Application


Today I transitioned from the mountains and the trail back to the city and “normal” life.  Now starts the real Kumano Kodo journey.  Like the Camino de Santiago, the real work starts when you finish and try to apply your learnings to your life.  Do we really learn if we don’t apply our knowledge? 




It was raining as I entered the last shrine, thus officially ending my journey.  Both of my Camino walks ended in the rain as well, so it must be my thing.  The experience was very somber as all my pilgrim friends have already gone their own ways.  I am glad we had the opportunity the other day to celebrate our achievements.  I wish my fellow pilgrims safe travels home! 




My last night was in the coastal town of Nachikatsuura.  It is a lovely little town known for tuna fishing.  I had an amazing lunch and did some more shopping for trinkets.  I am back to being a tourist. 




Tomorrow I head towards Kyoto, then Tokyo and eventually on to Seattle.  It has been a fabulous adventure, but it is time to head back home.  Lord, I thank You for Your teachings both here and at home.  




Many thanks to anyone who took the time to follow me on my adventure!  I hope you have the opportunity to see this amazing country and experience the Kumano Kodo in some fashion.  It would even be a wonderful trip by car with lots of opportunities for day hikes.  Happy trails! 




Location - Nachikatsuura @ 33.628092, 135.946259

Distance - 4.9 miles 

Steps - 10,200




Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 10, 2025 at 8:38 PM

    Well done! I look forward to you sharing more of what you learned along the way…

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Transitioning

Image
I came to Japan a week ago to work at Yumori Bible Camp.  This is the fourth year that I have spent Golden Week with the local Japanese team of folks who own and run the camp.  It is a labor of love to rescue the camp that was started by a friend’s parents back in 1968.  This was travel for service and I find it very rewarding. Today was a day of travel for tourism.  It was good to have a slow day as I wandered around Kyoto. The Kyoto Tower provided a lovely view of the city.  I did just a little shopping for small items as anything I acquire now I will have to carry for the next week.  I found a wonderful local restaurant and enjoyed chatting with the owner who is my age and loved The Carpenters.  Sometimes it is good to be a tourist. Tomorrow I will have an early morning train ride, followed by another train and a bus to reach the beginning of the pilgrimage.  If all goes according to plan, I will start walking the Kumano Kodo tomorrow.  Th...
Read more

Attitude is Everything

Image
The weather has been beautiful the past few days and I had a wonderful sleep on Sunday night.  Last night, however, it was hot so sleeping was difficult, and then the rain started around 3:00 AM.  My train tickets were prepaid and a bit confusing for me too.  However, this morning I was reminded of one of my favorite Ray Brook sayings:  “Attitude is everything!”  Starting this adventure could be the most challenging part.  Lord, let my attitude be positive and focused on the privilege of this journey. Thus far, the Kumano Kodo is a lot steeper and more natural than the Camino de Santiago.  Today’s walk was entirely in the forest and only emerged in the town where I am staying.  The common part of the journey is the lovely people!  I started noticing backpacks when I left Osaka and then the bus was full of pilgrims.  I am the only American that I know of, so far, and most of the folks are from Europ...
Read more

Perspectives

Image
  Last night's dinner was fabulous!  We started with some sashimi and a personal beef hotpot.  Then came a plate of Spanish tapas to celebrate the Dual Pilgrimage and the two countries.  Dessert was cheesecake and coffee.  Afterwards, we enjoyed some Spanish guitar music, played by our host.  I was seated with a woman who has also walked the Camino de Santiago.  Today started with a fascinating breakfast conversation with a woman who works for nonprofits.  (Let’s just say her life has more challenges lately.)  She is from Minnesota and we agreed that way too many Americans need to get out and experience more of the world.  She is accompanying a friend on her first trip to Asia.  So many things here are hard to appreciate until you experience them.  Like why people will stand and wait for a traffic walk sign when there are no cars around on a street that is only a few feet wide. ...
Read more