The holidays are officially over. It was a nice break -- sleep until noon and then the time to cook a proper breakfast, afternoon walks in the mountains, and late nights in front of the tube. It hurts to be back in front of a computer screen.

We managed one short trip to Tokushima, traditional starting point of the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage. We left Sakawa at five a.m. on December 30th, drove up through the snow covered peaks of central Shikoku and then down to temple number one, where we bought our prayer slips and signature books (you are supposed to offer two prayers at each temple and have your book signed before leaving). We spent the rest of the day driving from temple to temple, saying prayers for friends and family, for the victims of the great wave in South East Asia and India, and for a happy new year.

Near the end of the day, we talked to a father and a son from Tokyo who said they plan on walking the pilgrimage together (these days, most people drive or join a bus tour). The father, a grey-haired speed-talker, was a teacher who had completed the pilgrimage once before. He said that his son kept asking to do the pilgrimage, so there they were.

As for us, we visited the first 11 temples. Individually, the temples were simple and understated. Each had a claim to fame, though -- 33 unique and ancient images of kannon, a 1000 year old cedar tree said to aid fertility, a tea cup used by so-and-so in the 8th century. At the end of the day, Nancy and I agreed the temples are a special part of Japan -- a link to the forgotten. We’re excited to visit the rest and even hope to walk the distance between a few.