Balos is a tourist hot spot and very crowded the later you come. But the landscape is very, very beautiful and worth a visit. But remember: manage to come very early.
Today I took the bus up into the mountains to the remaining last temple T88, Okuboji. It was very cold up there (8 degrees Celsius) and I had to use for the first time my warm clothes. From the temple I walked down from the mountains to Awa city, not too far away from temple 10. Currently it is raining outside and it is expected to do so tomorrow as well, when my way will lead me back to T1. After I have reached T1 the journey is over. Today I walked 21 km (total: 1033km), all downwards, so altitude meters are negligible. Early morning view from hotel Clement in Takamatsu Shop closely before Temple 88 Walking up Okuboji (T88) Entering Okuboji Temple At Okuboji temple site A „dog transporter“ (not unusual in Japan) Walking down from the mountains (1) Walking down from the mountains (2) My sleeping room at…in….
Today I walked 29 km (final total: 1062 km) back to T1 Ryozenji, where my o-Henro journey started on September 27th 2023. The day began with heavy rain and cold temperatures at 7 degrees Celsius. About noon time the rain stopped and in the afternoon, when I finished the day some blue sky could be seen and impressive clouds made it finally a good day to end. A good moment and a surprise was, that I meet 2 Japanese men at Ryozenji again to whom I had an important connection. It were exactly those two men who encouraged and supported me, when I was exhausted and slowly walked up the steep hills to Shosanji on day 3. I walked jointly with them down the hill and saw them later on during the long journey a couple of times. Danjo Masayki and me at Ryozenji (T1) Morimoto Hirokazu and me at T1 An young Austrian couple whom I met also a few times at the end of the tour A rainy start of the day at Horinji Back at Anrakuji temple, were I stayed the first night of my journey Later in the day t...
My status as of today: the o-Henro walk is coming rapidly to an end: 5 temples remain to be visited, 2 days to reach temple 88 (end of o-Henro trail), 4 days to be back at temple T1 (where the journey started). Today is the first time that I am not walking on the o-Henro trail at all. It is raining the whole day, sometimes more sometimes less. Certainly it is not a good walking day. I strolled around the town, which I think has the most modern center of all Shikoku cities. The castle of Tokushima is less impressive compared to the other ones I have seen before. This is also due to the fact, that many views are „destroyed“ by higher city buildings at the skyline. Despite of that it is a nice and quite park-like space in the center of a big town. Tokushima castle garden High buildings around the castle grounds „destroy“ the picture Tokushima castle grounds Tokushima castle entrance door Tokushima castle tower
Suuuuuuper
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