Muroto Kampo

This September, my base school, Hokuryo Junior High, decided to walk to Muroto, the easternmost point in Kochi. From Hokuryo it's an 81 kilometer walk to Muroto. For those who knew that there was no way in H*LL we could walk that far, there was an alternate destination of Aki, about 47 kilometers (around 20 miles). In a fit of insanity, I decided it would be a good experience to try to walk to Aki. So I found myself sitting in the school gym with over 200 students getting ready to take the longest stroll of my life. And They're Off!
We got started a little late because it had been raining all morning. But fortunately the weather cleared and it turned into a beautiful day! We were given sports drinks and iced tea to carry with us to drink while we walked. I'm not sure the tea was such a good idea because of the caffine, so I decided to stick to sports drinks, and didn't take any more tea.

moving right along
We left the school in groups, with adults leading and following behind each group. Some district employees also came out to see us off. finally on our way
Even as we left the school, you could see how far ahead the other students already were. I started at the very end of the parade, bringing up the rear in order to walk with straggling students.

walking through the flowers
Even before we left Nankoku, we got to walk though some beautiful areas. Parts of Nankoku are very pretty.
Still in Nankoku, these are some rice fields. I think in most of Kochi, if it isn't paved with a road or a building, it has some sort of agricultural crop growing on it.

at a check point
Along the way there were checkpoints where parents and teachers provided food and drinks for weary wayfarers.
I spent the first part of my walk to Aki walking with a group of female students. It was fun to talk to them about things other than class.

a river
Kochi is a very beautiful prefecture, with a lot of nature, mountains, and rivers. in the mirror
I wasn't sure if I would be able to get any pictures of myself on this trip, so I tried to take a picture in one of the mirrors at the side of the road. The roads are very narrow, and it's very hard to see around corners without the mirrors.

lunch
We stopped for lunch (bento) near the ocean. Kyoko
I spent most of the trip to Aki walking with Kyoko. She's a really nice girl, and we had a lot of fun.

a tunnel
For a long time, we walked down a bike/pedestrian path near the ocean. We had to walk through a couple of tunnels, which was really neat IMHO. They were dark and a little spooky, and very wet from the recent rain, with water dripping from the ceilings.
Parts of the bike path were really beautiful, with flowers and plants growing all around.

the giant lobster
This building is a bit of a landmark on the way to Muroto. I thought I should take a picture. 5 Km left!
Only 5 kilometers from Aki! I thought it would be good to take a picture before I died. I really didn't think I was going to make it the last 5 kilometers. That was when my blisters really started to hurt.

Ah, I am so forgetting his name! He's a second year (8th grade) student. For the last few hours, he walked with Kyoko and me until we reached Aki. That's right, we made it!!
After we got to Aki, we took a bus back to the school while other students continued their trip to Muroto. I was never so happy to see the school building. It was quite an adventure.
well-deserved rest
When we got back, the students streched out and relaxed while they waited for their parents to come and pick them up. victory!
I did it! I walked all the way to Aki. Boy, was I exhausted.

This September, my base school, Hokuryo Junior High, decided to walk to Muroto, the easternmost point in Kochi. From Hokuryo it's an 81 kilometer walk to Muroto. For those who knew that there was no way in H*LL we could walk that far, there was an alternate destination of Aki, about 47 kilometers (around 20 miles). In a fit of insanity, I decided it would be a good experience to try to walk to Aki. So I found myself sitting in the school gym with over 200 students getting ready to take the longest stroll of my life.	We got started a little late because it had been raining all morning. But fortunately the weather cleared and it turned into a beautiful day! We were given sports drinks and iced tea to carry with us to drink while we walked. I'm not sure the tea was such a good idea because of the caffine, so I decided to stick to sports drinks, and didn't take any more tea.
We left the school in groups, with adults leading and following behind each group. Some district employees also came out to see us off.	Even as we left the school, you could see how far ahead the other students already were. I started at the very end of the parade, bringing up the rear in order to walk with straggling students.
Even before we left Nankoku, we got to walk though some beautiful areas. Parts of Nankoku are very pretty.	Still in Nankoku, these are some rice fields. I think in most of Kochi, if it isn't paved with a road or a building, it has some sort of agricultural crop growing on it.
Along the way there were checkpoints where parents and teachers provided food and drinks for weary wayfarers.	I spent the first part of my walk to Aki walking with a group of female students. It was fun to talk to them about things other than class.
Kochi is a very beautiful prefecture, with a lot of nature, mountains, and rivers.	I wasn't sure if I would be able to get any pictures of myself on this trip, so I tried to take a picture in one of the mirrors at the side of the road. The roads are very narrow, and it's very hard to see around corners without the mirrors.
We stopped for lunch (bento) near the ocean.	I spent most of the trip to Aki walking with Kyoko. She's a really nice girl, and we had a lot of fun.
For a long time, we walked down a bike/pedestrian path near the ocean. We had to walk through a couple of tunnels, which was really neat IMHO. They were dark and a little spooky, and very wet from the recent rain, with water dripping from the ceilings.	Parts of the bike path were really beautiful, with flowers and plants growing all around.
This building is a bit of a landmark on the way to Muroto. I thought I should take a picture.	Only 5 kilometers from Aki! I thought it would be good to take a picture before I died. I really didn't think I was going to make it the last 5 kilometers. That was when my blisters really started to hurt.
Ah, I am so forgetting his name! He's a second year (8th grade) student. For the last few hours, he walked with Kyoko and me until we reached Aki. That's right, we made it!!	After we got to Aki, we took a bus back to the school while other students continued their trip to Muroto. I was never so happy to see the school building. It was quite an adventure.
When we got back, the students streched out and relaxed while they waited for their parents to come and pick them up.	I did it! I walked all the way to Aki. Boy, was I exhausted.