After four nights in Tokushima 徳島 it was time to move on. My initial impressions hadn't been very favorable - compared to Takamatsu's 高松 sleek modernism (at least around the main train station), central Tokushima with its palm trees in front of the main train station felt a lot older, with an air of quiet decline. However, as I became accustomed to the relaxed rhythms of the city, I started to appreciate its quiet charms, which made it difficult to imagine what the atmosphere must be like in mid-August, when more than a million visitors descend on the city to witness the four-day Awa-odori Matsuri 阿波踊り.
But on the thirteenth day of my trip it was time to leave Tokushima and move on. It was also time to dip my toes into the pilgrimage 四国巡礼 again. Temple 21 Tairyūji 太龍寺 was about an hour-long drive away. For more than 1200 years henro 遍路 (pilgrims) have walked up steep paths to reach the mountaintop temple. But for modern-day spoiled visitors such as myself there is the option of taking the 2.7 kilometer/1.7 mile-long ropeway, the longest in western Japan:
At one point the guide on board pointed out these statues of wolves placed atop a rocky outcrop. Sadly the native
Japanese wolf ニホンオオカミ went extinct in the early 20th century:
After alighting from the cable car I made my over to the main hall 本堂, constructed in 1852. It holds a statue of
Kokuzō Bosatsu 虚空蔵菩薩 carved by
Kōbō Daishi 弘法大師, and is displayed every year on January 12, meaning I didn't see it on my visit. Which is a pity because pilgrims pray to Kokuzo to improve their memory, something I keep forgetting to do:
The Daishidō 大師堂 is modeled after the inner sanctuary of
Mt. Kōya 高野山. In the rear building there is a statue of Kobo Daishi that is open for public viewing every March 21 of the old calendar:
The atmosphere at Tairyu-ji was very peaceful...with the exception of a large group of American tourists, although in all fairness they weren't particularly loud, but definitely stood out in the otherwise quiet location:
A hiker heads downhill, eschewing the convenience of the cable car. How I envied him:
A statue of Kobo Daishi sits in quiet contemplation on a far off vantage point:
This
ema votive tablet depicting Kūkai 空海 describes Tairyu-ji as "West Mount Koya" 西高野山:
After returning to my car I drove off in the direction of the coast. At one point I stopped to walk out onto a bridge and admire the
Naka-gawa River 中川 flowing beneath:
Inaka 田舎. If there's one thing missing from my life it would be the lack of a rural
furusato 故郷 to call my own:
I drove by this mysterious building meant to resemble a pirate ship, at least according to the deteriorating sign on the top 海賊船:
My next intended stop was at another temple on the pilgrimage, Number 23
Yakuō-ji 薬王寺 in Hiwasa 日和佐. But not before having
okonomiyaki お好み焼き for lunch at a restaurant across from the temple parking lot:
The temple's history dates back to 726, and according to
Lonely Planet is a
yakuyoke-no-tera 厄除けの寺, "a temple with special powers to ward off ill fortune during unlucky years". For men, that unlucky year is age 42; for women it's 33. At least I have nothing to worry about anymore:
The steps leading up to the main hall are divided into stages for men and women - 42 steps for the former, 33 for the latter. The custom is for
henro to place a ¥1 coin on each step as they ascend:
From the pagoda there's a decent view of Hiwasa's harbor. It was here that I was mistaken by a tour guide for being one of her charges in a tour group of foreign visitors she was leading around. She quickly apologized upon realizing her mistake, but no offense was taken. Though looking back I'm wondering if I looked as if I had just stepped of a tour bus, and if so should I be offended?:
Passing by the main hall on the way back down to the parking lot:
A bottle of Sudachi Cider すだちサイダー, purchased from a souvenir shop located just outside the temple entrance:
From Yakuo-ji I had hoped to next visit the
Sea Turtle Museum Caretta うみがめ博物館カレッタ (sea turtles lay their eggs in the area between May and August every year) but at the time I stopped by the center was closed for renovations, so instead I took a stroll around Ōhama Beach 大浜海岸:
A kilometer south of the harbor is
Hiwasa-jō Castle 日和佐城, a 1978 reconstruction placed atop Shiroyama 城山. There were good views of the coast and the town from the park, but the castle itself didn't appear to have much to offer (it was locked up). Which was fine, as I'm generally not a fan of reconstructed castles (there are two periods in Japanese history noted for the construction of castles - the
Sengoku period 戦国時代 of the mid-15th to early-17th centuries, and the 1960's and 70's, when many reproductions were erected in the name of tourism):
From the castle park I drove south along the scenic
Anan coastline 阿南海岸, eventually reaching the
Haryugetu Guesthouse 波流月ゲストハウス, my accommodations for the evening, in the late afternoon. This charmingly ramshackle collection of rooms would turn out to be quite comfortable, helped in no small part by the extremely friendly couple (and their two young children) who run the place:
After checking in and placing my things in the room, I went for a walk along the coastal path behind the guesthouse:
Kobo Daishi apparently rested at a spot across the street from the guesthouse. There's now a small shrine marking the location:
The husband of the couple makes his own surfboards. The guesthouse caters to both pilgrims and surfers (and maybe both?), though I was the only guest the evening I was there:
A hand-drawn map of the guesthouse's surroundings, including the shrine noted above:
Meals were extra, and I'm glad I opted for them. This was dinner that evening:
From the serenity of Tairyu-ji 618 meters/2028 feet high up in the mountains, down to the warm welcome at sea level at the Haryugetu Guest House, the thirteenth day of my travels in Japan was far from an unlucky one. The good weather and the even better vibes would continue on into the next day. Stay tuned...
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