What is Shikoku Part 2: Country folks

The Journey doesn't make the Journey, the people do.

If the last entry sounded like I was bagging on Shikoku, you're right! I kind of was. Shikoku can be a boring and depressing place. Do I hate Shikoku? Nope. In fact I kind of love the place. And the reason is the people.

Rural Shikoku is desperately lacking in the things I love about Japan. Hip restaurants and hangouts are in short supply and are limited only to the major cities. Internet cafes, and indeed communication infrastructure like wifi, cell phone coverage, and OPERATIONAL PUBLIC PHONES, are lacking or in disrepair. The record stores, knick knack shops, and major franchises seem to have abandoned most of Shikoku en masse in search of greener, more profitable pastures. Yet, it's the people of Shikoku that have saved the place for me, and indeed make me want to share the place with my family and friends.

The people of Shikoku are outgoing, amiable, and will do anything in their power to help out a traveling pilgrim like myself. Given, this is sort of a cultural and religious requirement in regards to the pilgrimage culture, but the fact that they`re going out of their way to help a weirdo foreigner absolutely means the world to me. Folks have given me treats, gifts, and even rides when my ankles gave out on me and I couldn't make it back down the mountain. People down here put their ass on the line for you, even if they risk awkwardness and embarrassment due to the vast cultural rift between America and Japan. They're more laid back. Which isn't always a good thing.

For example, if you don't call ahead to a lodging house in the countryside and you just show up, there's a good chance no one will be there! This is a big difference from the big cities where a hyper polite attendant is manning the desk 24 hours a day in 30 hour shifts. They probably figured, Hey, nobody's coming tonight, TIME TO GO DRINKING!!! Also the obsessive cleanliness of Tokyo can be somewhat lacking. I spent one night with a family of small green flying beetles at one countryside inn. I was creeped out at first, but eventually I learned to coexist with my six legged roommates. You stay on your side, and I don't squash your extended beetle family. Peace in our time.

Despite some of the issues, everybody wants to know who I am, where I'm from, and why the hell I'm going on this crazy quest. Little elementary kids to and from their way to school even say hi to you! This really is a different type of Japan, and I love it. Granted, I still need to get back to the cities to update blogs and charge my cell phone, but my time in the country has done wonders for my health, my weight, and even my shyness. I feel more outgoing, and all kinds of stuff, from my tendonitis to my hearing, has improved with my time on the pilgrimage.

Now if they could just do something about these creepy bugs. . .