Konichiwa, Japan: Grounded and Soaring

It is our last full day on the island of Shikoku and we have two long travel days ahead, so it's a good day for walking and connecting with the earth. There are 8 of the 88 temples in the vicinity of Matsuyama and today we will get to four of them easily.

First we needed to commune with the swans and turtles and carp and birds.

The climate is warmer here, and we see the next wave of spring blossoming: wisteria, peony, iris, freesia. Pots of flowers and small carpets of bloom surprise us as we pass houses and shops. Walking slows down time and small things get noticed.

wisteria over pond

japan has the largest, happiest bees

Perhaps that's part of the lesson of pilgrimmage. Take the day step by step and take pleasure in the slowly passing world. Breathe and look. Reflect and see. Take nothing for granted and everything is appreciated. We see other pilgrims and nod to all. Some are in cars, some plod along the road. Roadworkers and their white-gloved bouncers ensure all construction traffic is alerted to our presence as we pass and we nod in thanks.

There is a surprising lack of activity on this weekday, but we have noticed this almost everywhere, every day. Where are all the people? The roads are scrupulously clean, even spent blossoms are picked up from pathways. We assume that everyone is indoors working. The black-suited executives and the home-based workers - everyone up and gone early and then indoors doing what they do. Young, old, no one hangs around or loiters. There is certainly more life at the late afternoon and early evening as everyone moves from day to home. Children in their uniforms: some formal suits, some in military jackets, some in sailor collars but all in dark navy and white shirts. Young children in regular clothes but with a bright cap, the colour of the school or class: baseball cap for boys and a sort of beach hat for girls. Bright yellow, orange, lime green.

We see the differences in architecture, with a traditional style across the street from a more European or North American style.

As we moved away from the city there were houses with gardens, flowers, peas, cabbages and always Japanese onions.

Apartment buildings, each with a balcony used to dry laundry. As buildings age, they rot. There is no new paint or updating, no fixing or renovating. Eventually they have only one or two living in them, then sit empty, a broken shell of a building that is only 20 or 30 years. Cement and tile, water-stained and mildewed. Eventually someone takes it down in a day or two, but this might be years.

Past shops and cafes, and note the profusion of coffee and bakeries. French style baked goods are prevalent in Japan. And what is with all the Italian restaurants? Every town has several pasta and pizza places. Is it because pasta and noodles are similar? No one can tell us.

Along the way we watch for the pilgrim signs. They are sometimes hiding in plain sight, on a fence post or a street light or standing in a corner. Sometimes we go left instead of right, trying to fathom the map, but eventually we will find one of the little signs that are like a secret language and feel confident again that we are heading in the right direction.

Temple number 51, then 50, then 49 and 48. Purify, ring the bell, chant the sutra, inscribe the book, have a wander, then off to the next one.

Sometimes we talk about home, our plans, friends and family doings, things we've read or heard. Sometimes we talk about bigger things like life and death, how sad to see some graves tended and others not, how important it is to have something to visit for anyone dying young and how unnecessary it is for anyone old and soon forgotten. Where do you want to travel to next, what do we want to eat for dinner, do we need to do laundry soon, do you think the soul and the spirit are the same thing and if so, where do they reside?

There are some people who never seem tethered to the earth and earthly things, and there are some who are far too tethered. I feel in the middle right now. The earth or asphalt under my feet, the hot air or the sprinkle of rain. A full or empty belly. Tight sore back, or not too bad. At the same time, my mind goes forward and back in history, and to someplace I cannot name. I feel calm and settled, and connected to myself. Just when I feel completely at one with the universe and could float away, I remember something thoughtless I did or stupid and thump back into my body.

Some of the temples have something quirky, and some are very traditional.We delight in both, but have a particular penchant for quirks.