Now that we have completed the Shimanami Kaido, we will be leaving this area and riding back to where we originally arrived on Shikoku, Toyo Port, and then carry on with our planned circumnavigation of Shikoku Island. What an auspicious start we have had to our time on Shikoku.
It will be hot today…high 20’s. When locals learn that we were here in the spring and early July, they shake their heads that this has been the hottest summer and fall in years with very poor air quality. The good thing is that there is no humidity. It seems that wearing a mask has two reasons…COVID/flu prevention and the bad air quality. Having respiratory issues, I’m realizing that this could explain how sick I was in the spring/summer. The past few days, Barry has picked up a cold/flu bug, so we will pace ourselves for the next while.
Our route out of Imabari will take us past one of the Pilgrimage Temples, so we will check it out.
This hotel in Imabari has exceeded our expectations for being bike friendly. Bikes and their riders are treated like honoured guests with every consideration given to their needs.
As we were riding out of Imabari, I saw a man running across the road and calling out to me with some urgency. He spoke no English, but his intent was clear. He wanted us to have this container of figs to enjoy on our journey. Wow.
Charmaine RuppoltYum! Figs are great to eat! :) That was very nice of the gentleman to give you a container of them! :) Reply to this comment 6 months ago
We continue to appreciate the artistic manhole covers here. This one celebrates the Murakami pirates who controlled these waters hundreds of years ago. These were “good” pirates who helped guide ships through this area and defended them from the “bad” pirates.
We could see this temple long before we got there. It is perched up high with a great view. This is Kobobunji Temple, number 59 of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.
Visiting these temples gives you a sense of history, quiet serenity and contemplation.
A visitor uses the water to cleanse/ refresh oneself by scooping water over hands and mouth. The water comes out of the medicine jar. We liked the glimpses of the hills of Shikoku in the distance.
This statue is of Kobo Daishi, the monk to whom the 88 Temple Pilgrimage is dedicated. As you can see from his outstretched hand, you can shake hands with Kobo Daishi and make one wish.
These Ojizo-sama statues have a child like appearance, They are one of the popular divinities and are seen as the guardians of children, especially for those who predecease their parents. The red bibs here are a symbol of protection in the after-life, expelling demons and illness. Red is considered to be a colour of power.
The colour red has significance both in Temples and Shrines. We have seen foxes at Shinto Shrines with a red cape honouring the deity Inari. Inari is the god of rice and is related to general prosperity.
If you’d like more information about this temple, you can scan the QR code.
We are seeing more pilgrims…some arrive on foot, others by car and in our case, by bike. All are welcome. This could are wearing the traditional Pilgrim’s white kimono jacket and are using the requisite walking stick.
We stopped at a Michi for a break and some refreshment. There were two Pilgrims travelling by foot who were on solo journeys taking a break. We felt for them as one of them looked exhausted and was nursing some nasty blisters on his feet. We gave him some figs from the gift we received from a stranger earlier.
We have yet to ride up a steep hill to a Temple, but we did scale a large hill to reach a Montbell outdoor\camping store. Does this speak to our priorities? Strangely it is perched up high in a spot adjacent to a car-only toll expressway. We were able to access it via a circuitous series of narrow roads which made no sense to us.
Thank goodness there was food up here at a store…and it was good.
Mary Ellen loved her meal with sautéed beef, veggies, greens and rice.
This spectacular waterfall, complete with Koi fish, is in the store! They built the store into the wall of stone and naturalized this feature. Stunning.
It has been an incredible day, with unexpected experiences, interactions with locals and some we actually planned. We don’t believe in short- changing our experiences for a schedule when we are travelling…after all, each interaction is what good memories are made of. We find ourselves in a dilemma as Barry is feeling pretty unwell and the hotel we booked is another 45 Km away. What to do? The hotel is non-refundable but it seems unwise to carry on. We decided to look for a place closer and I messaged the hotel we had booked. It must be good karma, as the manager wrote me right away…no problem, no cancellation charge and he refunded our prepayment. Now, we can focus on enjoying this store and our new hotel is only 10 Km away.
We have been sourcing routes on Google that are for walkers rather than cars. Occasionally, the route will take you to set of stairs, but we can always take a detour. We are determined not to ride on busy roads. This choice has led us to this delightful route which is making its way through a neighbourhood of traditional homes on narrow roads. So delightful….and the busy road is only a few blocks away. Yeah!
What a beautiful ride we are having through from land and small neighbourhoods. Sometimes, the road is so narrow that we wait for the car to come through, but it works.
When we arrived, it was pretty quiet, and thank goodness, 2 women helped us to sign in. By the time we left, the restaurant was full with a huge lineup.
You place your order on the top screen, and when your food arrives, the screen advises you that it is there. All the sushi on the bottom conveyor belt cost about a dollar. Sushi that you order from the tablet menu arrives on the top conveyor belt
We have had a superb day of experiences but we realize that a rest day would be good. Barry is really struggling with the bug he has. Since tomorrow is Friday we may be in trouble as hotels are very busy on the w/e. All of the hotels in the area are fully booked. We’ll see what the morning brings. We may have to camp.
Today's ride: 46 km (29 miles) Total: 283 km (176 miles)
