Giving Back
Rest was at the forefront of our minds, but we had unfortunately planned a marathon of a walking day. Trying to ignore the distance ahead of us, we started noting people we recognized.
Ms. Holland, Mrs. Maryland, the Korean Couple with their GPS, Mr. Japanese short-shorts guy, Signor Italy, and the Miyazaki doppelgänger. All familiar pilgrim faces at this morning’s temple 76 (Konzō-ji) and 77 (Dōryū-ji).
Minutes before reaching Temple 77 (Dōryū-ji) an old man & his wife breathlessly ran out of their house to greet us. They wanted us to have a ceramic Jizo figurine as osettai. The small objects were made by his son. You could see how very proud the man was to be sharing this special gift with all the pilgrims who passed by his home.
We left our next temple 78 (Gōshō-ji) down a small neighborhood street. Passing a shop we heard the voice of a woman yelling, “O-Henro, o-settai”. She was all smiles as we turned around to face her. Uncertain if she was calling out to us, I confused my Japanese phrases and instead of saying “excuse me,” an unfortunate “No thank you” came out of my mouth. It was an awkward moment. The woman’s smile disappeared and she returned to her store. Embarrassed and a little shy we went back to explain our misunderstanding. Of course she understood and graciously treated us to her osettai of Momiji Manju (maple leaf shaped sweet cake) and tea. We learned that she has lived on this street her entire life. As a young girl she would watch pilgrims pass in front of her window year after year. She recently opened Vtangra, a place where pilgrims can eat, rest and overnight. It was her way of giving back to them.
More than ten kilometers were still ahead of us. We continued on to what we had deemed our unofficial temple, the Joyful restuarant, for lunch.
“Why are we walking 30 kms today!?” I jokingly-seriously asked as we plopped into our booth. As we settled in the words of a fellow American pilgrim we had met weeks ago rang in my ear “This isn’t a race!”
Helpful advice to remember. After all, hiking is good exercise, but recently my interest has been on another type of workout. Not one that makes the body sweat, but one that strengthens the spirit.
So instead of testing our endurance, we decided to spend the afternoon exercising the spirit. We had two more languid cups of coffee before leaving Joyful. We took off our shoes in a park to listen to the birds and the wind. We stopped to buy a 250 yen apple and 525 yen worth of sweet breads. We chose another less traveled nature path that took us to a quiet cafe atop a seaside cliff. We sat and looked over the the tranquil sea.
When our waitress came by for our order she couldn’t understand our accented request of “hot coffee,” but thankfully acknowledged our “hot-o coffee.” Another chance to slow down, sip, and relax before continuing on.
Twenty minutes after leaving the cafe, Matt realized he left his phone at the table. He would have to return. That uphill climb back would certainly be all cardio! We decided I would continue on and we’d meet later at our lodging. It would be the first time we had been apart since April 7th!
Looking back at the days events, our marathon day had actually turned into a relaxing stroll for me. It was one of the best workouts ever.
May 18, 2016 - Temple 76, 77 & 78
