Day 41: lock and load


Going to the 81st temple, today, I walked by a training area owned by the Japanese Self Defense Force (Army). I could distintly hear several series of gunshots.

It felt a bit strange, as this training area basically divides the temples #80 and #81, and Buddhism is such a pacific religion that hearing gunfire along a pilgrimage route seemed definitely odd.

I bet I’m not the only one who sometimes feels like a gun, ready to fire at will when everything goes well, but also prone to getting jammed if not properly maintained.

At least this journey is providing exactly the kind of maintenance I needed, after three rusty years in Germany.

Close to the entrance of temple #81. Autumn has definitely kicked in around here, in all its glory.

The day was also dominated by the autumn colours. I found so many beautiful trees and views that it had a significant impact on my walking schedule.

The day was long, and I arrived again at my destination, temple #83, only 30 minutes before it closed.

The entrance to temple #82.

Finally I have some Wi-Fi tonight. The hotel is pretty bad but the connection is good, at least. I can easily survive with a shared toilet if it means I’m able to make a videocall without wasting a ton of money.

The city of Takamatsu, as seen from above.

Going back to yesterday night, I spent a lot of time taking pictures of the so-called “supermoon”. Some of them look actually very interesting and I can’t wait to edit them.

I’m sure there will be thousands of pictures that will look better than mine, but still, it’s the first time I take a half-decent shot of something that does not belong to this planet, for fuck’s sake!

If that’s not exciting, I don’t know what else is.

Temple #83, before sunset.

Although the day was pretty tough, with a steep climb at the beginning and several ups and downs, I feel ready for pushing on, tomorrow.

I plan on reaching temple #87, the second last on my o-henro, and it’s an exciting thought!

There will be again two hills to climb, before a long walk to the hotel. Lock and load. Two more days.