Japanese TV was showing news of the after effects of the earthquake and tsunami on every channel virtually 24 hours a day, but I couldn`t keep up with the language, so I resorted to the bbc.com news site. I was shocked by the extent of the disaster, which was far worse than I had thought; with a lot more people dead than I had realised. I hadn`t fully appreciated the ongoing concern about the nuclear reactors either. I kept seeing footage of the reactors on Japanese TV, with various experts drawing diagrams and pointing at models of the plant, but I hadn't been able to understand the significance. I was shocked when I read the news in English.
I walked a fair distance today, including a free ferry ride, my feet aren't hurting too much and I only needed to put two plasters on my feet this morning. At Temple 34, three chaps who were sitting taking a rest shouted over to me to come and say hello, I appreciate any opportunity to practise my basic Japanese. I met Hisami-san, Oka-san and Suzuki-san, I was embarrassed because I couldn't remember seeing them previously but Hisami-san said he recognised me from when we had passed each other as I marched briskly past him on the steep path up to Temple 27. We had been walking at about the same pace, and then I had taken a train ride, which put me a day ahead of him; but then I spent a day sight-seeing which put me back a day, so we were now progressing at the same pace again.
As a result of healthy food and hours of walking each day, I have lost weight since being in Japan; which is convenient because most of the Japanese weighing scales only go up to 90kg. I had tried to book a Ryokan tonight - a traditional style Japanese lodging, but they had refused to take a vegetarian (!) so I booked into a Western style "Business Hotel" instead. I was looking forward to the communal meal enjoyed at a Ryokan, but I had enjoyed a sociable day chatting with a lot of other Henro while walking so I did not mind the relative peace and privacy of a business hotel.
- Distance walked today = 30.5k
- Distance walked so far = 316.2km
- Temples visited today = Temple 32; Zenjibuji, Temple 33; Sekkeiji, Temple 34; Tanemaji.
- Koban visited today = nil
- Accommodation = business hotel ￥5775, Business Inn Tosa, Tosa City, Kochi-ken, 〒781-1101
- Expenditure today = three temple stamps ￥900, can of coffee ￥100, evening snacks ￥1636
- Settai = chocolate from another henro
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