25 March 2025 - Day 23 - Temple Kongofukuji at last - 22,5 km

A quick and nice breakfast with Josée, Cyril the Ch’ti also popped in for a coffee and off I was around 8:15 with a half full backpack. As I will be staying at the same Minshuku tomorrow night, the nice ladies let me keep my room so I could leave some of my things behind.

The walk began with an Ossetai buntan by an old man driving an electric wheelchair on the road. When he saw me he showed me the fruit and waved to me that I should cross over to him. Blessed be this kind old man.

The way down go Cape Ashirizuri was only about 18 km long so I took my time, took a lot of pictures, even took a trail instead of the main road but somehow today was tiring. The weather? It was over 20 degrees again by 9.

I stopped at a luxury Henro Hut with running water and a washing machine (!) to eat my buntan, it was probably from the kind man’s own tree, as it looked a little crappy but tasted deliciously!

Shortly later, I hear a car behind me and I move completely out of the narrow street to let it pass, but there’s no car passing. I hear the car again and this time it honks and when I turn around the driver motions me to come over, he’s holding a mikan (mandarine) out of the window as ossetai. I thank him and take the fruit, and he asks me where I come from and do I walk the whole itinerary. He then takes a box of fruit sushi and hands it to me after eating one himself. I take one piece and eat it, thanking him again but he insists I take the whole box. So that’s what I do. The car then makes a U-turn and never passes me. Did he really follow me just to give me Ossetai? Blessed be this man as well!

But what am I going to do with these sushi rolls? I have just had my small lunch break and have booked dinner at my Minshuku. It’s too sad to not eat it and throw it away! So I stowed it in my half-full pack. But the solution was just around the corner. Elliott and Shion were on their way back from the Cape already and our paths crossed. As I know they are mostly camping, I told them the sushi story and asked if they wanted them as I wasn’t sure I was going to eat them. So an ossetai became a new ossetai for another Henro. I hope you liked them, the one I ate was pretty good.

And then … Cape Ashizuri, the southernmost part of Shikoku, with its Temple Kongofukuji, Temple 38, the remotest of all, it’s the furthest away from its neighbor. The Temple of Eternal Happiness. It took me 4 walking days to get here from Temple Iwamotoji. But it was worth every single step. Wow!!! The stone garden, the huge pond with its bridge crossing it, the different Temples, over 100 Buddha statues etc. Overwhelming!!! I spent the better part of an hour wandering around the premises, in awe. I just couldn’t leave.

When I finally did leave I ran into Cyril, Marjorie and Jay, we had a little talk and then I took a little walk along the Cape before continuing to my Minshuku, which was maybe one km from Temple 38.

The hosts are as always very forthcoming and my host managed to book me accommodation at Temple 75 in mid-April. I am so happy I finally get to sleep in one of the Temples, there’s only a few that still allow Henro to sleep there and - if you’re lucky - to participate in their rituals, and they are always fully booked. I am so excited!

On this happy note I leave you for the night and thank you, my faithful readers, for staying with me. Oyasuminasai. Good night!