He is eighteen-year-old man, began walking pilgrimage as soon as he graduated high school in Okayama. He is apt to think that there is no strong point in himself since his puberty, so that he couldn’t speak well in interview of entrance exam. He start the pilgrimage from Tokushima, and after in Kochi, the second prefecture, he told why he was out on his journey of pilgrimage with diffidence.
"I’m not confident in myself, so I think I shouldn’t stay in this state, then I hope if I could be changed in some ways since I came here."
While endless coastline on Kochi pilgrim road, he was plagued by leg pain. But he still continued to walk, in the following Ehime, there was a strong figure of him going up the mountain road without rest. After walking over the mountain, he still keep walking though it has got raining, and said
"Now I get used to pilgrimage, then I became able to think about various things."
His eyes seem to have increased shine than before.
The next day, when he was about to taking rest at the resting place, an old lady in local made a meal for him. It was first experience for him to be feasted by strangers.
"Bon appetite."
Beside the old lady smiling, he devoured the rice balls with face likes embarrassed, and full of joy. In the resting place, he has become friends with other pilgrims, and walked with them for a while from there.
Finally Ryota entered Kagawa, the last prefecture of Shikoku pilgrimage. The 42th day after started walking, eventually he has reached Ōkubo-ji, the last Fudasho. His long journey was over. In the end, he accustomed to read sutra, firstly he was not good at. And his cane had scuffed 10 centimeters.
"I actually could get around by walk, now I come to think that I am OK as I stand as long as I do my best, even though I will not trying to find my strong point forcibly."
Speaking so with popping smile, he was full of confidence as if he became a different person from before.
One’s value varies greatly by walk. You might notice the problem that you had persisted before leaving on a journey was not a big deal in the fact. Even an answer which is different from you had imagined came out, there is no change in the fact it will support your future.
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