Never give up! My important philosophy is to finish what I start!

There are several things I really want to do before my physicality declines. One of them is to run up the most difficult mountain path on the 88 temple pilgrimage route in Shikoku from the 11th temple, Fujii-dera to the 12th temple, Shosan-ji , then through Kamiyama-cho towards Tokushima to Dainichi-ji, the 13th temple in Ichinomiya-cho, all at once. Running a pilgrimage? That’s right. The total distance of this route is over 42 km, the first half of which is a long mountain road. The total difference in elevation is nearly 2,000 meters. Moreover, after reaching Shosan-ji, instead of staying overnight in Kamiyama-cho, I plan to run nonstop toward Tokushima, which will be the most difficult part of the journey for me.

Was it really possible to complete this grueling pilgrimage from the 11th temple to the 13th temple in a single day? It is often said, “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” I decided to take on the challenge, believing that I could do it now. However, I had already tried once last month with a plan to climb up from Kirihata-ji, the 10th temple on the list, Shosan-ji. Last month, when I reached Fujii-dera after the first 10 km, I felt pain in my leg muscles and gave up climbing from there. Therefore, I was anxious about dropping out due to injury. However, I decided that it was now or never, and I was determined to complete the climb to the summit of Shosan-ji by my birthday at any cost.

On October 9, the day of battle arrived. I took the first train from Tokushima to Kamojima. I started from Fujii-dera and since I had already started in order from the first temple, Ryozen-ji, I was starting at what would have been the third day of my pilgrimage. Then, at 7:00 in the morning, I entered the pilgrimage route. I set the goal time to be back by 5:00 p.m. since I wanted to be back at Dainichi-ji by dark. I was going to be on the road for a total of 10 hours.

To sum up a long story short, the experience was, in a word, grueling. The uphill climb to Shosan-ji took three hours, which I enjoyed because I was used to climbing mountains. The problem came from there. After a long and tiring day, I had to run another 25 km to Dainichi-ji. This is where fate intervenes. I thought that I would have given up and said, “This is hopeless”, or I had to choose whether or not to go on, no matter what it took to get there. Fatigue notwithstanding, I decided to go forward, no questions asked.

Having come this far, I couldn’t afford to stop. If I could just make it from Fujii-dera to Shosan-ji and Dainichi-ji all at once, I would be confident in my plan to continue on the pilgrimage at 40 km a day for the rest of the trip. This was why I couldn’t stop. That is what I told myself as I ran. However, the road from Shosan-ji to Dainichi-ji, which I had thought would be a gradual descent, was in fact not. It was a repetition of ups and downs on a small mountain. Going down that was hard. Fatigue built up to the point that I couldn’t move my legs. Still, I persevered and kept moving my legs. Eventually, my groin muscles began to ache, and the pain was intense. I rubbed my muscles with my left hand and continued to run. This is what it means to never give up.

The ending result was... I arrived at Dainichi-ji before 5:00 p.m. With even more perseverance, I completed the 14th temple, Joraku-ji, the 15th temple, Kokubun-ji, and the 16th temple, Kannon-ji. I completed the extremely difficult route of more than 42 km in less than 10 hours. To be honest, when I arrived at Kannon-ji, I was so exhausted that I had to ask the temple staff to call a cab for me just before the shrine office closed at 5:00 p.m. I then returned to Tokushima Station.

Never ever give up. These words are the bones of my philosophy on life. I will go as far as I can, and I will keep going and I will move forward believing that I can definitely do it. I keep moving forward without losing sight of my goal. As for the Shikoku pilgrimage, I have only reached the first 16 temples on the pilgrimage. From this point to the 88th temple, an even longer road awaits me. My next challenge is a 76-km journey from Yakuo-ji, the 23rd temple in Hiwasa to Hotsumisaki-ji, the 24th temple in Murotomisaki. Will I ever be able to run this long distance in one day at my age? Even more challenges are waiting for me.