• Shikoku 88 Day 7
• Temple 24 – 27 of 88
• 84.98km of cycling, some walking with 930m of elevation gain
• Overall progress: 361.64km of 1200km-ish

I set my alarm for 5:24am just in case there was a good view of the sunrise, but alas it was cloudy and I went back to sleep. I was not going to see a daruma sunrise or sunset this time. Breakfast was another impressive spread, complete with grill your own sardine. I love tofu as it’s often served at breakfast – with some bonito flakes, fresh ginger and a little soy sauce.

I met ryokan mum when checking out, and it was nice to hear they have some more guests coming tonight. After a quick photo for their social media I pedaled a few minutes round to the official Cape Misaki. It reminded me a bit of Cape Reinga | Te Rerenga Wairua with the stormy seas, and a few spits of rain had me dreading another bad weather day.

There was a sharp climb up to temple 24 Hotsumisakiji 最御崎寺 and I ditched the luggage near a bend at the bottom. The coastal views on the way up were nice, and the rain didn’t come to anything and it felt very humid. Obviously this trip includes a lot of temples, and sometimes it’s not that easy to find something unique or interesting about each one. Hotsumisakiji had its very own sumo ring though! When I asked about it the attendant explained that they’d recently held a children’s sumo competition.

Next up was Shinshoji 津照寺 and it was just a wee way up the road. After climbing plenty of stairs I made it up to the main hall. Somehow my knee seems to manage all these stairs and the cycling without any real issues or soreness. I think my little pair of straw sandals are bringing me good leg luck!

On my way down the stairs I thought I’d try some small talk with a Japanese man. Nishikawa-san explained he was doing the pilgrimage on his motorbike, and we ended up comparing our modes of transport and taking photos. His bike is a Honda super cub, like those that the Japanese postal service use, and he is sometimes camping along the way.

I felt like I was making good progress with temple 26 Kongochoji 金剛頂寺 just 4 km away. Just after the turn off from the main road, there was a handy pilgrimage rest spot kindly set up by a local company with a beautiful toilet and bench seats. It was the perfect place to leave my bags, and the 150m climb up wasn’t too steep. Nishikawa-san zoomed past on his way down and gave me a wave. When I got my stamps and calligraphy the attendant recommended drying them, so this is for you Judy!

I also loved these cute Teru Teru Bozu I saw attached to a couple of pilgrim staff (kongōtsue) here. They are iconic, small traditional handmade dolls hung outside doors and windows in Japan in hope of sunny weather. I began to think I should get one too, and made a mental note to keep an eye out.

Cycling up the coastal road was enjoyable for the most part. Coastlines in Japan do seem to feature a lot of concrete, but the more natural sections were beautiful. I couldn’t help but wonder how far up the coast the edge of Kochi city was – today’s destination. I came across an older British guy and Australian walking together and had a quick chat. The British guy was somehow on day 6 and teased me about my pace – no idea how he’d done this, wearing boots as well!

I had a break at a little historical street as the afternoon wore on and I cycled the twenty kilometres to the next temple. Last night I’d read in the bike guide book that the climb to Konomineji 神峰寺 was very steep and it was better to walk, which seemed like it would be about 4km each way. I vaguely thought surely after the earlier ones it can’t be that bad, and thought maybe they’d be some kind of bus option or something. Little did I know what was I was about to take on…..

The bottom of the road was steep. I dumped my bags at a random corner of the small, sleepy road and continued up. It had got really hot this afternoon, and I was still a bit sick with my cold so I pushed some bits and rode when I could. After a lot of sweat, I came around the corner to see some seats and a toilet block – finally! But it was the temple version of a false summit!! In fact there was still another kilometre to walk. It was horrendous walking too, and on the way down I realised it would be a mission to drive as well. It was akin to a narrow black advanced level ski run, and described as 45 degrees on one website. I staggered up and finally reached a more promising base type building. Some Japanese pensioners came out of it and were saying it wasn’t here – we still had a little further to go up, and onwards we all staggered together.

It actually is a beautiful complex of a shrine, the temple and park together with stunning views out over the coast. Unfortunately I was just too tired to really enjoy it properly. There is a spring though with water famous for its healing powers, so I made sure to have a drink and wish my cold gets better.

On my way out the main gate I saw a biker looking very sweaty and red in the face. Later this made sense as I found his bike a lot further down the road, obviously unable to cope with the steep gradient. I’m sure I looked exactly like him when I arrived! I had no idea this was one of the hardest climbs of the pilgrimage, but perhaps it was for the best I didn’t know what was coming. The descent took quite some time too and I made sure to have some food and plenty to drink when I finally got back to the bike, and then picked up my bags.

I still had about 37km to ride and was definitely going to be later than the 5pm I’d estimated as my arrival time. I called my accommodation to let them know, and the kind woman was lovely and said to take my time – 6 or 6:30 would be fine. After some trial and error I found the first cycle way of the trip that went 14 km from Aki city towards Kochi. I saw just two other cyclists and sporadic dog walkers on the isolated route, so perhaps not the most popular cycle way yet. My bike computer alerted me to a phone call – the kind woman was calling to see if I’d like a simple dinner for 1000yen. Yes please!

At my final snack stop there was a man enjoying playing with his very well trained chihuahua, and a couple dancing on the waterfront alongside the koinobori flags. It was picturesque, and I felt like even though it had become a long day and I was running late, it was all worth it for moments like this that made me smile.

I arrived at Guesthouse Suisen just as it was getting dark having been on the road for 10 hours 40 minutes. My host was a warm and cheerful Japanese grandma who bustled about, chatting away to herself and her guests. The dinner was delicious after a hot bath, and after carefully checking tomorrow’s route and plan I crawled into my futon.