Exploring the unlikely intersections of walking, photography and making
On our second day of walking, we leave Fuji Business Hotel and Muroto City behind as we make our way along the coastline of Kochi Prefecture. We also leave yesterday's stormy, wet and cold. Sure, it is cooler than we would wish but the bright overcast is a welcome reprieve. Soon, we are climbing once... Continue Reading →
The day started off well enough. It was a pleasant sunny morning as we departed Tokushima on the first of three trains and one bus. They would take us to the foot of a trail leading 200 meters up through dense forest to Hotsumisakiji, Temple 24 on the Henro pilgrimage route. By the time we... Continue Reading →
Japan...again. We've just arrived in Tokushima, a mid-sized city on the eastern tip of Shikoku, the smallest and least populated of Japan's four major islands. This will be our jumping-off point for our on-again, off-again long-distance Buddhist pilgrimage walk around the island. (More about that as our journey progresses.) Our Shikoku adventure first started in... Continue Reading →
WalkClickMake is all about getting lost. Lost in the world. Lost at sea. Seeing afresh. Leaving home, then finding it again. A home made different by the journey. Here are some ideas for getting lost in 2017. Walk from the centre of your community to its outer edges. We are all familiar with our own... Continue Reading →
This should be a pleasant day, walking alongside the Pacific Ocean, listening to the unusually gentle waves. But two things weigh heavily on my walks and thoughts. Physically, my legs are taking a beating. I started the trip having just recovered from a right hamstring injury. That problem faded only to be replaced by increasingly... Continue Reading →
Signs lead us to the sea. The day starts early with a visit to Temple 22, Byōdōji, conveniently located beside Sazanka, last night’s ryokan. As at most temples Kongō Rikishi statues guard the entrance to the temple. The figures are fierce protectors of the faith complete with snakes wrapped around their well-tooled chests. Not far... Continue Reading →
After two days of carefree walking on the flat, Kōbō Daishi puts us to the test once more. A mere five minutes after leaving our ryokan, Kaneko-ya, the climb begins. One more heart-pounding near-vertical ascent, this time 500 metres up to Temple 20, Kakurinji. Of course, it is a beautiful forest path with plenty of... Continue Reading →
Goodbye Tokushima. Goodbye friends. Today we leave behind the big city and our pilgrim friends, Kanaka and Itou. They will be heading back to their homes on the mainland. We will thread our way through the messy edge of the city and back into a more rural landscape of villages, rice fields and temples. Not... Continue Reading →