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- Wednesday 6 November, 2013
- Weather: Sunny, 21⁰C
- Temples: None. Sightseeing in Imabari with the Tokunaga family
- Accommodation: Tokunaga residence, Imabari (the kind couple I met on the Henro path last week)
The futon, blankets and choice of three pillows that they had laid out for me ensured I had the best night’s sleep yet 🙂
I woke to a delicious breakfast of coffee, salad, smoked egg, kiwi fruit, grapes, homemade yoghurt and toast… I felt very spoilt. The three of us (Mr and Mrs Tokunaga and me) left soon after breakfast to go sightseeing in a car along the Shimanami Kaido bridge; a bridge that connects Shikoku with Honshu (mainland Japan) with lots of islands in-between. We had a beautiful view of the islands and Seto Inland Sea from the bridge and stopped on a couple of islands to visit a famous temple (Kosanji) then a shrine.
Driving across the Seto Inland sea on the Shimanami bridge
Kosanji Temple, Ikuchijima Island
Kosanji Temple, Ikuchijima Island
Kosanji Temple, Ikuchijima Island
Kosanji Temple, Ikuchijima Island
Mrs Tokunaga and I at Kosanji Temple, Ikuchijima Island
Mr and Mrs Tokunaga at Kosanji Temple, Ikuchijima Island
It was a fun morning and we arrived back at their house to have a quick lunch of rice balls and tea before heading to the marina to meet their son and his two young kids, to take his boat out to go fishing for the afternoon. I was expecting a tiny, traditional wooden Japanese finishing boat so was excited to see his very nice, new boat! We took the boat out under the bridge to a small island and tried fishing for a while. I had one bite and fed the fish my bait for a while, then no bites for the rest of the time we were fishing. We changed location a couple of times before deciding to head to a beach instead and go searching for clams and barnacles! I’d never had barnacles until the camino in Spain this year and the rocks that we were climbing over were covered in them so we picked a stack, took them back to their house, and boiled them up for a snack.
No luck fishing so we’re going to collect some barnacles instead!
Heading back home on the boat
Barnacles picked off the rocks in Imabari, then boiled and eaten 🙂
We went out for dinner at an okonomiyaki restaurant with their 8yr old granddaughter Sara. We got to make our own, which isn’t typical, and it was delicious. Back at their place Sara and I made origami, juggled, played games with string, and she kidnapped my phone and took a whole bunch of selfies!
Like yesterday I was made to feel like one of the family and it was a really special day.
Okonomiyaki… I was trying to entertain Sara (8 yrs old!)
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