The more I walked, the more I wanted to go further. Probably, it was all flat roads and a good rest last night. I had only stopped twice for 2 minutes each (aside from the temple visit and my 15minutes lunch). I walked pretty fast too!

I thought perhaps I knew the secret to Japanese longevity! You just need to keep using your brain and body, or else they will think you don’t need them anymore and stop working! I saw many whose back was already bend, but still farming and carrying heavy stuffs!! Japanese was also very conscious about their rubbish. Hajime-san even checked if I had the right “rubbish” to be thrown in the correct boxes! Greeted a few people today who thought I was invisible. I saw the Japan flag for the first time in Japan!

It was the 12pm bell ring. I heard the sound was very close, but still couldn’t determine where it came from. Every time during lunch or dinner time, I would smell great cooking around the houses I passed by, and made me yearned for it.

My raincoat almost flew off today. I folded it and was too eager to move on instead of keeping it inside my backpack. So, I just slotted it behind my backpack, using my back to support it. Soon, I realized it had dropped. I knew it was a stupid idea in the first place. Then, I had a shock and thought I left my umbrella in the Youth Hostel as well, but luckily I didn’t!

I felt good again today. Everything was ahead of schedule and I came up with a plan to cover until Temple 56 to camp or stay at the free lodging there, if any. I thought of my jacket again. Still miss it, but I thought if I would have slipped it, someone could have picked it up to use it or donated it away! During the pilgrimage so far, I had been seeing quite a number of beautiful birds, and huge crows!

I reached Temple 54 at 2pm, half an hour earlier than I initially scheduled. Had my tea break there. Couldn’t find a vending machine and saw an old lady with some drink. Thought of asking if she had coffee, but she offered me ocha (green tea). Although I probably knew it was free, I still asked her the price. She replied it was “o-settai” (gift for henro). Later, I remembered, no matter how small the “o-settai” was, I should give out the name slip! She didn’t feel comfortable excepting but I insisted and eventually, she took it.

Today, I started to ring the bell as part of the temple etiquette. Previously, I thought it was the huge tower bell and thought of skipping that. I also started to place the name slip and donation first before I prayed, which was supposed to be the correct way. I had been praying first.

On the way to Temple 55, I passed through a memorial park. At the temple, I met a previous walking henro who recognized me. He told me the temple was moving the Daishi Hall, which meant it was a lucky day! Indeed, it was for me! The temple staff was surprised I came from Singapore. He said there wasn’t many Asians except, the Koreans. Mostly Europeans and Americans. He offered me to sign off in his booklet of all the foreign henros. Then, he gave me a charm for protection. I thanked him very much. The lady staff with him was also wondering if I had lodging today. I told her my plan, but she confirmed there wasn’t any free lodging at Temple 56 anymore. Camping out would be very cold tonight. She recommended a cheap hotel for 3000yen. I asked her where could I get a jacket, and she even knew I wanted the cheaper Uniglo and showed me the direction! She gave me 2 huge pieces of paper with the directions to the Uniglo and the hotel. So, I saved my trip to the City Office to ask where I could find a department store.

Met a familiar face at the temple, and thought he was the guy who prayed for me yesterday. Soon I recalled he was the guy who gave me the “dig hole” hand signal at Furuiyawa famous rock formation! He smiled and left in his bicycle.

I thought about the lodging for a while, and hinted the temple staff advice to stay put instead. Went to check-in to leave my bag, and walked to Uniglo to get my jacket. Bought my bandage and breakfast. Guess what?! Circle-K again! Then, I saw a restaurant with an appetizing display of a big serving noodle for 690yen. So, I went in but the final outcome wasn’t really like what I expected, although I showed the picture when I ordered! Should have saved 300yen for my breakfast instead! By now, my calves were almost cramped!

At the hotel, I met the husband of the owner. He stopped me and very patiently drew out the location of the temples nearby the area, and showed me the direction to Temple 56. He also gave me a brochure on Imabari city. Went back to my room and the shower was heavenly. Prepared myself for tomorrow and worked out a plan and schedule to track my progress. Glad to update all my blog entry as well, and went to bed at 10pm.

Today, I bucked up and added 26.8km to my pilgrimage.