Last Sunday morning, I participated in my second Tokushima International Charity Fun Run with my co-workers and students. This year's event took place at the beautiful new Tsukimigaoka Park in Matsushige, Tokushima. Located along the beach, this park is ideal for barbecuing and provides a scenic route for running. The annual charity marathon requires each runner to pay a 2000 yen entrance fee (approximately 20.00 USD); the proceeds will be donated to an underprivileged children's school in Vietnam. Participants are able to choose from either a 3, 6, or 10 kilometer run. This year I ran the 10K course (about 6.2 miles) with little improvement in my time from two years ago, a dismal 1-hour and 5 minutes. However... I did barely edge Japan's 2x Gold Medalist at the wire, check out the proof on my video!... Besides being for a good cause, I like this summer "marathon" because it helps my conditioning for the Tibetan basketball tournaments I play in annually. This year my team will be gunning for our 6th Tibetan basketball championship in Seattle! For the information of my friends and family, I will be arriving in Seattle on June 28th and returning to Japan on July 10th. See you all soon!

Note: Check out my video from the Tokushima International Charity Marathon below!  Also, I made the cover of the town newsletter!

• No. 45: Iwayaji Temple (The Temple of Rocky Cave) - This temple is located on a rocky mountain, surrounded by a huge bluff and gorges. Why I remember this temple is because the necessity for all pilgrims to walk up sharply sloping steps for 30-minutes. Although some temples require minimal walking even with a car, this temple was clearly the biggest challenge for those not anticipating having to do any serious hiking. I still remember the tour bus folks with big proud smiles on their faces, saying "konichiwa" to by passers, and I believe thinking privately, "Look at me... I'm really doing it now..." :)
  
• No. 51: Ishiteji Temple (The Temple of the Stone Hand) - Located in Matsuyama City, the largest populated city on Shikoku, this temple is located near the famous Dogo Onsen (hot spring), Japan's oldest and most historic onsen. In addition to the temple itself, the grounds include a temple museum, various booths displaying/selling gift items, a memorial monument of Haiku poems, and much more.
• No. 60: Yokomineji Temple (The Temple of Side Summit/Peak) - at 700 meters (2340 feet), this temple is the third highest elevated temple on the pilgrimage. Like myself, most people drive up the mountain to the isolated temple, however, there are those with the time and energy to walk up the mountain which takes approximately 3-hours round-trip. Yokomineji is considered the most difficult temple to reach if walking, because of its perilous, unpaved steep path. Several pilgrims have died attempting to reach this temple.