Chapter 6 Pilgrimage Day 21

Diary of the White Bush Clover

Day 21 (26 October) Numazu to Ashinoko

We talked together until late at night. Early in the morning Hayashi-san prepared breakfast for me. I was so happy. The Hayashis took a picture of me with their family, which they would send to me later. I did not want to say goodbye but I left the temple.

Today I would cross Hakone-yama. This would be a test of endurance. Until now the weather had been fine, raining at night but clearing by morning. But now that I was going to cross the Hakone range a typhoon was coming and the weather had turned strange. Even though the weather was getting worse I decided to keep to my original plan to reach Ashino-ko, the crater lake, that day. I was a little worried but then, I thought, I am traveling with Buddha so I do not need to worry.

I took courage and walked to Mishima, at the foot of Hakone-yama. The road started gradually going up. Route 1 had too much traffic. I took a side road but after awhile it rejoined Route 1. Looking back I could see the town of Mishima below. In front of me were many mountains forming a ring around the ancient Hakone caldera, with dark clouds descending on the peaks.

The road went into a forest and the air became cool. Under a big tree there was a statue of Batō Kannon, a special Kannon for animals. It was very rare because instead of just a rock with the inscription, Batō Kannon, it was a statue of a human body with a fierce face and the head of a horse in the crown. I prayed in front of the statue and thought of the horses, dogs and messenger pigeons that died in the war. Yes, humans died in this war but also animals. I had not thought of that until now. I felt very sorry for them. Who prayed for those animals, which worked very hard in battle without complaining and died for the people? I prayed many times for them with great care. After that I left.

No one was walking on this road so the drivers looked at me with surprise. The truck drivers were used to being kind to hitchhikers and one of them offered me a ride. But my journey was a pilgrimage so I had to walk. Cars often passed me and I wondered if the exhaust fumes would kill the cherry trees. The buds were covered with black soot and had not bloomed even though it was already autumn. The thistle flowers were also blackened. But the mountains far away were beautiful, covered with golden leaves.

I walked up around many curves but I did not arrive at the top. I could see a bus driving far above on the mountain road. It looked like a toy. I had to go up there but my feet felt heavy. The road had been climbing since morning. I walked very hard until noon. Then I sat on the grass and ate onigiri, which the priest’s wife had given me that morning. There were no hikers around here. I walked again, singing the Hakone-yama song, heading for the next mountain, but when I arrived there was another mountain. I wondered how I would ever reach the top. Usually I could walk four kilometers an hour but now I could not even walk three.

Suddenly a truck stopped beside me. A middle-aged man asked me, “Where are you going? I saw you before.”

I answered, “To Ashino-ko.”

“It’s a ways yet to Ashino-ko, so please get in.”

“My journey is for pilgrimage so I cannot get in but thank you for your offer.”

“Take care,” he said and drove away.

The sun was setting but I still had not reached the top. The same truck driver came and stopped his truck beside me. He said, “You won’t reach the top until after the sun sets so I will take you.”

What shall I do? But this is also Buddha’s help so I said, “All right, please take me a little while but when I see the top I will walk again.” I did not feel comfortable accepting a ride in the truck because I felt obliged to walk to the lake at the top.

After I got out of the truck I walked another hour to the top. This kind driver always drove this way from Chiba prefecture and I thanked him. I arrived at Ashino-ko before sunset. It was getting dark and I could hear the sound of the typhoon. I felt ill at ease. Walking along the sugi namiki, a row of Japanese cedars, I arrived at Ashino-ko at 6 o’clock in the evening, two hours later than my schedule. I chose a ryokan nearest to the road. I had finished this day’s long trip, climbing up the whole day. My legs were tired, as usual. I massaged them in the o-furo but they did not recover.