Day 5 of walking today, and I'm not feeling strong, and I know what's beating me up. I am praying for a day in the forests and fields.
The day started with a climb of 600 meters of elevation to temple 20, a steep drop back into the valley, and immediately back up to 600 meters for temple 21.

really, I have to cross this?

It was wet and slippery, and the inevitable happened, I fell.
With Leonard on my back, it piledrove me into the rocks. I hit my head and twisted my leg.
I sat for awhile and was having the toughest time not allowing the word " quit" to sneak into my vocabulary. I am not enjoying this walk at all, but I am sure it will get better. I know I talk about some of the adventure, but it's the miles and miles of flat, boring, hard asphalt in between, that you don't hear much about, because there is nothing to talk about. All the vacant land here is rice paddy, built on, or a cliff.

taking a break and resting me feet after a fall

part of the trail through the bamboo

I hobbled out and kept going towards temple 22  and started to look for a place to stay.
I found a nice home and went to take a bath. This place had a commonly used, communal bath set up, you stand next to it, shower and clean up, then everyone gets into this huge tub/small pool thing that's at a constant 40 degree C, and you just lay there and soak, worked for me today.

The people of Japan are a beautiful people, they smile a lot and you never seem to hear anyone raise their voices. They treat foreigners ,and each other with great respect, and will go out of their way to help you. They are also very humble people who are in tune with their natural surroundings. They are curious as to where I come from, and I am always being gifted "Ossetia"  which is free gifts of cake, or water, or some candy for the road, they just don't seem to have any steak and vegetables to hand out Im afraid, even though they are famous for their Kobe meat..
Breakfast has consisted mostly of rice, seaweed and miso soup, sometimes some fish, and as grateful as I am for all that, it just doesn't cut it if your burning up the calories like I have been. My energy and ability to heal my feet are showing the lack of nutrition, and so is my attitude. Time to man up I think, and put my "big boy " pants on.
I was sitting at a temple feeling very defeated, I have done harder than this before, but Im not handling the constant asphalt and lack of nutrition very well. then my phone rang, it was my lovely good "save me" friend from Tasmania, Kaz I said, what good timing (she was using face time, to call through for free). I felt better having someone to talk to in English........well a kind of English,,,she is Australian..
 I got the proverbial," keep you pecker up Mate" speech. Im not sure answering a phone in the temple courtyard was good temple etiquette, but at this stage I needed a chat.

found a food mart and got something to snack on, mostly a cucumber sandwich with no crust, and a bottle of milk.

I checked my emails as this place had slow internet, and read a couple of " keep your chin up lad, we are are rooting for you". I am grateful to hear from all of you.

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