I talked to the Japanese people sharing my room and learned I should complain about my long trip here yesterday. They walked up the mountain for 7 hours hiking 23km (Choishimichi – Stone-marked path). It was pretty neat to stay in that traditional Japanese style accommodation. The only chair I saw in the place was a rocking chair off in a hallway. There was not too much privacy though with the sliding doors usually open so it is like one big house.
In the morning I had a Japanese breakfast at the hostel (sitting on the floor). Then I went with one of the guys who hiked up the mountain to Kongobu-ji where he got his book stamped and calligraphy written. He had 88 stamps in there so far from visiting the 88 temples on Shikoku island. Now he has one more for visiting the headquarters temple today.
Then I visited the Garan sacred district. The highlight there was the Konpon Daito Pagoda with its bright colors and impressive interior. No photography inside, so it will remain a mystery for everyone else. Then I waked over to Daimon, or the big gate. Then I visited the Reihokan Museum. This is the only museum I’ve been to where you have to take off your shoes. Finally I dropped by the Tokugawa Mausoleum, where they didn’t really show too much.
At 12 noon I got on the bus, and then cable car, and then a number of trains going through Osaka to the destination of Himeji Castle. Unfortunately by the time I got there the castle was closed so I could not go inside (still behind schedule from yesterday). I took a few pictures and headed back to the train. However there is a virtual tour on the web site. Oh, I did drop my camera at one of the train stations in the panic when my backpack unzipped and stuff started falling out. It landed on the ground the way you normally set it down, which is probably the best way to hit and it seems fine.
Next stop was the city of Okayama, where I’m spending the night. It was kind of tough to find the hostel since I didn’t have a proper city map. After wandering around I found a map on the street with the hostel labeled. But I still couldn’t find it until I realized that map was rotated (north was not at the top). Getting closer, some Japanese person saw I was lost and got me in the right direction.
This hostel is probably the worst I’ve seen in Japan. The bathroom smells like an outhouse, they lock the door and turn off the lights at a certain time, and everything seems old and plain. I did meet some other travelers though. One is from Poland and is traveling on a similar route as me. The other is from Korea and is riding a bike across Japan. Also interesting that he worked at an Internet game company, and managed the localization of games like Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid, Dynasty Warriors, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He even met with Hideo Kojima (the pretty famous game developer I saw talking at the Tokyo Game Show). He‘s riding to Tokyo where he will stay with a new Internet game management type job.