Ups and downs literally

I hit temple 6 Anrakuji, 2 days ago but didn’t take any pictures. So I took the bus up to it again and got a few. I saw an animal there that ducked into the bushes, not sure if it was a minx or ferret. Tried to take a picture, but I was too far away.

Met a German Pilgrim there and walked to 7. We talked for a little bit but went our separate ways to reflect on our own.

At temple 7 – Jūrakuji there were 3 places to worship. One for Buddha,  one for Kōbō Daishi, and one to find true love. I prayed at all of them,  even though I probably missed the true love one a couple times already.

Now the ups. Temple 8 – Kumadaniji was all uphill. A nice elderly lady gave me an enery type drink on the way up. Maybe she saw I was struggling.

Sorry, but I can not find pictures of the next 2 temples. I need a better system for that. Temple 9 Hōrinji – was downhill in the middle of the farming area. Nice but small. Temple 10 – Kirihataji, was the most brutal. I walked up, and up and up some more. I made it to the main gate, and there were 330 more steps to go.

Finally  I had a 3 hour walk to my next accommodation. As soon as I started down the mountain. The temperature dropped down to low 40s or high 30s and rain. Luckily I brought rain gear and gortex hiking shoes. I was kept dry.

I ended up at HENRO HOUSE AWARAKUYA, who are amazing. They helped me with the next 2 nights of accommodations and are helping me get to the next 2 temples. I highly recommend them for anyone traveling this path in the future.  They are patient and understanding. I did end up breaking my phone charger today. It still works, but when I am closer to the center of town, I will look to buy a new one.

The next one will be a doozy. Write more tomorrow.