Day 29 : 05 May 2009
The first 10 kilometres were on the road but we were rewarded at the end by stunning views of the offshore islands, the many coastal inlets and the fish farming of picturesque Uchiumi Village where we stopped for a second breakfast of ramen at a small restaurant.
The pain at the bottom of our feet from constant pounding on the road soon disappeared when we began the climb, through forest to 470 metres, thankfully more gentle than the day before.
We had seen a lot more walking henro in this golden week. Many people walk part of the pilgrimage each year on their annual holiday and over the years complete the circuit.
At the top we stopped to talk to 3 people doing maintenance work on the path.
The rest of the day was off the road, descending into a narrow valley where we saw old rice terraces made of dry stonewalls.
Overnight stop was at Tsushima Rest Hut and with the table on its side to block out the wind; we spent a comfortable night on the benches.
(33.0963 N 132.516 E)