Walk a section of the Shikoku pilgrimage

What the experience is

The Shikoku pilgrimage links 88 Buddhist temples associated with Kukai, the ninth-century monk known as Kobo Daishi, in a loop around the island of Shikoku. Walking all of it takes 40 to 50 days at 20 to 30 kilometres a day. Most visitors from abroad walk a part, and the pilgrimage accepts that: Japanese pilgrims commonly do it in stages over years.

The pilgrim, or henro, wears a white jacket and a conical hat and carries a staff. At each temple there is a small ritual at the main hall and at the hall of the Daishi, and the temple office stamps and inscribes the pilgrim’s book. Between temples the route follows lanes, village streets, rice fields and, in places, forest paths.

Where to walk

Start at the start. Temple 1, Ryozen-ji, is at Naruto in Tokushima prefecture, and the first group of temples lies in the same valley, close enough together to visit several in a day. In the tradition this first section is called the stage of awakening, and it is where a newcomer learns the form among other beginners.

Those with more days can continue into the hills, where the stages lengthen and the first mountain temple is a hard climb, or travel on by train to a later section. Many pilgrims end with a visit to Mount Koya, across the water in Wakayama.

When to go

Spring and autumn. Summer is hot and humid and winter is cold, with short days.

Good to know

Lodging is in small inns, guesthouses and temple lodgings, usually with dinner and breakfast; book ahead, as places are few. The pilgrimage is waymarked, but carry a map or a navigation app. Local people may offer a pilgrim fruit, a drink or a seat. This is osettai, a gift made as an act of devotion. Accept it with thanks; it should never be expected. The dress is optional, but wearing at least the white jacket identifies the walker as a pilgrim and changes how the journey goes. Specialist walking companies arrange guided and self-guided sections with luggage transport. Treat the temples as places of worship, and be mindful of the pilgrims who are walking for religious reasons.

Why OKYTO recommends it

It is one of the best-known pilgrimages in Japan, and one in which a foreign walker is generally received as a pilgrim, not as a spectator. The countryside of Shikoku is ordinary and lived in, and the interest lies in the meetings along the road. For forest trails and hot-spring inns, the Kumano Kodo is the alternative, and a night at a temple on Mount Koya completes either walk.