Naka on Blogging Like It's the Early Aughts

Naka to Hiwasa to Tokushima, Day 5 of 8

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 16:24:36 -0700

While I’ve enjoyed my time in Japanese-style inns, sleeping on a tatami mat and partaking in the communal baths, there was a very large part of me that was happy to find I was staying in a Western-style hotel tonight.

This morning I woke up bright and early as the sun shone through the shoji¹ and the heat coming through was palpable. That didn’t bode well for the day. After having breakfast and checking out, I walked the 3km to the bus stop where I had transferred to the mini-bus yesterday. I was early, so they kindly let me wait in the sort of office they operate out of. Being that it was air-conditioned, I was glad of it.

Kamiyama to Naka, Day 4 of 8

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 15:52:37 -0700

Today I thought I was going to die. Not literally, and not in a heat stress kind-of-way. I was under tree-cover almost the entire walk which made the temperature somewhat bearable, though no less humid.

No, today I thought my legs would give out on the 900+ meter¹ ascent, which in reality was 450 up one mountain, down the other side, and another 450 up the next mountain. Granted, I will admit that I am not in the best shape of my life, but by the end I was taking baby steps up the mountain, wondering if this would be my new home. Generations of pilgrims would tell tales of the bearded white guy roaming the forest, urging them to turn back lest they succumb to his fate.