Tokyo

Arrived in Tokyo after a smooth trip on bus from Naichisan to Katsuura, train from Katsuura to Nagoya then on to Tokyo via Shinkansen. I was quite reasonable with 620 yen for bus, and 16,340 yen for the trains with reserved seats.(about $230) it took us from 9:00 am to about 3:30pm  door to door. Fortunately when we arrived in Tokyo we were helped by a man who noticed our confusion and just walked us exactly to where we needed to go and showed us how to get the Pasmo train pass. He was  so kind. Then when we got to our platform another younger man took us under his wing and not only showed us the way but got off the train and took us right to our apartment. I embarrassed him by giving him a box of the Australian chocolates but we were so appreciative. I thought that was wxtraordinary to get off the train to help us. We were actually a bit early for our check in ( we needed to  avoid the concierge because AirB&B is illegal here though apparently according to the hosts Yumi and Koichi will be legislated for shortly). We decided to go into a cafe named Jonathan's to have coffee and some western afternoon tea. A treat!. Koichi arrived at 5:30 with iced espresso coffees and proved to be a most npgenial young man. He has his own electronics business. I am sure they are doing extremely well as young entrepreneurs.

The flat is very well situated and though tiny well designed. There are two bedrooms with western beds and one ( study ) with two futons. Anne and I took the futons because we have had the least trouble sleeping this way. The futons proved a little thin so we found an extra one and I have a do a under mine. 

 

We got settled and started to look for a supermarket but at night with no real map and general directions we gave up and had dinner at a Turkish restaurant. It was a group decision because everyone except me was over rice.  Kim, David and Irene were really struggling and David who eats no seafood was hanging out for meat. The meal proved very tasty and even I really enjoyed the change. It just emphasised how wide the Australian palette is with flavours from every country a part of our ordinary eating. I admit to missing salad and fruit of which we had very little for the last two weeks.

The restaurant also had a very Japanese Belly dancer who encouraged us up to make idiots of ourselves, Kim, David and I first then Irene. It was a hoot but considering we were still recovering from our arduous walk I think we did quite well.

We proceeded home and stopped at the closest family mart, mini supermarkets that are dotted everywhere. Had a glass of wine then collapsed into bed. In my case to not sleep at all. The noise seemed to be extraordnary with sirens blaring, motorbikes, trucks. I just couldn't get to sleep. ann was exhausted and sound asleep. My backpack with the earplugs was propping open the door so I took the Donna and moved into the lounge where the couch is and attempted to sleep there. I finally fell soundly to sleep at about 4:30 when it seemed to quieter down!

The 4th June was spent doing our washing, catching up on diaries sharing photos etc. the first day we haven't really been on the move  and with reasonable wifi which is in the apartment.  We ventured out to a supermarket which was more like David Jones's food hall. The presentation of everything was magnificent and the range of goods so broad. Fruit was perfect and very expensive. It cost us about 200 dollars for dinner, breakfasts, and probably lunch today and Plum wine which we finished off in one night! 

 The gang all doing the Age newspaper crossword.

The rest of the walk

Day four of the walk

After a good nights sleep we took the bus to Hungu Taishe the centre of the pilgrim routes to get our last stamp, visit the temples and for me to collect my Dual Pilgrim acknowledgement.

 

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The stairs to Hungu Taishe

After touring the temple and buying souvenirs and a prayer board to hang on the blessing wall,

I realised I had left my Camino Frances passport back at the Ryokan. I was so cross  with myself because it was partly the motivation for undertaking the walk.  I decided to get a taxi back and returned with the passport. I went into the heritage building and presented both stamped passports. The official checked them out recorded the dates and photographed them. Once he was satisfied he presented me with a dual pin and certificate. I was really moved, a most unexpected emotion.  

 209 th Regustered Dual Pilgrim in the world

Then he told me I was eligible to go to the temple and drum on the ceremonial drum. I went across by myself leaving the others at the heritage centre. I want to the monks office and he then took me to the temple  drum, showed me what to do and let me do it. The drum was sonorous  with deep tones. He kindly took my picture and then it was over and as I walked away I burst into tears. I felt so emotional. I went down to were I left my prayer blessing board and said another prayer. This emotion took me by surprise. It would have been Peter's birthday. I thought I was doing the dual pilgrim just because I could, but the walk has been so peaceful  and hard that it has tapped into some inner feelings I hadn't realised I had I suppose. It has been a spiritual journey in many ways with so much obvious devotion in evidence  from the many shrines and Ojis we passed. A lot of the Japanese Buddhism is entwined with Shinto, the worship of the earth and superstition which makes it rather charming at times.

The rest of the day was spent back at Yuomine in the hot springs, sharing a plum wine with actual plums and rice crackers followed by another delicious dinner. The host and his wife do the cooking.  None of us slept well but we have a fairly gentle day so we are not concerned.

DAy 5

We set off quite early from Yuomine to catch the bus to Ukegawa the next  starting point. Our 'lunchy boxes' came just before we left and were wrapped like little presents. I showed the bus driver the map to be sure we were catching the correct one. We didn't want to miss the bus by being on the wrong side like we did the day before! 

All went smoothly and we started our climb (of course) up the steps past small homes and into the forest again. Lots of beautiful iridescent green ferns carpeted the ground and the steep banks.

Dappled sunlight filtered through the trees and what I call the soprano bird trilled frequently. Today's walk was comparatively easy with many straight stretches interspersed with climbs over the now familiar rocks or stairs. There were remains of tea houses in several places.  During the 12th Century this was a busy path and there were many tea houses and inns along the way to support the pilgrims. We could have used the same hospitality to break the arduous walking. The highlight was a lookout which appears suddenly and oversees the 3600 peaks of the Kamano.

It was spectacular and we could see into the valley to our destination.We came into Kaguchi our overnight spot about 3:30.  The place is a converted school and had lovely large rooms for a change.

 Note how the stools slide under the tables for easy floor cleaning.

Unfortunately the Wifi  was very unreliable and so we gave up and had a beer and read instead. Ann was in mourning for the plum wine.

 Ann has really struggled with a whole lot of things this trip. She arrived with a cold, got stung by a black waspy thing during the night which left her with a very painful sting and pus on her cheek in Koyasan. She knocked off the swelling which seemed to take a hard core( the sting) from the injury. David loaned her some Stingos which eased the pain. Then her knee has swollen with all the steps going up and down and she has needed to strap it for the walks. That makes getting under the low tables a challenge! Then in the morning of the last walking  day both Ann and David woke with puffy eyes. Ann's has developed into some sort of allergy. We can't work out what it is- too much fish,seaweed, rice,pollen, shampoo? We can't work it out. 

Day 6

We departed Kaguchi really early( for us) at 7:30 am. The discussion over breakfast is that everyone except me is over rice. Irene is struggling with the food, feeling that she is having too much and is over fish too. She and Kim are forcing themselves to eat it. Our lunches are also mostly cold rice balls. Irene was saying how she had envied the man on the train with his Bento box and now she doesn't want to see one for a long time , if ever!

Today is the ' body breaker day'. The host at our accommodation said it would be an exciting walk, up, up, up,. In fact it is five kilometres of climbing rough stairs  to start, then rough mossy rocks litter the upward sloping path, then more steps.

 

  The pillow of the gods where they used to talk and take tea.

Just when you think you have reached a flat spot the path curves and ... More stairs! It was relentless.  Once you reach the top it is a vertical rocky, step down for almost as long as the up. Our knees and thighs were feeling the strain. Fortunate for us the weather was low 20s and dry. It would be treacherous in the rain.  The remains of many tea houses and inns again along the path reinforced what an important pilgrimage route it was in the past. A famous poet Fujiwara Teika wrote in his diary in 1201 that the route was difficult and rough and impossible to describe precisely how tough it is. The seemingly endless steep inclines of stairs and rocks we endured led us to concur. The average slope is 1:6 with some as steep as 1:3 in gradient. We claimed to 883metres at its highest point and dropped dramatically to the valley at 60 metres.

  

 A tantalising glimpse of the Pacific Ocean from the mountain.

Finally we appeared out of the forest after more descent down rocks and stairs to see the red pagoda and the waterfall at Naichisan.

Relief! And an ice cream shop! Our last hour fantasy had been for just that. Irene was not going to walk down more steps to see the waterfall. BIll was very reluctant and not happy that we had to walk back up the same stairs to go to the temple and shrine. Our last stamp was important to us.

 Anne leaving the Beautiful Temple Naichi Taishe one of the three sacred temples on the Kumano Kodo. 

Ann, Kim and I were shown into the Temple for our free official stamp. A monk gave us a brochure about the shrine and recognised our accent because he said Phillip island penguins! Everything was closing by now and we headed off to find the Ryokan. I guided everyone through a back alley down stairs to the entrance. Imagine our faces when the hostess told us the rooms were upstairs and the bathroom was down stairs! By now we are really exhausted and it was a huge effort to get ourselves up the stairs let alone our cases.

We staggered around getting ready for the bath. Ann and I lay down with our legs elevated to try and ease the tiredness first. The bath was good and we were the only ones again. Later I talked Ann into coming down for a drink from the vending machine with the lure of plum wine in a can. We both tried but had our money rejected twice before we realised it was empty. I had a beer anyway! Then it was dinner soon after. We were all in bed and asleep by about 7:30 pm.

First day on Kumano Kodo

YCity Plaza hotel (Kii Tanabe) a rather shabby place where the halls stank of smoke but they were very organised about our breakfasts and delivered a well cooked American breakfast( eggs and bacon with Japanese salad and yoghurt, thick toast and jam) at 6:45 am. We needed to catch the 8:02 bus to Takajiri-Oji with our luggage but also needed to pick up a pre packed lunch. A woven basket full of food and a bottle of tea. What ever was in the box was heavy but we managed to cram them into our backpacks. When we arrived at our destination the luggage transfer was waiting. Hallelujah! The last day of manhandling suitcases. We found the Takajiri-Oji shrine.

 

It felt right to make a Shinto/Buddhist ritual prayer by bowing twice and ringing the bell then clapping  twice, then praying for safe passage. Off we set. 4 kms straight up the hill. Soon we were puffing and panting and dripping sweat. I was too wet to claim glowing or perspiration. Along the way there was a small cave that pilgrims used to squeeze through  which was a symbolic rebirth and  safe delivery.

I was the only one to attempt it but it required me to divest myself of pack and poles of course. At the other side of the hill was a shrine to children. I figured all opportunities for safe delivery should be accepted so I slithered through.  We had no sooner crested the top before we headed down into the valley and then another hill. For 18 kms we slogged. The scenery was spectacular, the forest awe inspiring, the landslides dramatic, the ferns and mosses a vibrant yellow green.  What a contrast to Kyoto.

When we stopped for lunch we opened our woven Bento box to find rice, dried fish, omelette, pickles and even a prawn! You would never give some one a prawn if you were hiking in Australia unless it was under refrigeration but it was fine and delicious.

It was clearly for the fish lovers which David doesn't eat and so we did a trade off, fish for omelette and bean curd so he would get something beside rice. We missed not having a piece of fruit.

The weather turned wet and though it was mainly misty to begin with the rain gradually got heavier. We walked through some tiny villages, past many shrines and Ojis where we stamped our Kumano Kodo passport. The stamps are all red and intricate designs. When we finally reached the 33rd post ( markers along the way) we needed to go down a road to our accommodation. We were a bit confused so knocked on the door of a house where a family (mother and children) were playing games. Mum was in a traditional gown. No English but they got the gist and confirmed we were turning onto the right road. We were all tired by now and at least it was downhill, but we were concerned about being late. They are very regulated about dinner at 6. Being late is considered rude and punctuality is very important. That is a very different approach to other walks. 

Any way we got in by 5:30 pm and had to hustle. We were staying at a Minshuku (Japanese bed and breakfast). The Lady of the house was waiting for us at the door and was very welcoming, but didn't want our wet things on her spotless floor. She wiped our bags and had a basket for our wet coats, shoe racks of course and slippers. The bathroom was one shower and a bath that was big enough for two. All modesty gone now, we jumped under the shower one at a time, submerged for five minutes then out for the next! Into our Yukatas and to the dinner table. We are all enjoying the ease of the Yukata, traditional cotton gown to wear around home or even around town we later observe. We slept soundly of course. The pillows were not the buckwheat filling of the monastery but some other less firm substance; comfy enough. 

Kii-Tanabe

Today was a day of transport. We took a bus, then a funicular down the mountain, and two trains to get to Kii Tanabe from Koyasan. We had some quick connections which meant manhandling the luggage. I longed for my trusty backpack. I hate wheely luggage if you are on the move because it is too heavy and awkward. Japanese transport is very punctual and you have to hurry on and off all the time. I could feel my back straining. Tonight it is sore, what I don't need before our walk tomorrow! At least the luggage will be shifted for us from now on. I am determined to bring even less next trip.

After our briefing at the tourist bureau we felt quite daunted. It is a longish day tomorrow(18 km) with a steep climb to start. I am sure we can do it but we will be knackered. 

Irene is feeling particularly apprehensive. We found our hotel, a rather shabby place but at least there are beds and it is clean. No one speaks much English. Tourists must be an oddity because we seem to draw attention. The corridor stinks of smoke and there is a killer lift which just about takes your arm or leg off  while you try to get out! The doors continue to close even when there is an object in the threshold. At reception we had to decide what breakfast we were going to have tomorrow, American or Japanese before we received the appropriate breakfast pass. Usually it is a free choose buffet so this is different. Next we headed off to the restaurant area for dinner. Despite the fact it is Saturday night there wasn't much life around.  We obviously looked lost because this man told us to follow him and he guessed we were going to do the Kumano Kodo. I said we wanted meat and he took us to this hole in the wall place that had hot plates.  Being six us a problem because the restaurants are so small. The other issue is sitting on our knees. Some of the group find that really hard. We had rejected several places because they were tradional. Anyway the waiter was so helpful  we couldn't refuse. He showed us to a room upstairs.  Then we proceeded to negotiate a meal with the help of Google translator. Eventually we settled on the house specialty , a pork dish with lots of cabbage and bea

n shoots, cooked on a griddle. It was a great meal and good to get a whole dish rather than titbits.

Things - funny and different.

One thing I really like are the toilets in Japan. They must have the cleanest bottoms in the world. There are many squat toilets but more and more fancy western loos with sprays and music and dryers. It feels so clean to have you rear washed. I would love one at home! They are fancy bidets of course but much easier than those. They also have toilet slippers. Slippers to wear into the toilet area. The changing of shoes , house slippers, toilet slippers, outdoor shoes and shoes off at the front door, so they never touch the wooden steps or inside is yet to become automatic. No wonder every one used to wear thongs and slip off shoes. We seem to be taking them off and putting them on all the time. Remembering which way they should face is also a challenge.  

Anne and I have had some great laughs together. When we were in Kyoto I visited Irene's room and came back to tell Ann ,with wonder, that they had two taps. In a dry way she said we have two taps too. Of course we had but not a drinking water tap. It seemed such a stupid thing to say that we just cracked up and fell about laughing.

It is surprising how arriving in Koyosan and its calm environment has relaxed us all. It is a soothing place where the only sounds are birds singing, frogs croaking, sometimes like kookaburras, gongs from the temples sounding and on the hour music is played for a few seconds. Total harmony. The famous rock garden.

At one of our evening dinners the boys got reminiscing about their early youth. David revealed he was a member of the Wee Willie Weeties club, and was a Tarax Top Man. Bill not to be outdone told us about his toy submarine that he'd got out of a cereal packet. He was fascinated by the going up and down which was made possible by bi - carbonate soda some how packed into the sub. David had a diver that used air. We laughed and laughed over all these old time shows and toys.  It will be a long time before we forget Wee Willie Weeties!

The Kyoto tower is a landmark we ventured up. It's height was based on the size of the population when it was built. Now there are more people they need to add extra to the spire! We wanted to have a drink but the bar had smokers and wasn't pleasant. This is something we have found here. Smoking is still more prevalent than at home and happens in restaurants.  There are often smoking rooms but they are not enforced.

So many women wear hats. Even the  girl taking the tickets to the lift at the tower was wearing a hat, The female bus driver had a hat. The ones in uniform often wear hats like boaters or foreign legionaries. 

The conductors on the train wore a hat and bowed every time they left the carriage.

The girls in school uniforms that are like sailor suits seem a little strange but girls will be girls and I had to smile at the skirts rolled up at the waist to make a ini skirt instead of the sensible knee length! 

Lots of women wear long gloves to protect their arms from the sun. They look very formal going to work!

The people seem to be genuinely happy in their work, taking pride in what they do. The train guards are very serious about their jobs and could be the assistant pilots to a jet airliner by their demeanour. It is a pleasure to see the pride in their work. It makes some Australians seem so sloppy. Bill the architect is always commenting on how things are made with both quality and aesthetics in mind, right down to a light pole.

 Cypress branches for offerings

 Door decoration sculpture

I had tried to meet up with a former rotary student who had stayed with Mum and Dad.mhiro was sixteen when he came to stay and became a much loved member of the family. Unfortunately he is very busy with work and has not been able to meet me but sent some beautiful flowers. I was very thrilled to receive them and will try again from Tokyo.

Last day in Kyoto

I am really weary from all the constant travel and I am so behind with the blog I almost feel like abandoning it. The I pad won't let me download any new photos so I have to take photos on the phone as well as the camera so I have some to post!

Despite needing a down day we decided to do a walking tour that we couldn't do on the first day here. It turned out to be excellent and so informative that we learnt a lot. Five hours though and then the day was done even with an early dinner nearby. We needed to pack and ready ourselves for the next part of the journey, getting to Koyosan.

 

we met in the lobby and trooped across to the station JRpass in hand. Three trains, a funicular and a bus later we arrived in this magic place. It is high in the mountains so the train trip was glorious and such a contrast to Kyoto. The mountains are covered in cypress furs  and bamboo and are dense and jungle like. The town is charming and looks well supported financially. There are numerous temples and shrines and a huge Kobo Daishi Gobyo ( Mausuleum of Kobo Daishi) graveyard that was about a six kilometre round walk before getting back to the main road. There is a temple to Kobo Daish which has thousands of lanterns, and three kept perpetually burning. Ann and I left a prayer each to be prayed for by the monks for twelve months before it is purified by fire.

There were several notable shrines one of which was for the Japanese, Australians and local Malay who had died in Nth Borneo during world war 2. We returned to our accommodation at the Nann-in for dinner at six followed by a bath. 

The staff at Nann-in speak little English but are so welcoming they didn't even ask our names when we arrived! Our rooms are traditional with tatami mats and low tables with futons for sleeping. The evening meal was a feast for the eyes and all vegetarian. Quite delicious. We had had a sandwich and coffee at lunch time which was a delicious change.

The ritual bath was an experience. Everyone had been a bit anxious about going naked, but fiddling with the modesty towel was such a nuisance we abandoned it very quickly except for Irene who maintained her dignity. The water was so hot we all looked like red lobsters within seconds and couldn't stay too long. We re-donned our Yukata and strolled back to our rooms. I was so tired that every effort to update the blog or Facebook failed as I fell asleep sitting up. I gave in and fell immediately to sleep to the sounds of frogs. I slept soundly, though it seems the mats were too hard for Irene and Bill, the donnas too hot for Kim and David and Ann just wasn't sleepy initially but the noise of the frogs then the rain kept her awake.  We were up early for the morning service in the temple followed by breakfast. Nothing western here at least with food.  It was still raining heavily so we have all opted to stay in and catch up with our diaries, Facebook etc!

We are planning a walk to the post office and coffee at 11 and the main temple.

Day 5 Osaka and Nara

Today we negotiated the local subway and despite a very unhelpful railway employee( unusual) we managed to buy tickets and get to Osaka Castle without losing anyone. A first. The castle is fantastic and now operates as a museum. It was built by the shogunate of Tokogawa. The top floor afforded a 360 degree view of the castle and Osaka. It was surrounded by a moat that was as wide as the Yarra River. We saw lots of school groups of all ages. The little ones were particularly cute. It is the end of semester and it is traditional for schools to take the children on excursions to famous places in Japan. Hence the groups f children everywhere we go!

We went looking for a famous shopping mall in Osaka thinking it would be tradional wares but instead it was one long covered area, a street width but several blocks long full of all the usual shops like h&m Zara etc. we decided after lunch not to bother with further exploration but head straight to Nara and the biggest Buddha in Japan. We managed the trains with aplomb this time - practice does make us better. By the time we got to Nara it was 5:00 pm and it was nearly closing time. Fortunately there was a bus about to leave for the temple which we hopped onto and were soon there. The temple is surrounded by parkland which has wild deer roaming free.

There are signs that warn against being bumped etc. it was essential to make a Bline for the temple and ignore the deer till later. When we approached the building we were awestruck by the size and the surroundings. Then it was deer shots, drinks and back on the bus to train and then. Kyoto arriving about 7:45pm and went to dinner at a little restaurant at the station. You could live in this station! All pretty tired and once again the diary has been left. It is midnight every night by the time we turn out the lights yet never enough time for the diary.