Since there were only two of us in the coach, we presently became acquainted. Inquiring about his destination I learned that he was bound for the great Zen monastery, the Eiheiji. Though it belongs to a different sect from his own, he was on his way to visit a friend. He planned, he said, to spend the night at Tsuruga and continue on the next morning.

I myself was returning home to Wakasa, and since I too would be spending the night in Tsuruga, we decided to travel together.