Day 55 - The Road To Enlightenment - Walking The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage - Tango Yura To Miyazu, Along The Shishizaki Peninsula, Japan

Day 55 - The Road To Enlightenment - Walking The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage - Tango Yura To Miyazu, Along The Shishizaki Peninsula, Japan 

The sun was shining brightly as we woke up this morning.
It was a perfectly warm day to complete our coastal walk.

We returned by train to Tango-Yura, continuing our walk from Obama to Amanohashidate, and started to walk back to Miyazu. 

It was along a scenic and rocky coastline, with a blue ocean and lots of fishermen.
We walked on a car road with no sidewalks.

But it was OK, since the road did not have too many cars, and there were many spots where cars could stop to appreciate the views of the coastline.

As we neared Miyazu, instead of continuing on the car road, which had a tunnel with no sidewalks, we took a long detour around the peninsula. 
It was a much quieter road and we walked through several fishing villages by the sea.

We stopped at a Shinto Shrine to have a tea break. 
We sat on a shaded wooden bench and brewed some tea. 
Then we continued walking around the peninsula.

We talked about how nice it was to have our own tea and packed lunch, instead of relying on places along the way, which might or might not be open.

There were not many businesses along the way. 
We passed by a few closed hotels and restaurants, but they looked like they were permanently closed. 
The places seemed to be rotting away from the proximity to the salt of the sea, coastal storms and the bright sun.

The sun felt hot, but the breeze from the sea made our walk feel very pleasant. 
We were able to walk on the long and empty boardwalk for a long stretch, but as we reached a small marina and a boat repair shop, the boardwalk was blocked and we had to rejoin the car road.

After a few hours, we stopped again near another Shinto shrine, one that had an observation deck over the sea, and a series of many steep stairs. 
A few athletes were practicing running up and down these hundreds of steps.

It reminded me of the Ascetic Holy Man that we met during our pilgrimage walk around the 88 temples of Shikoku island in Japan. 
We met him at the entrance to a very steep mountain temple.  
He told us that he had just run the stairs of that very steep temple a thousand times.

Then we saw him standing under the ascetic waterfalls, blowing a Buddhist conch horn. 
He gave me a toy kite that you can fly without wind, by rubbing your hands together. 
He was really an awesome Buddhist master.

We sat by the sea below the shrine and had our lunch. 
It was a simple lunch of raisin bread with cheese and some tea, but it was very enjoyable. 
The simple life of a light footed pilgrim, roaming the earth with almost no expectations and needs, is very liberating.

About an hour later, we got to Miyazu. 
We walked over to see how late the local coin laundry would be open. 

Along the way we saw that a local cafe was open, and we went in to enjoy a hot drink. The owner made me a lemon and honey hot drink, and a good coffee for Jules. 
It was a nice place, and the friendly owner also made us a toast with strawberry jam.

The laundromat was open very late, so we went to the supermarket to buy our dinner, which we planned to eat later in our room. 
Then we returned to our hotel, took showers and changed our clothes. 
After we collected our laundry, we returned to the laundromat. 
They had a washer and drier for sneakers, so we took off our walking shoes and sat in our socks as our laundry and shoes were being washed. 
About an hour later, we had clean clothes and sweet smelling hiking shoes.

We ate a light dinner of strawberries, a half of a melon, bananas, nuts, and a small plate of pickles with a cooked pumpkin. 
It was delicious. 
We talked about how this pilgrimage would have been different if we were not walking it during these coronavirus times.

We had to admit that not much would have been different, except that all the temples would have been open, and the feeling in the air would have been more jubilant.

Now, as we walk, we feel the fear and sadness that some people exude. And we consciously try to vibrate and radiate joy and love into the same collective atmosphere.

With love and endless joy,
Tali and Jules

Daily stats:

Steps walked - 28,731 
21 km. walked 
Active walking time -  5 hours 
Total walking time today - 6.5 hours.  
Total walking distance on the Saigoku to date - 952 km  
Temple Visited: 
None