So that was what sleep could be. I had nearly forgotten the comforts of a bed, and a leisurely morning drinking coffee and working on my computer without worrying about internet timers or loitering. Around 6:30, I headed to a nearby udon shop to catch some breakfast. I had heard there would be a bit of a line, but I was still surprised to see how crowded it was. I know I am weird for waking up around 5 am every morning, but what the hell was wrong with the rest of these people? The line moved quickly and I had a split second decision to make about the size and style of my udon as well as what tempura I wanted to add on. Being better prepared this time (with a snapshot of an English language poster explaining the process and some various types), I managed to order in Japanese. I had citrus udon with two pieces of vegetable tempura. It was mindblowingly good.
I hurried back to the hostel to connect on Skype, and hung around for a bit. As I was getting ready to head out for the day, I remembered I needed to do laundry, so I was stuck there another hour while I ran a load. I also hand washed my jacket, which it occurred to me has never been washed since it was acquired in 2008. Needless to say, it had recently acquired a rank odor, and quickly turned water black with 11 years of accumulated grime.
My plan for the day was to head to Kotohira, a small town famous for the Shinto shrine of/on top of Konpira-san and the 800 something steps up the mountain. It was on the other side of the mountain from Zentsui-ji, which I had passed some days ago. I rode the Kotoden train to its terminus, passing the hour by intently reviewing Japanese on my phone and reading up on the travel guide. Arriving just before noon, I immediately sought out a udon shop that was recommended to me. The shop was pretty much empty and I had the kind of udon with a thin slice of fried tofu. I also opted to pay more for the thinner noodles as that was an option.
The town of Kotohira felt sleepy and deserted, but as soon as I reached the starting point of Konpira-san, it suddenly transformed into a bustling scene. The path was lined with shops hawking cheap plastic souvenirs and whatnot. Hundreds of tourists chittered about eating ice cream. I was glad I hadn’t made a detour over here on the pilgrimage as the atmosphere would have annoyed me. As I steadily climbed the steps, leaning heavily on my walking stick, the queerest observation was how every shop had “rental” walking sticks.
It was quite a climb to the top. Midway I stopped at the last available restroom, which like many of the remote temple bathrooms was both unisex and had a mixture of urinals and stalls. Because a family had been using the restroom as I walked up, I waited, despite the plethora of available urinals because it would have been tantamount to public exposure.
The temple was just a temple, and I opted to continue on the path an equal distance further up the mountain to the furthest shrine. I clambered all the way back the steps, and popped into a free museum that used to be a sake brewery to take a gander at the equipment and traditional process of production. As I hurried back to the train station, I realized I had missed the twice hourly train, but the wait passed quickly as I munched on an ice cream bar from a vending machine and continued to actively research destinations in Japan.
Storm clouds were rolling in from the south, and as I disembarked the train, the city of Takamatsu was coated by a gray blanket in the sky. It was still fairly early and I originally wanted to swing by a park near the station, but I decided it would be better to do so when it was sunny and nice. I didn’t want to risk getting caught in a sudden shower.
I stopped in a grocery store on the way back, buying curry, shredded cabbage, udon noodles, and cheese-katsu to make for dinner. Back at the guesthouse, I devoured the snacks I had purchased and within ten minutes prepped and ate my dinner. I went upstairs to lay down for a bit on the bed, getting back up around 7:30. I was hungry again, so I went out in the cold night to a convenience store for a large bag of potato chips. I collected my laundry (in case of rain), and spent some time researching accommodation and transportation, eventually settling a course for the next week.
| Udon | 590 |
| Laundry | 100 |
| Kotoden train | 600 |
| Udon | 550 |
| Ice cream | 140 |
| Kotoden train | 600 |
| Groceries | 600 |
| Chips | 204 |
| Total: | 3384 JPY (216.6 RMB) (USD 31.93) |
*It’s funny how the one-day transportation passes are always just slightly more expensive than what I need. A one-day unlimited Kotoden pass was 1230 yen, but taking the train round trip was “only” 1200 yen.
My plan was to skip the islands of the inland sea, skip Okayama, and skip Himeji, opting instead to take the ferry directly to Kobe–the cheapest access to the Kansai region. As the only viable ferry was scheduled for 2 pm, I had the whole morning to continue exploring Takamatsu. I set off fairly early to visit the Ritsurin Garden, which was about a 30 minute walk each way, so I could have ample time to enjoy it and get back in time for a 10 am checkout. The garden was quite lovely, and being so early it was not crowded at all. I actually enjoyed the walk to/from the garden even more because Golden Week was finally over and I saw the rhythms of daily–packs of school children in their cute uniforms, crossing guards, commuters on bicycles, etc. I felt like letting go of your breath after holding it a long time.
Back at the guesthouse, I completely unpacked and repacked my stuff and was downstairs ready to go about 9:45. I was tempted to bust out my computer and do some work, but the owner came into the living room with his 4 year old son (It was a family run establishment, if I haven’t already mentioned it. It was sort of a duplex with half the house for guests and the back half for the owners). I said my goodbyes and headed off. I walked over to the same udon shop from the day before and got another bowl of udon, this time with sliced meat and a soft poached egg and accompanied with two pieces of seafood tempura. It was still amazing, but as I saw other people sit down with their food, I kicked myself for forgetting that I wanted to try the kind they were having (with a couple slices of butter, a raw egg, and a cup of soy sauce to mix in). C’est la vie. I can only eat five bowls of udon for five consecutive meals.
I walked with my luggage over to the city’s castle, which was housed in a park with a paid admission (grr). There really wasn’t much to see in the park, but I did find a nice shaded pavilion in one of the gardens to hang out in for an hour to do some writing. While wandering around the grounds a bit, I got a text from M in Seoul informing me it was the first day of Ramadan.
I’ve always wanted to try doing the month-long fast, but man oh man, does it feel like bad timing. I’ve only had one day of proper eating after 9 days of scrounging vegetarian food from grocery and convenience stores. I’ve only had alcohol the first day in Japan and I was looking forward to visiting some Izakayas (Japanese pubs) or buying a bottle of reasonably priced Japanese whisky.
Still having time to kill and a need for an internet connection, I popped into a 7-Eleven and had a coffee. Afterwards I wandered over to the bus stop where I could catch the free shuttle bus to the ferry terminal. I sat there about half an hour, charging my phone in the sunlight as I played some Japanese learning games.
The shuttle bus, the ticket hall, and the ferry boarding blew by so easily, I’m surprised more people don’t travel that way. It was a really nice ship with plenty of choices for where to sit or lay down. I took a booth with a table and a view out the front window and spread out. Over the four hour ferry ride with a decent wifi connection and power outlets, I got a lot done. The ship stopped briefly at one island en route (Shodo-shima, which is famous for its olive groves and a traditional soy sauce factory).
I really, really love taking a boat to reach each of Japan’s four main islands. It keeps one grounded in the notion that Japan is an island nation–a fact I think one can forget if one travels exclusively be JR pass. Like Nagasaki, each of the coastal cities (which blended into one another) was wedged in the kilometer deep space between the sea and the mountains.
The sun was setting as we pulled into Kobe. There was a shuttle bus to the main train station, but I decided to walk the twenty minutes rather than pay 240 yen. It was actually a really pleasant walk, and it felt weird to be back in a big city–tall buildings, shopping arcades, department stores, tons of people everywhere. It took me a while to find the right train to get over to my guesthouse because there was a combination of rail station and subway station with 5 or 6 distinct lines. A shudder of dread passed over me as I imagined how confusing Tokyo will be and how utterly unhelpful Google Maps is at sorting out these granular differences.
Nevertheless, I found the right line, and popped off the train a short walk along a Pachinko/slot concentrated arcade to the hostel. The whole area has a smell of cigarettes and beer. One could even say its a bit seedy. The hostel itself is in an old and creaky building, but there is plenty of public space to spread out and it is relatively cheap. It is good to have company again. I ended up playing Uno with a combination of short-term guests, long-term guests, and volunteer residents.
By the way, apart from the one coffee, I did go all the way until sundown before having anything else to eat or drink. I might actaully need this nudge towards discipline because my life on the henroad built up some bad habits of donuts and snacking. We’ll see. There seems to be so much to eat.
| Ritsurin garden | 410 |
| Udon & tempura | 820 |
| Takamatsu Castle | 200 |
| Coffee | 150 |
| Ferry | 1990 |
| Train | 130 |
| Salad | 414 |
| Takoyaki | 250 |
| Hostel (3 nights) | 342 RMB |
| Total: | 621.3 RMB (USD 91.6) |
Running Total: 30516 RMB (USD 4499)
Daily Average: 305.2 RMB (USD 44.99)