The minshuko I stayed at last night was nice. I was happy to be able to have a warm bath to warm up. When I got up for breakfast at 6:30 am I figured I was the only one that stayed there last night.
I checked the forecast and it said -2 degrees. I looked out the window and could see frost on the car windows. I said to the owner, it is very cold and showed him the forecast, maybe only up to +4 today. However, he showed me what it would be in Matsuyama, where I would do most of my walking today and by mid day it should be +12. I gave a sigh of relief.
The theme today is temples and sakura. I did a total of 6 temples and every one of them had sakura in full bloom.
Of course I had to find a few tulips and daffodils in bloom along the way.
So, here are the photos for today with the Sakura theme in mind.
Temple 46 – oooops, no sakura, but colorful peace crane chains.
Temple 47
Temple 48
This is a Japanese ohenro I saw at each of the temples today.
Temple 49
A shrine along the way.
Temple 50
Temple 51
At Temple 51 I ran into the Dutch couple I met the day before and thanked them for turning up the temperature. They laughed and we’re glad to be staying in a hotel tonight.
I then walked to the Dogo onsen and checked with the tourist office on which tram I could take to the JR Matsuyama station, which is where the Henro House I am staying at is nearby. It was so easy, one tram, number 5, all the way to the end and the fare is a flat fee of 160 yen.
When I arrived at the Matsuyama train station there was a Daiso store on the 2nd floor (100 yen shop or dollar store) which I had to check out. I needed to buy some incense. I also found an incense plastic case (which I find handy and left at home), some white driving gloves to keep my hands warm and snacks. I had to resist on buying too much as I would have to carry the extra weigh. I am sure I will find one after I finish my pilgrimage and do the shopping part of my trip in Osaka.
The day started with me putting on every layer I brought with me. At the end of the day, all I needed was my long sleeve t-shirt and ohenro white cotton jacket. What a difference a day makes.
Tomorrow, the plan is to walk about 20 km and cover 5 temples. Hopefully this warmer weather will hold up.
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