Blog 5.
„Your feet will get used to it after about a week,“ said Max, on the day after the biggest climb of the henro. It was not only my feet, but knees and hips that also needed to get used to it. Thank goodness today was relatively easy going – about 18 km flat to the next temple.
The pains felt while pounding the asphalt seem to move around as if on a circuit. The right foot will be burning but not the left, then the left knee will twinge for a bit to take your mind off the feet, the right foot might even feel comfortable for a while but the left starts up, and so on. There is nothing for it but to try and focus on something else and take little breaks to cool the feet down. And try and be gentle with your foot placement.
It is amazing when your feet hurt how different the road surfaces feel. Rough stony gravel is the worst, and freshly painted white lines are the best. Yes, they are so smooth you can feel some relief through hiking boots.
As I had taken another onsen bath in the morning at the nice hotel, I had not had breakfast yet and was sure it wouldn‘t be long before we saw a “combini” store for a coffee and a sandwich, or even a proper coffee shop. By mid morning I was starting to need some food, but there was nothing on the horizon. The mountain road led us through a tunnel. Two lonely backpackers in the pouring rain, in our henro garb, but not even back on the proper trail yet after last night’s detour off-piste. Hungry and hurting.
Whoosh, a car pulls up in front of us in a curve just exiting the tunnel and a woman jumps out to give us some cakes! This is what they call „osettai“, giving alms to pilgrims. We bow and thank her profusely and she’s off, and my hunger is stilled for a bit. Not ten minutes later, a car coming the other way does the same. The driver must have made a split-second decision to pull up for us, beckons us over the road to pass us a couple of cans of vegetable juice through the car window. Wow. Another gift. She wishes us well and is off, before any traffic accident can occur. Breakfast part one and two. From crazy female driver angels.
About a further 10 km down the road, after seeing signs advertising a restaurant and salivating about it for miles, just for it to turn out to be closed, we spot a little henro hut that looks cozy and dry. We go in to find a very well cared for hut with a hot water thermos and instant coffee, including creamer, as well as mikan oranges and a book to enter well-wishes to other pilgrims. It is obvious that someone puts a lot of love into the upkeep of this hut; the tear-off calendar on the wall is even on the right date. Max and I are in heaven. My long-awaited coffee tastes great. We marvel at the kindness of the Japanese, even those we don’t get to meet. We write our thank you’s in the book and continue down the road.
To anyone thinking of buying hiking or trekking shoes for a pilgrimage, though, you will find lots of contradictory information in the online forums about Goretex, the pros and cons. Yes, it will rain on the Shikoku henro, but your feet will need to breathe. I can now say after a bit of all weather conditions, the most important thing is that your feet remain as cool as possible, whether they are wet or dry. It is only March, and my Goretex shoes are like ovens, there is nowhere for the heat to escape to, leading to very sore feet fast. No blisters, just burning and throbbing. Whatever they say, a Goretex lining is NOT breathable.
I got so fed up with the heat, constantly having to remove my shoes to let the steam out, that I decided to take action. The day before yesterday I was passing by a workshop. A young man about to open a coffee shop actually, was working inside with a drill in his hand. I asked him if I could borrow the drill to bore some holes in my shoes. He understood immediately and let me use it, so I put 3 holes in each toe cap, piercing the outer plastic and the Goretex sock good and proper. The difference it made was immediate. I can easily cover the holes with tape next time it rains. If I ever do another pilgrimage, it will be with breathable, non-waterproof shoes.
The guy with the drill laughed and said you don‘t see a pilgrim drilling holes in their shoes every day and took a photo of me. I am so grateful to him for his kindness. If you are ever near temple 23, be sure to buy a coffee from him here: https://at-teramae.com, it‘s a very cool place (opens April 1, 2018).
My other tip regarding footwear is to take a spare pair of good insoles, so you can swap them out if your feet ache during the day, which they will, in the beginning at least. A nice cool pair makes all the difference for tired feet. Also, when you are doing your laundry at night, throw the insoles in the wash as well to help keep your shoes as fresh as possible.
A few images for you. Sayonara for now x.
Marion Gibson 