Leaving Shikoku

Our plan was to leave Shikoku via the city of Matsuyama in the northwest corner of the island. The standard way to have done this would be to retrace our steps on an express train from Kochi. However, we wanted to explore the west coast and so this meant a ride of about an hour to Kubokawa, a 2 1/2 hour stop there and then a 2 hour slow train to Uwajima, changing there after half an hour for the final 1 1/2 hours to Matsuyama.

Kubokawa was a small town whose claim to fame is that it is on one of the few undammed rivers in the country. We walked a little found a lovely temple where there was the usual procession of Shikoku pilgrims. We sat inside the temple for a while and a group of woman, and one young girl, came in, went to the alter, made various offerings and the began a chanting session that went on for some time. They then proceeded to the next building in the complex where they repeated the ritual, mixed in at times with the individual or group prayer chanting of the pilgrims.

Pilgrim at Kubokawa

Boddhisatva for babies?

I wasn't completely sure about our local train option but what a delight it turned out to be. The local train was a single carriage with inward facing bench seats and 5 or six people on board. One asleep stretched out on the seats with her shoes neatly on the floor in front of her and another a trainspotter with a camera. The track followed the Kubokawa river (I think it was that) and often we were perched high above it going through the trees and occasional tunnel. Slowly. Often at 40km/hr (I could see the speedometer in the drivers cab) and mainly not faster than 60km/hr. Stations were tiny platforms among a few houses and rarely did anyone get off or on. After an hour we stopped at a station and all got out and stretched our legs, then back on the train for the next part. Towards the end of the ride groups of school kids began to get on and by the end the train was packed.

We both thoroughly enjoyed the ride it was just what we had been looking for, a slow cruise through rural Japan on a local train with spectacular scenery. At one station there was a huge rope or wire strung right across the wide river and secured high on the hill beyond. From it flew dozens of large Koi kites, their mouths gaping in the breeze that kept them afloat in the air. These are traditionally flown for boys day.

The rest of the trip by express train was comfortable but more mundane in comparison and we arrived in Matsuyama, found a hotel next to the station and were given a large room overlooking the square and the station itself. A good day's travelling.