• Shikoku 88 Day 12
• 53.2km with 252m of elevation gain
• Overall progress: 645.4 km of 1200 km ish – over halfway!

I was up early at 6:30m for breakfast with Andrej. I mentioned that Japan seemed to use quite a lot of concrete along their coastlines, and he said he thought it was great they were protecting their people and not letting environmental issues get in the way. This was the same Andrej who had loved the South Island of Te Araroa for its beauty. I decided it was best to just eat up as he got onto his favourite topics of politics and Russia, while noting that he didn’t really want to talk about politics. Outside the rain was really coming down so I didn’t hurry. Ben took his bus just after 8am but then had to walk quite a bit of the route I was taking. I reconsidered but resolved to ride in the rain. My cold was getting better and it didn’t feel too chilly outside. I was welcome to stay longer, but worried I’d never get going if I did that.

My host took some photos for his Instagram. It’s 1 year today since he began his small hostel, which apart from the 3 flights of stairs had been another comfy haven in a good location. He was a gentle soul – very polite and a little shy, but he kindly gave me some Calorie Mate (a popular snack I used to eat in high school) for the road.

I’d learnt from previous rainy days and this time I had towels at the ready, my hair ties holding the ankles of my rain pants out of the way, and warm clothes at the ready. The hood on my jacket almost fitted over my whole helmet.

Initially there wasn’t much traffic as I retraced my steps a little, sticking to the safety of the footpaths and taking it easy. I did see the odd pilgrim, including a Japanese man cycling who was also riding about 50km a day. It was comforting to know there were others out in this weather and I wasn’t the only crazy one! Although it was slow going, the turn off for Route 21 came sooner than I was expecting. It would take me across to the city of Sukumo, via the village of Mihara and looked isolated on the map. About a kilometre in I saw one grandpa in a little truck, before an hour with absolutely no traffic at all, or signs of life. The road was lovely and smooth, there were forested hills with mist hanging about them, and some beautiful rivers. It was bliss! I was actually enjoying riding in the rain this morning. Being warm and well-prepared helped, and I’d probably brought a better attitude too.

In the middle of nowhere, there was a construction crew working on the road. After I’d ridden through, I wish I’d asked if I could use their toilet. There were now hardly any houses, and those I did see were often dilapidated with roofs caved in and trees growing out of them. It had become a little eerie, and I prayed for no punctures as there was nothing really to hide under from the persistent rain.

Just when I felt like I really needed a break, and a toilet, there was a sign pointing up a 30m driveway indicating a henro pilgrim rest spot. I ventured up and realised there was a figure in the shelter and sure enough it was Ben! It reminded me a little of Te Araroa shelters, but I think this one maybe beats most! It had a fireplace with embers giving a little heat out still and kettles on top. There was a hot water thermos, portable gas cooker, a wide variety of hot drinks, snacks, cups, a sink and a portaloo!

Basically everything a bedraggled pilgrim could want. We even had company…

Ben pointed out by far the biggest spider I have ever seen, and a smaller but much more active one. Initially he’d been sitting down, until a spider had run up his leg. We agreed it was definitely more comfortable to stand while we took turns at spider watch.

We had fun hanging out for an hour, chatting away about the characters at our accommodation, life in Christchurch and whether it’s a good pace to move to, how good NZ is, knee injuries and spiders. I had a hot cup of green tea and some onigiri, tamago-yaki (egg roll) and snacks. Ben’s teeth had started chattering though and it seemed best to keep moving and keep warm. I was a little alarmed he was in shorts and not rain pants, but I guess he’s a kiwi!

It started to feel a bit cooler, and at another break up the road I realised a problem with my rain gear. I was fine and dry until I had to go to the toilet, and then my jacket, pilgrim hat, helmet and hood would drip water everywhere. My early enthusiasm for riding in the rain was starting to wane a little.

I got to temple 39 Enkoji 延光寺 in reasonable time though, and tried to keep everything dry while visiting. I greeted a gruff biker pilgrim with small talk about the rain and he replied that he enjoyed riding in the rain the most. I wondered if the water drips off his jacket but admired his positivity.

He then very kindly taught me that after we light the candle, it’s best to use the candle flame to light the incense, not a lighter. It was such a small thing, but I realised as soon as he said it that I’d never seen a Japanese person light incense with a lighter. He said the reason we light three sticks of incense is one is for yesterday, one is for today, and one is for tomorrow. I liked that, and was grateful to him for the incense tip. The stamp office attendant wiped the rain droplets off my book with a slightly disapproving air, and I made a note to put it in a plastic bag next time.

Legend has it in the year 911 a turtle came out of the sea with a red bell on its back. The bell has an inscription mentioning the Enki era – not a period of Japanese history I’d heard of before.

It was now windy as well as still raining at about 5mm an hour, and I arrived near tonight’s accommodation about 3pm. After a few confused circles of a quiet Sukumo town centre trying to find somewhere open to kill time, I spotted family restaurant chain Joyfull. Next to it was an abandoned yakiniku shop with an entrance way where I could dry off with a towel, hang my rain gear on my bike, put on my down jacket and look as presentable as possible. It was much more peaceful than my last family restaurant experience and a hot meal warmed me up as did the unlimited hot and cold drinks. I was glad for my warm clothes that had seemed crazy back in 25C summer heat I started this journey in.

I checked into the guest house with the help of a grandma with very good English, and was now well practised at stuffing my shoes with newspaper. I even had cloths to wipe down my bags with. It was comfy and warm, and they’d very kindly taken delivery of Madoka’s spare phone for me. Lea from Denmark was testing out the kitchen while I took advantage of the computer to write some blog.

Later the Japanese man also staying offered me some citrus, and when I thanked him in Japanese we got chatting. Of all places, he was from the small town of Toyohashi in Aichi prefecture where I’d spent three months at school in 6th form. He’d come to Ehime to do some sea kayaking, but alas the sea conditions hadn’t been great. He showed me some amazing photos and videos of other places around Japan he’d been, sometimes with his little dog on board. I told him about Abel Tasman and found some photos of my half day sea kayaking trip there to share. He was very interested in the pilgrimage, and intrigued when I gave him an osamefuda – the best translation for these is “name slip” but they can also function as a thank you for osettai and help. Chatting to him was a lovely way to finish the day.