Pilgrim Hut No.54 Shimanto

General Description:

Located on the long path from Iwamotoji (T37) to Kongofukuji (T38), at the site of Wild Bird Park in Masaki district on the right hand (south) side of highway 321. It is 50 kilometres from Iwamotoji and 35 kilometres from Kongofukuji.

The design concept is based on the idea of the nearby Shimanto River, with floors, chairs and roofs representing the meandering flow of the river.

3/10/2019 Comments:

An open hut with good protection against the sun and rain, though its stacked timber construction with open ends means that it is draughty if there is wind from any direction.

It is located in the car park of the bird park, some distance away from the road. The area is generally rural, with most of the small residential area on the far side of the road. The carpark is an open expanse, and the hut has very little privacy, viewable from some distance. The general location is quiet, but not isolated. The long curvy benches are quite adequate for an afternoon nap.

There is a shop (or building related to the bird park) by the car park, but it appeared deserted on a Thursday in October 2019. There are drink vending machines in the car park. A small udon restaurant and a service station are about 100m up the road to the north east.

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After the bridge the path went down some stairs and through the back streets of an older area of houses called Sanzaki. I become a bit confused when I get to the end of Sanzaki, not sure exactly where to go but I keep following the river shore for another kilometre or so and it starts to turn inland. I know I’m on the right path now.

There is a bird park nearby and they have a Henro hut which I take advantage of. The hut itself is open, so the breeze flows through the structure. It is quite pleasant laying down with my shoes off and I doze a little. There is also a ramen shop nearby but I can’t be bothered to go there.

When I get up to finally leave, the bench is damp from my sweat.

2 photos submitted

Don’s sleep score: 1

Nice hut in front of a michi no eki (roadside station) with water, toilets, and food. There's no idication of whether or not it's okay to stay overnight. After the hut you walk through a small nature reserve with a wide variety of birds.

2 photos submitted