Day 15: a rest day in Wakayama

Today it feels strange to wear our "civilian" clothes and walk on the sidewalks, but after 14 days of cycling, a day of rest is surely deserved.

After breakfast we walk to the bus stop and take the bus heading South, stepping out to visit the Kishu Toshogy shrine and the Wakaura Temmangu Shrine.

They are built atop of two adjacent hills, and of course to reach them there are steep stairs to climb. The first one has a nice tree tunnel shading the stairs from the sun, and we are the only visitors in the morning. The shrine staff is busy cleaning up the area and for the rest the place is silent. Only sound we hear is a shouting coming from some nearby dojo.

When we get down from the first temple we cross the small Mitarai Pond before climbing to the other temple. The shining sun pleasantly warms our skin, and for a moment we just enjoy this feeling.

The stairs leading up to the second temple, however, do not have any tree shading them, and are made of crude stone. The heat is sensibly different, and together with the uneven surface of each step, it makes the climb more challenging.

Once on the top we see that this temple has been damaged by the typhoon: part of the roof is collapsed, various trees are broken, and a handwriting apologize with the visitors for the inconvenience.

When we leave a small offer, one of the priests comes forward and thanks us for the gesture, gifting us a small print in exchange. After few moments of contemplation we descend the stairs and decide to dive into the small and lively roads of the neighborhood, ending up at the bottom of Tenguyama.

From there we decide to take the bus back in the direction of the castle. Actually we stop few kilometers South from the castle, and have to walk in the neighborhood to reach it. Doing so we have the opportunity to discover the Senkyoyama Sango Temple, which pops up all of a sudden in its majestic mole while we are finding our way through the small houses.

We stop for lunch in a Mos Burger, and from there we enter the castle and its park. On the path leading to the castle we meet a Japanese family: father, mother and daughter. The daughter is wearing a traditional kimono, and from the effort she puts into walking, it must be really heavy. We exchange some greetings with them and the father, being an English teacher, is more than happy to talk with us. They are visiting Wakayama and its castle as part of their plan to visit the less known castles in Japan.

Since we have already visited the castle few days ago, we focus more on the park: we reach the small tea house built on a island inside a pond, which was used by the daimyo when he resided in the castle. To reach the house there is a small roofed bridge, which is really fascinating and that we are lucky enough to walk alone.

Upon reaching the other exit of the tea house we stumble in a class taking some footage for a school project. They stop to let us pass, and the teacher asks the reasons for our visit to Wakayama. We explain him about our trip and wish good luck to the class for their project.

From the castle we walk back to our hostel, where we take a shower and then head out for dinner. This time we decide to try a small curry restaurant, Bara Honten, and we do the right choice also this time.

The curry is delicious, and since the place seems to be open for quite some time, as suggested not only by the signboard but also by some black and white photos hanging from the wall, it must be a family business.
The owner seems to be happy that two foreigners are enjoying his skills, and when we ask him what is the nice music playing in the background he tells us that some friend composed and played it specifically for his restaurant, so it is nowhere to be found but eating there.

We leave the place with a good impression and a satisfied stomach, and while we cross for the last time the shopping street, we savor its quietness and feel our energy restored. It has been a good idea, having a day of rest.