Anraku-ji to Kamiyama, Day 3 of 8

This morning was a much-needed rest. I had breakfast, packed my bags, and relaxed until my taxi came. Because this is an abridged tour, and I don't have time to visit all 88 temples, the tour group had already arranged for a taxi to jump me to the next trailhead. But because of my call yesterday, this taxi made a brief stop at the next temple on my list so I could pay my respects and get my nokyo shuin. From there we continued the remainder of the 45 minutes to the next day's accommodation, the Kamiyama Onsen Hotel.

Unfortunately, since I was meant to be walking all day, I had arrived extra early. I sat in the lobby for a few hours, catching up on correspondence and reading until my room was ready. Although it had the feel of a regular hotel, they still had the traditional rooms, and this one was by far the coziest / cutest I had been in yet.

After getting to my room and settling in, I eventually made my way to the private onsen. This hotel had two, and while the public one was much bigger, I preferred having a smaller, quieter space to myself. It was lovely, as they are wont to be, but taking pictures in a place with nudity is an obvious no-go. But the large frosted windows showed something of the mountains in the distance, and it was a wonderful way to relax.

Once I had had my fill of soaking, and having done some laundry, it was about time for dinner. It was situated in a large banquet hall, and as always I had a table to myself since the Japanese are not about mingling whilst eating, a custom I was more than fine with. While they provided a menu this time, it was all in Japanese, and the translations left me wondering about a few dishes. That said, it was very likely the second-best meal I've had in my life. If there's one takeaway from this trip, it's the memory of all the delicious food I ate.

Retiring to my room, I found that the housekeeping staff had moved my table to the side and had laid out my futon for me. I was told that bigger places like this will often do that, while other smaller ones will leave it to your discretion.

So now I sit in the chairs by the window, watching the last remnants of light disappear, and have zero regrets about the day and the resting I did. Tomorrow will be through a largely wooded area, and only 12km, so I'm hoping for a positive outcome. There will be an incredibly steep climb, but I descend the other side via cable car, so that should be a nice reprieve from having to walk back down again.