Flowers and Mount Buko.

 After good night sleep(bit hampered by the beer consumed last night) I woke up with slight stiffness but nothing too bad. Night I had woken up once hearing hefty rain going on. I like sound of rain and it makes it easy to sleep but there was downside in that the flower festival might not be held if it still rains...I put in wish for rain to abate in time and went back to sleep.

The flower festival starts at 7am and it was bit far off so we were off around 6am at their car. Luckily by the time we left it had been reduced in strenght and at the festival place it was mere trickle. And by the time it started no rain. Yey!

Later I studied bit about the festival. It seems it was originally to celebrate Buddha's birthday though now it's on 4^th of may rather than 8^th of april that's Buddha's birthday. For several days before kids go around in mountains collecting flowers. Lots of flowers. Lots and lots and LOTS of flowers!

 
So precisely at 7am fireworks boomed above to signal the start. Children(who are center of focus of this festival) went along a path in line throwing up flowers into the air. Adults followed them(making sure the kids had flowers in their baskets). This continued for a while with onlookers moving ahead and taking photos.

 This would be carried up to the shrine.

 Parade was case of onlookers trying to keep ahead taking photos. Narrow path so if you let kids pass you chance to overtake was harder though there were few side paths that were usable. I kept trailing locals.

 I THINK this might have been late cherry tree. Albeit not in best time. But I got to see cherry tree after all!

 Kids approaching the shrine.

 All morning I was answering one persons or another why I like Japan.

THIS photo shows it up pretty well. Ah those mountains.

 
The kids arriving to shrine(as I indicated before shrines(Shintoism) and temples(Buddhism) used to be together often so it's not that weird they celebrate birthday of Buddha in a shrine)

 The miniature shrine(?) put in it's place.

 Now THAT is a camera and no mistake! Don't see one every day.

The kids then formed a circle and SWOOSH started throwing flowers as fast as they could creating veritable rain of flowers. Everybody was pushing shutters as fast as they could.

 That's a lot of flowers that were thrown...

 Can't get enough of these views. Coming here was worth it just to see this and the Flower festival made it even better!

Kids posing for memorial photo. Very common habit Japanese have. After event participiant pose for a photo.

After all done people went and made prayers at the portable shrine.

All along this I had been introduced to one friend of host's son and/or his friend so I had been talking my throat sore :D One said I might be first Finnish person who saw this festival. Could be! Not first foreigner almost certainly but Japan doesn't seem to rank high in places Finnish people go and this is bit far off and not that famous and this festival isn't world wide known and is only one day a year. I came along just by mere chance!

After the festival was done and we got back to apartment I went to toilet and packed my stuff preparing for the Mount Buko course. I was even given a drive to temple 28 from where path starts. I considered doing that temple but it wouldn't save me THAT much time and I wanted to do it with full stuff and I didn't want to TAKE everything pilgrim related with me. I took just the bag for overall handy container and the staff since those tend to be useful in mountains.

 
After rainy morning it had turned into pretty weather. And warm. While out of shades it was VERY hot and I was glad I had full(Well almost full. Some had got spilled in an accident) water load with me(plus other drinks. Had about 4.5l liquids plus food with me).

 
Path to gateway to the gate went along road and it was getting really hot in there. I was glad when I came into the gate to the mountain as it got me off the sunlight and into the shades of the trees.

 
Climb itself was fairly uneventful with biggest excitement being warning signs that warned of bears. Luckily I did not see one. At times climb was bit steeper and there were places with ropes to help you but with those and my staff didn't have problems and was making good progress. Probably TOO good as I was exhausting myself fast. But I was glad of my water bag system that allowed me to drink as I went. Otherwise I would probably have dehydrated without bothering to get drinks from the bag.

 Uhoh...What yellow I see ahead?

 Bear danger! Well hopefully not too big danger and I do have the staff with the bell that's supposed to help by informing bears you are coming and ergo go away(hopefully not "free lunch coming" signal!).

 This was bit tricky bridge to cross.

 After 2 days of asphalt walking this was nice change of pace.

 
I seemed to be getting overtaken by couple guys but after reaching flat place I never heard of them again. There's another path? They went back? Or they did the sensible thing and took a break in a perfect resting place! Me? I just went forward!

 Bit of fog there. Wonder how that comes up when it was so bright day elsewhere.

 Sometimes the staff was very handy. With the backbag I certainly could do with the extra balance it offered. At few times I might have had to take off backbag to get me over.

 
At one point it was foggy but eventually it cleared and I started to get excelent views. THIS is what keeps bringing me back to Japan(along with friends). Nothing like looking down at a high mountain!

 That rope was not there for a fun of it!

 
Finally I came to what looked might be the top. Except then I saw sign saying it's still 5 minutes or so. Cruel sign!

 NOOOO!

 
There were several groups of Japanese at the top. Guess people are enjoying the golden week by mountain hiking! Excelent way :D

 Shrine at the top of the mountain. As expected there was shrine at the top of mountain. Usually there's one at a top of mountain in Japan.

At the resting place there was actually a proper toilet with running water. For the water it uses rain waters(at least) so there were requests of not wasting it.

 Walking around I saw movement near my feet and got a slight scare when I saw this snake. For a moment I thought it might be Mamushi(poisonous snake in Japan) but don't think it looked quite right. Either way it slithered away in a hurry. Phew.

 
Bit further from the shrine were also two viewing platforms and oh what a view what a view. Made me want come there again one day.

 
I had nice lunch break and general rest break to get my legs feel like going the 1300 meters or so back down. There was another route that I wanted to try. I hate generally going same path twice in a row.

 
Going up had been fast(2.5 hours) but going down seems to be slower for me. This path also had quite muddy path due to morning rains causing some extra concern. I now kept running into newcomers. Well obviously you are going to meet less people going UP than going DOWN generally but makes me think maybe this is more popular path? Certainly felt that it would be the easier route.


Funnily every time kids came around they were leading the charge yelling excitedly while poor parents were trying to keep up :D Kids! Where they get the energy?

 One flipside of going to this mountain after rain in the morning was that the path was extrmely muddy. Should have pulled trousers up.

 Big tree...

 That kept going up and up.

 
On route I found another method the toilet up has water. Climbers are asked to take water from waterfall and carry it up. Well sorry, came up the opposite route! Respect for people who do it though.

 
Eventually came back to civilization with cars visible and asphalt road.

 Passing past yet another shrine.

 Scary looking dog statues.

And this started the least pleasant part of the trip. Long walk in asphalt road in direct sunlight passing through mining related buildings(large part of industry in Chichibu) with no shade, no vending machines and nothing to sit on. I was boiling as I slowly approached the Chichibu.

 I passed couple factory/mine looking things on my way out(this was not a path designed to walk back to city clearly! Closest station was still quite a far ahead.

 The further I got the hotter it was getting. I was being boiled here. Nothing to offer me shade, no vending machines(was starting to wonder had I been suddenly transported into another country!), no place to sit. Thank god I had my water or this could have been fast track to heatstroke.

Was starting to question my decision to leave the hat into lodging. It would have been very handy...

I was started to think ”give me chair, bit of shade and maybe even a toilet and I'm in a paradise”. Give it few minutes and I came to park/evacuation area with just those and pretty wisteria flowers to provide nice shade. PARADISE! This is what it feels like!

 Incredibly hot day. Last time I was this exhausted by heat was last year in Kyoto and it's surrounding when I had spent several hours in sunlight. And that was in august! I had definitely underestimated just how hot it is already in May. Something to keep in mind for next year Shikoku pilgrimage that I hope to do from end of march to halfway of may.

 Mount Buko I think. I had few hours ahead been at the top of that...

 
Well not much to tell after that. I got to nearest station but it was only like 2km to home and it would take me train change which requires some walking(maybe 400m) anyway so decided to press on to home. Got there surprisingly quickly.

 Shower and then dropped in for some curry rice and bottle of beer(felt like I earned one!). Late at night I dropped off to nearby coin laundry and did my laundry.

 Days total distance. Lot less than last two days but...

That was steep climb and descent.

Also misses morning climb that I did for the flower festival.

Next day would see continuation of the pilgrimage with maybe one of the hardest days of it so far. Good time to discover my limits! One reason for this pilgrimage. To find my limits before Shikoku. Better to find them now than then when it might be too late to do anything after finding out them.