In Transit: Tokishima - Tokyo - Vancouver, 23

Henro Reflections 

I purposefully chose not to write this entry before leaving Shokuko. I'm presently sitting in Narita Airport waiting for my flight home with time to burn and the duty free sucks, so thought I'd begin writing now and finish when I'm finished, likely from Canada. I've been thinking about this subject for the past several days and here and there along the latter parts of the Henro. I've tried to capture many of the things I've observed and experienced along the way. There were so many! I promised myself several years ago when I started my first Camino to try and be open and honest in my journal posts. For the most part I think I've been successful on the Henro and I've tried really hard to be true to the spirit of the walk. At least from my personal perspective:)  

Of course you can't write about all your experiences or impressions, otherwise there'd be little time left to enjoy the many elements of the actual walks and the people met along the trail. Those experiences can be saved for story telling at home, but I'm sure I'll still hear, "I read about that on your blog". That's very fair. It's difficult to remember everything I write because at the end of the day when I finally sit down on the floor to begin a post I often want to simply have a cold beer, kick back and catch a nap! That's the other thing about trying to stay in the moment. I promised myself that I'd write every day in an effort to convey the emotions, the impressions, the spirituality and the physicality of the walk while it was so very fresh, so rich. Perhaps I've managed this? No matter, I carry it inside.

Now completed, the emotions still sit just below the surface. I can't go on a walk of this magnitude and not find what I've found this time. It's happened for me before and I gladly welcome it. The further I walk, the deeper the experience becomes. It takes time for things to surface, for your mind to open. From my own perspective if that element wasn't there or I couldn't find it, a very key component of the experience would be missing. If I hadn't found that unique place so often on these walks then I guess I'd likely not know it was missing. Interesting concept. I guess that for me it would then just be a walk, no doubt a very interesting experience. But knowing that if I walk far enough and get deeply into the walking experience that I'll find something quiet special makes it all worthwell. I don't think I met too many Henro this spring who weren't having something of the experience I was immersed in. That said, I was only in a position to speak about it with just a few pilgrims. The language gap was often an issue, but there were times when even that didn't get in the way of understanding. You can see it in the eyes if you take the time to look. You hear it in the tone of their voice and observe how they carry themselves. Perhaps difficult to explain, it's more of a feeling, an observation.

 

It's difficult to give the Henro the proper review it deserves because from my foreign eyes it's so different than perhaps it is from the eyes off a Japanese national. Of course I can only reflect from my eyes, and I thought that I'd dwell a little on the things I enjoyed and those that I'll miss...and perhaps a few things I won't:)

 

Clearly I'm going to miss a few certain individuals who made my Henro special and better than it might have been. Annemarie of course...though with a little luck I'm going to see her very soon:) She helped make the beginning of the journey from early days at home right through to just after Kochi a very special experience with lots of fun and growth along the way. Kristine, Tutsuka and my Japanese pal with the dark brown Henro hat made each day we connected just that much better. Kristine because we could communicate so easily. She was very patient when I was desperate to speak English! A very interesting, intelligent person and we spoke about many things. The sorts of conversations one has on long walks...good conversations without distraction. And interestingly she opened her mind to watching the movie The Way on Netflix in spite of its apparently bad reviews!! It was fun to watch as she discovered the depths of her freedom after years of working. Thanks for your friendship!  

 

 

I also enjoyed spending some time with Dara and Liam at The Craic Irish pub and elsewhere including our end of Henro celebration. Of the people I met, most were lovely, sharing a most personal experience. 

 

Then there were the special Shokuko residents who went well out of their way to help whenever it seemed like I needed help. Sometimes even when I didn't! The gifts of directions, phone calls, explanations, finding me a bed for the night and many other forms of osettai described in my journal entries made such a difference to my experience. And they do this day after day during the walking season without looking for much more than a simple connection. Something to take home with me, the memories of the great uplift in spirits when help or connection was made during the long days.

The evening spent with Yoco and Mochi.

 

The kids in their yellow and green hats.

 

There are many other experiences I appreciated and I'll miss. Launching myself into the very long, dark highway tunnels.

 

 It's hard to explain, but it became a bit of a rush as did challenging myself to face my fear of heights. The life long fear diminishing dramatically over the past 3 years. Almost welcomed and sought out now. Who'd have thought?

 

The ocean side walks were brilliant!

 

The nice huts along the trail. Sometimes containing osettai:)

 

The cool dragon heads!

 

The heated toilet seats...they were a nice surprise! A big shock returning home!

The blossoms and many flowers along the path. Absolutely stunning!

 

The beautifully presented meals. The fresh raw fish and various miso soups personal favourites.

 

Staying at the temples. Usually a very good experience. 

 

I won't soon forget the snow on the cedar bows at T12 and the early morning chanting in the temples.

 

The warming then later hot weather, knowing that at home it was still so darn cold and wet. The wet days I had were quite manageable, particularly once I had my super amazing light, breathable wet pants:). I now have three new jackets to go with them!

Practicing my photography daily with such a wide range of spectacular landscapes, temples and people. Supreme pleasure! I'm looking forward to seeing what I really have when I return home and work my way through the images looking for those few special moments. Something that with a brief glance will mentally pull me back to Shikoku.

 

Though tired of the kombini by the end, they were most welcome those nights when staying in a lonely business hotel or needing sustenance while on the road. They also acted as great reference points for locating my position in the guide book. Speaking of which, it was the best guidebook I've ever used. I couldn't have managed without it.

 

The Meiji chocolate bars! The hot baths and onsen at the end of the days walk followed by a cold shower. Aquarius to help me to stay hydrated as I walked. Soyjoy! The courtesy and politeness of the Japanese people. Special memories of the times the minshuku and ryokan hosts stood waving until we were out of sight. 

 

The millions of croaking frogs in the rice patties and the beautiful tall birds busily hunting them.

 

Early morning arrivals at the temples when they were empty.

 

All alone in the bamboo forests and deep places in the subtropical jungle. The huge cedar forests. Walking the ridge lines again and again. The flowering trees on the steep descents...too focused to notice them on the climbs.

 

The ancient stones on the path and moss covered markers. 

 

The many messages, emails and blog comments with words of encouragement and wisdom from family and friends. Thank you for those.

Turning the page, there were a few things I won't miss. In particular the huge trucks sending up masses of spray as they passed very close on rainy days. The endless stairs...endless....tens of thousands of stairs, stairs, stairs. 

 

The miles and miles of hard roads...I'll miss my boots! I was pretty tired of wearing small slip on sandals that were always too small and nearly took my life several times while going down stairs! A different pair in the toilets. TV was completely forgettable. I could have done without the snakes, though they were fascinating to watch.

 

This is an incomplete list of some of my favorite things and a few of my less favorite. I've arrived in Vancouver and I'm taking a couple of days here. I wasn't ready for the reverse culture shock I found on my arrival yesterday! A short walk downtown. The people are so big, the streets seem chaotic after the orderly Japanese towns and there are street people downtown everywhere I looked. A completely different society with its problems very visible. How is this possible in a country as wealthy as Canada?

Annemarie tells me that since she's been home she is often asked if we will be making a presentation about this walk. The simple answer is not likely. I have spent some 80-90 hours these past two months writing and posting about our journey together and my own solo walk. The thought of spending many more hours preparing a presentation when so much energy has already been given to my blog journal makes the idea less appealing. Soon it will be time to think about new travels and next things to experience. The next adventure, it's already planned and the one after that is in the hopper that is my mind:)