Why walk 1100 kms in 47days, in Japan?

It's a fair question really.

We wanted to do something that was Japanese and we wanted to travel slowly. However it also is frequently performed by people who are looking for change in their lives, and by people who commit to do it for the benefit of the dead. So that also intrigued us.

The white coats are death shrouds, and symbolise that the pilgrim has stepped out of their ordinary life. The sticks(staffs) are symbolic of the saint that the pilgrimage is based around, the writing on the staff state that Kobo Daishi, the saint, is walking with you. I likened it to a crucifix, in the Christian traditions. The bell is used to symbolise awakening generally, and on the pilgrimage it is meant to remind you that enlightenment can be achieved in this life time. There are some great statues we saw where the buddha is sleeping on the bell. The idea is that he is waiting for the enlightenment of the world.

I dropped the shroud after a couple of days as it reminded me of being an alter boy in the Catholic church. The top we used to wear was very similar, just a little more lace. Fay stuck with hers all the way. My nice embroidered cover also broke after a week and I ditched it about half way around. There is also a hat and a lot of other pieces of attire. Above is a photo of Fay with a woman we called 'mum', our Japanese wasn't good enough to learn her name.

As for Japan as a destination our niece lived there for a couple of years, and we meant to get there while she was there. I also attended a couple of lectures on Japanese culture at uni and it fascinated me. Then while we were researching Japan we read the Sword and Chrysanthemum. This is an intriguing account of what the 'old' Japan was about. The sentence that really shocked me was that due to the fanatical fighting of the Pacific war, some American planners thought that they would have to bomb the mainland of Japan and kill most of the population. Luckily some people understood that all that was necessary was that the Emperor just had to say enough is enough.

It is one of the most fascinating places on the planet. I'd say it's better than India. Mainly because it's less hassle and misery.