Spirits

From Matsuyama i went on the 100km something to Saijo. Not only didn't i get a temple stay (probably for henros only), i had to call 5 different hotels until i got a room, they where either "full" or "on holiday" as i was told on the phone. Aoki Hotel right next to the station gave me a room finally. More temples in Saijo, but i only made it to two of them, as i found out about a walkway up to temple number 60, the most remote one around Saijo, promissing escape from the heavy artery traffic.

That promise was kept and so i made my path along the chine of Shikoku mountains. You sure know the shape of these from samurai films or similar, it's totally steep at the foot, getting flat once you made that. For me, i was totally exhausted after the first path, moreover i somehow underestimated the distance, so it took me three hours to make it. 900m high there was still much snow, and it was freezing, so no rest for me at the temple, better this way anyway, as i arrived back in the urban sprawl around sunset. So no more temples on that day for me. But Houju-Ji (No. 60) definitely was woth it.

Next day brought enlightment of some different sort, i visited Asahi brewery. Everything was made up for presentation including an hourly shuttlebus to and from the factory. I got my single person guided toor, from the second floor you look down through windows to the ground level where all the silos, boilers, quality check laboratorys and botteling lines are. The guide explaining in english (read from a sheet), we chatted half english half japanese. This way i learned the stuff i drink taking it for beer so far, actually is happoushuu, with it's share of malt reduced, it slips through taxation levels, making the stuff cheaper (still around 190Y a can). Unfortunately no fotos allowed on the tour.

Next day was Zentsuu-ji (Station Hotel, shabby and rather far from the station). I visited temples 72 (Mandara-Ji) to 75 (Zentsuu-Ji), the whole walk was somewhat more relaxed than the day before, only around 5km one way. The latter temple was the place of the boyhood home of Kobo-Daishi, the founder of the pilgrimage.

Next will be Tokushima, my hub over to Osaka, not many plans for there, Naruto has a giant whirlpool.

Saijo & Zentsuu-Ji Fotos