Day 3 : Higashi-Totsuka to Hiratsuka

Day 3 : From Higashi-Totsuka to Hiratsuka (26 km)

• Passage of stations :

Station 05 - 戸塚 - Totsuka	Station 06 - 藤沢 - Fujisawa
Station 07 - 平塚 - Hiratsuka

• Road :

(cf. step 2-3) Totsuka, Fujisawa, Chigasaki, Banyubashi  Bridge (sagamigawa), Hiratsuka city where we can see a mount (Korayama).

• Visits : 

Totsuka (honjin, Tomizuka Hachimangu and many small sanctuaries), Fujisawa (Yugioji), Chigasaki (Joshoji shrine), Hiratsuka (beach).
 

• Sleep : 

In Hiratsuka's forest.

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Trip journal :
 

          I woke up at 5! Well, when you sleep outside under the stars, you often wake up early... I tidy up my bag and leave. I walk on the Tokaido road and once more loose my way a bit farther. In the end, I have to backtrack couple hundreds of meters and then continue until Totsuka. A bit before, I meet Ben, a freelance businessman. We discuss about our lives and what I am doing here in Japan. I regret that he did not sign my book but I did not know that we were already in Totsuka. I say goodbye to Ben and continue to walk. Two minutes later, I come across Totsuka Station. I see many kids wearing baseball uniforms and I decide to stop two of them. Their shirt says the name of the city so it would be perfect for my book. I explain what I am doing here but they look at me with strange eyes. One of them tap the shoulder of the other: " you, go on !" then the other "no, you! " Etc. In the end, one of them wrote his name and I took a picture of both of them.
 

5 - Totsuka (Sakaue Takashi & his friend)

I decide to stay a bit here in order to write my journal and suddenly a cop arrives with the two young boys... Oups... They seem quite embarrassed and the cop ask for my book and why do I ask young boys to write their name.  So I start explaining my initiative, tell them that I need witnesses for memory only and show them what I did for the previous stations. I insist in particular with the policeman that I photographed in Shinagawa. I said : "I am kind, in France I am a PE Teacher!". They look at me, seem relieved that I am not a pervert and the cop tell them that it is ok. Oups... Young people are really afraid of strangers! Thinking about it... I kinda understand!

After these adventures, I continue my road and stop a moment at Tomizuka Hachimangu.
 

Later, I stop to have a break and eat breakfast again. I am so hungry and my shoulders hurt. I continue my journey and stop for few minutes in several shrines along the road. At the same time, there are so many and I cannot stop 30min in each one. With the heat and the weight of my bag, it is actually quite pleasant to stop by a temple and have a short break. There is a temple bigger than the previous ones so I decide to stop a bit longer. The name of the temple is: Yugyoji.

Near the shrine, there is a school. The Soccer field of the school is right next to the shrine so the PE Teacher I am cannot refrain himself from enjoying watching a game the students are having. Then, I continue my journey on the old road and stop in Fujisawa Honmachi to have lunch. I am enjoying so much that great "Kare" and the beer. After lunch, the road leads me to another Mc Donald's towards Chigasaki where I appreciate a "soft cream". Crap... I forgot to ask someone to sign for Fujisawa! We are not yet in Chigasaki so I ask one of the customers and his daughter to sign for me.

6 - Fujisawa (Kei Hanada & Nanako)

So, Kei Hanada & Nanako took time to sign and pose in front of my camera. After that, my whole body feels the pain after this third day of walking so I decide to do some stretching. Furthermore, I woke up at 5 am! The batteries fully charged, I am heading to Chigasaki with the intention of finding somebody to sign my book. I decide to have to break and met this attractive Office Lady, Aika Namikawa. She gave me her "autograph" and I realised after Chigasaki city is not a checkpoint ! It does not matter. I have another witness for my journey.

What a shame we did not talk more than that but she had to go take the subway. Back on the road, I stop farther at a shrine where I meet a very nice old man. We discuss about my trip, my country... He goes in the next building to get me some bananas but returns empty handed. He was so sorry and told me "They ate everything!". Haha! Then, he asks me if I wanna see the inside of the shrine as the doors are closed. Inside, there is a magnificent altar. He explains to me that there will be a Matsuri (festival) soon and that's why they have polished the altar. He shows me how to strike on the altar with the wrists on the sides. I start knocking on it and he begins to sing. That is nice. I take few pictures of the altar and uses my tripod to take one of us. When I tell him I have to go, he cries. It is really moving to meet someone like that. It is for this kind of encounters that I wanted to begin this journey.

After these warm grandpa's tears, I resume my journey. Two minutes later, a bike arrives at my side and I hear "Dring! Dring!". The grandpa is back !!! He did not want to let me leave like that so he came to join me for a while. While walking next to his bike, he begins to speak about his passion for rock n' roll. So we sing: Elvis, Chuck Berry, The Platters, Percy Sledge... Songs of the 50s and 60s. At the end, we arrive at the entrance of Hiratsuka, which is more than 3km !! Cool the grandpa. The good-byes last for at least 5 minutes. I turn around every now and then to wave at him until I cannot see his silhouette anymore. It is very moving to meet someone like that.

I continue up to Hiratsuka station where I ask a young man for the direction of the beach and at the same time ask for a signature for my book. According to him, the beach is approximately 20 min of walking away from here and it is quite straight. Even if it is not on my road, I plan to spend the night there and I want to swin. So... thank you Tomohiro Muramatsu, I am going to the beach.
 

7 - Hiratsuka (Tomohiro Muramatsu)

The sand is grey. They say that the sea is dangerous there because of its currents but I do not see the danger in comparison to French beaches. Let us reminds that average Japanese are very poor swimmers (based on my previous trips to Suma and other beaches in Kansai area).  It is late and the lifeguard does not let me have a bath. I tell him that I feel hot and that I just want to put my body in the water, not to swim. He says OK. I stay 5-10 min in the water and that feels really good. Then, I look at girls who are practicing beach rugby.

 

I take a shower and I try to find young people to crash with them. Not very far, I spot a group that seems to have a good laugh so I go to see them. I explain that I am travelling on my own from Tokyo to Kyoto and that it would be cool to spend the evening with them. They invite me to sit and offer me some beers. Really nice and delirious. They are 24 years old and worked all for Xerox, the printer. We even listen to french songs because Yuki, one of the girls has Hocus Pocus in her iPod. What a surprise and what a pleasure to be able to hear French music that I like in the iPod of a Japanese! Then, they tell me they have to return to Tokyo by train so I let them go and I go to sleep in the forest next to the beach.
 
                   

DAY 2

DAY 4