Day 17: Kata to Odomari It’s Saturday night and I am sitting in the hotel’s launderette, washing clothes for hopefully the last time on this trip. Today was supposed to be a quiet day, but I obviously hadn’t read the trail details, I walked over 8 passes and climbed 1130m. I woke up at 6.30, feeling that I hadn’t slept.…
Day 16: Owase to Kata I’m writing this feeling very sorry for myself. After a hard day I was looking forward to having a bath. I was sitting on at the station and the train pulled up, a bit early, but sometimes they need to wait for a train coming in the opposite direction, the train was on platform one,…
Day 15: Furusato to Owase For the third time during the trip I didn’t need to carry my backpack today, as I return to the Royokan I stayed last night. I haven’t at any time felt that the backpack has been a burden, and I didn’t walk any quicker because I was only carrying a day pack. I started the…
Day 14: Ise-Kashiwazaki to Furusato I had a great nights sleep. I’d already dozed of at 21.30 and despite waking up to change the side I was lying on, I slept until 6.30. The futon mattress is so thin, my hips hurt after lying on one side for a few hours. The female owner of the Ryokan served breakfast. She…
Day 13: Tochihara to Ise-Kashiwazaki Yesterday I realised that walking through small villages and varied scenery was why I loved Shikoku last year. Today I remembered why I took buses and trains on long stretches of main roads. Most of the first 13 kms today were along route 42, with nice views of the mountains, but otherwise just cars and…
Day 12: Ise to Tochihara Now I remember why I enjoyed walking on Shikoku, because the landscape is varied, not just forest. I walked 28 km, and not least when I came to the outscirts of Ise, the scenery was fantastic. Empty roads. I was up at 7 o’clock, breakfasted and finished yesterday’s blog – I fell asleep before I…
Day 11: Ise Today was tourist day. Whilst it’s fine being alone when walking, being a tourist is more fun when you have somebody to share it with. But it has been an interesting day in bright sunshine. The motive on man hole cover symbolises my first stop today. I was up at seven to be in plenty…
Day 10: Koguchi to Nachi I know it wasn’t the food they serve here; it could be the good nights sleep; or it could be the Pocari Sweat I wrote about yesterday. Whatever it was, my legs were in fine form today. People were already up at 5.30. As one is not allowed to wear your outdoor shoes indoors, one…
Day 9: Hongu to Koguchi Today was a really short hike, 13 km plus a couple more to get to the trail head at Ukegawa. Despite todays highest point being 466m, elevation gain only 670m and loss 690m, my legs just didn’t want to walk today, so it felt like hard work. I’d ordered breakfast for 7.00 as I was…
Day 8: Hashimoto to Hongu Today was a transport and rest day. I slept well and was up at 7.30 and on the road by 8.45 after a standard hotel breakfast. I walked the 20 mins to the station, stopped off at the baker to buy some lunch and took the 9.30 train from Hashimoto, for four stops to Gojo.…
Day 7: Koyasan to Hashimoto Today I started the day by making a wrong decision. Going back a year, I was in Koyasan and had planned to walk the Choisi-michi trail between Kudoyama and Koyasan. However, I abandoned the idea due to torrential rain. So I planned to do it today instead. Unfortunately the weather report mentioned rain, so last night I…
Day 6: Omata to Koyasan I ended my post yesterday mentioning I would be walking in rain today. Well apart from 3 minutes drizzle, it was a pleasant walk in dry weather. It has however rained off and on since I arrived in Koyasan at 13.30, but not to heavily. Last time I was here it absolutely poured, so this…
Day 5: Miura-guchi to Omata After forgetting the picture of dinner, here is what was served for breakfast. After goodbyes and paying for the two (large) glasses of sake consumed for dinner, the owner drove us to the Minshuku where the rest of the group from Estonia were staying. As I was also about to get out, but the driver…
Day 4: Totsukawa to Miura-guchi Another long walk. Today was ca. 20 km on the route, and 3 more due to the place I am staying being a couple of kms off the track. The day started with breakfast at the hotel, western style, still with a Japanese touch, but egg and bacon as well as ham, salad, yoghurt and…
Day 3: Hongu to Totsukawa Onsen After two days on the Nakahechi route, to which I will return later, I am now walking north along the Kohechi route. The Kohechi route was established in the 13th century as a trade and pilgrimage route, joining Koyasan and Hongu. As such the route is “only” ca.70 km long, but it crosses over four…
Day 2: Tsugizakura to Hongu I slept well, woken by the rain and coughing in the neighbouring room – the walls are very thin! I was up at 6.30 and there was yet another feast for breakfast, where the chef has combined a European breakfast and Japanese breakfast, served in the Japanese way. After paying for the beer I had…
Day 1: Kii-Tanabe to Tsugizakura It rained heavily all evening and into the night, so it was going to be humid today – and it was. I had set my alarm for 6.30, in time for breakfast at 7.00 and the bus at 8.02 – the girl in the tourist office had been very specific that it was 8.02, after…
Day 0 – Copenhagen – Kii Tanabe As I write the first part og this post, I’m back in Japan, in fact at Wakayama station which was my base when I visited the Kii peninsula last year. The trip has been smooth. Yesterday I packed in the morning, and Lene dropped me at the nearest metro station. The flight to Helsinki left…
Vajra – the thunderbolt The term vajra is a Sanskrit word that is usually defined as “diamond” or “thunderbolt.” It also defines a kind of battle club that achieved its name through its reputation for hardness and invincibility. A diamond is spotlessly pure and indestructible. The Sanskrit word means “unbreakable or impregnable, being durable and eternal”. As such, the word vajra…
Japan is different – Pachinoko, manholes, vending machines, breakfast, shopping streets Pachinoko – Japanese pinball Upon entering a pachinko parlour for the first time, the first thing that hits you is the fog of cigarette smoke. Inside you’ll find row upon row of pachinko machines and lots of noise, not least bells and cartoon voices. Mostly male players are watching silver balls bounce around (pachin refers to…
