Anraku-ji to Kamiyama, Day 3 of 8

This morning was a much needed rest. I had breakfast, packed my bags, and relaxed until my taxi came. Because this is an abridged tour, and I don’t have time to visit all 88 temples, the tour group had already arranged for a taxi to jump me to the next trailhead. But because of my call yesterday, this taxi made a brief stop at the next temple on my list so I could pay my respects and get my nokyo shuin. From there we continued the remainder of the 45 minutes to the next day’s accommodation, the Kamiyama Onsen Hotel.

Unfortunately, since I was meant to be walking all day, I had arrived extra early. I sat in the lobby for a few hours catching up on correspondence and reading until my room was ready. Although it had the feel of a regular hotel, they still had the traditional rooms, and this one was by far the coziest / cutest I had been in yet.

After getting to my room and settling in, I eventually made my way to the private onsen. This hotel had two, and while the public one was much bigger, I preferred having a smaller quieter space to myself. It was lovely as they are wont to be, but taking pictures in a place with nudity is an obvious no go. But the large frosted windows showed something of the mountains in the distance, and it was a wonderful way to relax.

Once I had had my fill of soaking, and having done some laundry, it was about time for dinner. It was situated in a large banquet hall, and as always I had a table to myself since the Japanese are not about mingling whilst eating, a custom I was more than fine with. While they provided a menu this time it was all in Japanese, and the translations left me wondering about a few dishes. That said, it was very likely the second best meal I’ve had in my life. If there’s one takeaway from this trip, it’s the memory of all the delicious food I ate.

Retiring to my room, I found that the housekeeping staff had moved my table to the side and had laid out my futon for me. I was told that bigger places like this will often do that, while other smaller ones will leave it to your discretion.

So now I sit in the chairs by the window, watching the last remnants of light disappear and have zero regrets about the day and the resting I did. Tomorrow will be through a largely wooded area, and only 12km, so I’m hoping for a positive outcome. There will be an incredibly steep climb, but I descend the other side via cable car, so that should be a nice reprieve from having to walk back down again.