When
The best times to walk the pilgrimage is in springtime or during the fall. These are the times of the year when the temperatures are the most preferable for walking, and the weather is at its most stable. Although, do not expect to walk in any season and not encounter any rain when walking on Shikoku. In the summer it will be very hot, with high humidity, and it is also the time of year with the most rain. July is the rainy month in Japan, but if you want to be brave, it is the month to go. Beware that after heavy rainfall, some parts of the trail going through the mountains will be unwise to walk on. Winter is cold on Shikoku and snow can also be expected, especially on the higher parts of the trail. Services may also be limited during this time. However, it is not so that you should not walk in the summer or winter.
Springtime however, will offer better temperatures and weather. And it comes with the additional beautiful magic of the cherry blossoming in Japan. Be sure to check out the charts for when these wonderful flowers will blossom if you choose to walk in the spring. Autumn on the other side has the fiery red kouyou to boast about, as the foliage will explode in vermilion colors. However, to experience it in full you have to start quite late. November is the best month for this feature, but it will also be colder then. Fall does not come without any warning though, as typhoons are likely to hit the island coming in from the Pacific, but they usually goes quiet in October.
When. Walking in Shikoku in Fall can be a walk in a landscape adorned with different colors. Here from the climb up to Ishizuchisan.
Accommodation
There is nothing in the way of doing the pilgrimage going on a low budget. Camping is generally well accepted on Shikoku, although normal conduct applies. If you are carrying a tent, be sure to carry one that does not need to be pitched to the ground, but are self-standing. With a self-standing tent you can camp more freely, and make better use of the several rest huts and other places on the way that does not have any soft spot available if you are walking with a tent requiring tent plugs to be pitched.
Another low budget option is the various rest huts you will find along the way at several places. Many of these has ample place to sleep inside of, but be aware that the walls of these huts are usually open. Some of the huts you will find is part of a special project called a henro hut, where each hut has it own specific architecture. Not all of these are suitable to sleep in, but they are interesting to check out nevertheless. Some can also be combined with a tent to sleep in, a good combination sometimes if it is raining.
It has now been clear that the group who has designed and built the henro huts (called Henro Goya) does not want pilgrims to use these huts for staying overnight in.
For paid accommodation there are no shortage of options along the route. If western style of accommodation is what you are looking for, there are numerous hotels and business hotels (kind of smaller hotels when it comes to the size of the rooms). However, for the experience of being a henro, choosing the traditional guesthouses used by the pilgrims are recommended. These includes various guesthouses, but most common is a minshuku or a ryokan. If you compare this pilgrimage to the Camino in Spain, these are the albergues of the Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage (although private). These offer a single room with tatami mats and a futon to sleep in. You will usually get a dinner and breakfast shared with the other guests at the place. Compared to the albergues in Spain, these are more expensive, but the dinner and breakfast is included in the price. They normally has a private bath available for the henros as well.
At the minshukus or ryokans serving food it is necessary to book before you arrive, at a latest in the morning of the day you will arrive. This might prove to be a little hazzle during your walk sometimes. Although, some places might allow you to stay if you do not require food. Custom is that you arrive before 17 o'clock, and call if you will be late. A stay at a minshuku or ryokan is sort of mandatory to get the full experience of pilgrimage. The difference between a minshuku and a ryokan is apparently the level of service, but truth be told, I have not been able to spot that difference. Booking a place can be difficult if you do not speak Japanese, but an easy way to do it is to make the place you are staying at book the next place.
Accommodation. My sleeping bag inside the zenkonyado next to the Kamojima Onsen, Kamonoyu.
When walking the pilgrimage you also should at least spend one night at a temple. The temples on Shikoku offers two ways of accommodation, shukubō and tsuyado. Staying at a temple (shukubō) is quite similar to staying at a minshuku or ryokan, accommodation-wise, you get a same type of room as in those. However, the temples has a private onsen, or bathhouse, that is more extravagant than the guesthouses. In addition, the temples holds ceremonies, both in the evening and morning, which is worthwhile to attend and make for a special experience of your pilgrimage. You need to book here too, to be sure to get food and a bed (futon). One recommended temple to stay at is temple #6, Anrakuji on the first day, they have a very special and great evening ceremony.
The other accommodation offer you can get at a temple is tsuyado. This is a free place to stay for the night for the henros. Usually, it will be a simple room only, which at need must be shared with other pilgrims. Staying at a tsuyado usually requires that you carry with you what to sleep in (such as a sleeping matress and sleeping bag), but some has futons (#34 Tanemaji for instance, it also has a shower). Toilets are available at a temple. Nothing more is however offered, you either has to bring food with you or go to a place nearby. I would also highly recommend to stay at a tsuyado too on your pilgrimage. Not all temples have tsuyado, and knowing which one is also difficult. Some of the recommended tsuyados that I know of is the already mentioned Tanemaji (#34), Kiyotakiji (#35) and Unpenji (#66). Unpenji is located high up, with several creepy Rakan statues to be scared of in the night.
At last comes the zenkonyado. If walking on a budget, they are true bliss and heaven sent. These are accommodations provided by people or the community that are free for the henros. They will vary in level of comfortion and availability. At a bare minimum these will be a simple space where you can roll out your sleeping matress and bag at, but some do offer amenities such as futons, blankets, air conditions, washing machines (for clothes) and more. Not all of them will be easy to find (some are actually shrines along the way where you can spend the night at, but at so looks like shrines and not places to sleep in). Please show respect and gratitude to the people providing this and do not take these for granted. It is also considered good manners to ask if you can stay there. You should also not leave behind any garbage and dispose of it at a proper place after use. One recommended zenkonyado are Kamonoyu (next to the Kamojima Onsen). Sadly the very good zenkonyado provided by Sakae Taxi in Kokufu, next to temples #16 and #17, is no longer available.
Food
If you are not very picky about what you eat, food will nearly be the least of your problems. There are a multitude of restaurants, cafés and stores on the route. Although, be aware that there will be some days during the year that they will be closed. If staying at a traditional Japanese 'hotel' or guesthouse (such as a minshuku or ryokan), remember that dinner and breakfast are usually available. Plan accordingly and you will not run out of food.
When walking there is one kind of store that you will come across a lot, and that is one under the moniker of a combini/conbini. It is sort of short for a convenience store. Commmon brands are 7/11, Lawson Station, Family Mart and Circle K (but there are some others too). Like the name implies, they sell everything (almost). At a combini you can get more than the food and drinks you require, they sell everything from electronics to clothes. Or if you need a toy to keep you occupied when not walking. Although it may not be the best culinary experience, the food you can get from a combini is more than sufficient for your needs. They sell both hot and cold food, as well as prepared dishes that you can take with you and heat up at where you stay, or they can heat it up for you. It is not uncommon that Japanese eat at a combini.
Food. An example of what you can expect to be served for dinner at a Japanese guesthouse.
Most of the combinis you will find is marked on the maps in the guidebook, as well as other stores, supermarkets and restaurants. By paying attention before you venture into the mountains, where these services are usually more rare, you will have no trouble finding food along the way. Remember that even how often you will come across a place where you can get food, it is always smart to carry with you some sort of an emergency ration in your backpack. Places do close at times or is not open when you come by.
Water and drink
Getting hold of water on the pilgrimage is usually not a problem, except for a couple of sections. Some mention the long walk down to temple #38, Kongōfukuji, for example, especially during the summer. In the summer it is also very hot and humid, so pay close attention to how much water you carry with you. If you see you are starting to run out of water, that is the time to fill it up again. Always fill up on water when you leave your accommodation before you depart.
Of course, getting water at the combinis, stores and restaurants is no problem. Not to forget the temples (the water in the purification basin is usually good to drink). Water sources are however more scarce on the forest paths and in the mountains. Drinking water from the rivers and creeks up in the mountains should probably be ok, as there will be little of human infrastructure up there (in Japan most people are actually living crammed down in the flat areas between the mountains). On the path up to temple #12, Shōsanji, there is a spring available on the way (marked by a paper note of all things), and there is also water next to the resthut near the Ryusuian shrine.
Most notably though, is the considerable amount of vending machines you will find when traveling or walking in Japan. These will sell water too. Not to mention all the other assortments of both hot and cold drinks. The cold drinks will be marked with a blue color, the hot drinks with a red, although I have come over machines where this does not come true. There are also water that have added flavors too.
Know where you are going, the distance to next place to get water, and plan accordingly.
Water and drink. You will find vending machines selling everything from cold to hot drinks all over Shikoku.
Level of difficulty
This is always an individual question sort of, as it depends on your level of fitness. There are some factors that determines the difficulty though. The length of the walk is of course one of them, almost 1200km is taxing to the body. Another issue is the amount of walking on a hard surface.
Most of the walking will be on relatively flat ground, with just moderately degrees of elevation. When the route is taking to the mountains however, the path gets steep. However, rest assured, there are really no places where you will be walking on an exposed path.
Level of difficulty. On the steep path up to Nyotaisan.
For the forest and mountain paths, difficulties will occur when it is raining or has been raining. Then the paths can quickly turn slippery and treacherous. They become henro-korogashi or henro fall down. In the guidebook, most of these sections are marked as that (henro-korogashi). Strangely enough, though, it does not mark the descent from temple #84 (Yashimaji) as it, but be aware that it is one of the steepest descents on the pilgrimage and probably should be avoided during or after heavy rain. Rain might cause and has caused erosion where the paths goes on soft ground. Many will recommend going on the road, if available, instead of on the forest and mountain paths in these conditions.
In the summer, the heat and humidity will prove to be a level of difficulty too.
Maps and guidebooks
If you buy the English (or the Japanese) guidebook, you will have all the maps you need for the pilgrimage. As the guidebook is essentially a book of maps with the route drawn on them, with annotations of most of what you need marked next to the route. Be aware that the maps in the Japanese guidebook are not centered in any particular direction, but that they are centered towards the north in the English. I will however, base my information on the English guidebook as it is probably the one you will use.
In the English guidebook the trail will be marked as a red stipled line. It features small markers on the map, with the distances between them, so you can easily calculate how long you have to walk to a place. All the temples (of course) are marked on the map, with some useful information about them, most useful are the information whether the temple provides shukōbo or not, and how to get to it if you are not walking. The distance to the next temple is also marked next to a temple, which is very useful. Accommodations are marked as a purple square, with the name and phonenumber you can use for booking. The maps are very detailed, but beware of the scale of the maps. They vary between being 1:30000 and 1:60000, and may change from page to page (sometimes I did find myself wondering why I suddenly spent so long time walking, only to find out that I had not noticed that the map had changed scale).
Maps and guidebooks. Example of a page from the English guidebook, essentially a mapbook.
In addition to the maps, the guidebook provides general information about the pilgrimage. It will give you a general information about Kōbō Daishi and Buddhism (Shingon school). Most useful is the information about the henro attire (what items to buy and wear as a pilgrim) and the temple rituals (what to do at a temple), and also info about how to get to Shikoku. There is now also a German guidebook available, written by Oliver Dunskus, that aims to be a practical guide on how to organize the trip, where to stay, important things and a description of each of the temples including the 20 bekkaku temples, no maps in the guidebook though as it is meant to be a companion to the English guidebook with maps. It can be bought from here https://shikoku-tempel-reisefuehrer.jimdosite.com/.
Navigation
Navigation on the Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage is rarely a problem. The path is very well marked, and in conjunction with the well-detailed maps in the guidebook you should have no trouble finding your way.
Navigation. A waymarker from the early part of the pilgrimage shows the way to temple #2 Gokurakuji.
Waymarkers on the trail comes in a wide variety. The Camino in Spain has its yellow arrows, here they are red (and smaller). Often a little henro figure is present on the path, both with or without a red arrow next to it. Once you get to know them, which should be no problem, you will quickly learn to find your way. Know that the type of waymarkers may change from area to area too. Also be aware that there are very few signs written in English, so you have to learn to use the markers written in Japanese. However, I did not find it difficult. Many of the waymarkers are made by voluntery groups. Note that they are placed in order to do the pilgrimage in numerical order, so if you are doing it the other way around (called Gyaku-uchi or Saka-uchi and is considered more difficult) you will not usually be able to see the waymarkers.
That said, you can expect to come across some places where the waymarking is not so good, but in overall you should be fine.
Getting to and around Shikoku
Assuming that you will be starting from temple #1 (Ryōzenji), Tokushima is the easiest (big) place nearby it. Ryōzenji is located close to the tiny train station at Bandō, which is reached by a short train ride from Tokushima on the JR Kōtuku Line (takes about 20 minutes). There are several ways to get to Tokushima. From Tokyo, I took the Shinkansen to Osaka, and from there an expressbus to Tokushima. You have to take a short one stop train ride to Osaka from the Shin-Osaka station for this. Of course, flying to Osaka instead of Tokyo will make it a tiny bit easier. There are also inland flights to Tokushima airport. Another option is to take a train to Wakayama Port and take the ferry to Shikoku and Tokushima, which is a two hours ride.
Getting around Shikoku is also quite easy. The island boasts a good railway structure, which will be able to bring you to or close to the places on the trail. Some of the trains are also small and is something of an experience in itself. Buses also runs quite frequently between the big cities, with smaller bus lines filling out potentially necessary gaps. The English guidebook has a good overview of the train and bus lines, and often seemingly up-to-date timetables for the most important and useful of them.
Getting to and around Shikoku. Inside the small train going to and from Wakayama Port.
Wildlife
There are two animals that a henro should be on the watch for when walking, one a warm-blooded herbivore, the other a cold-blooded carnivore. The animals that has proven to be the most lethal to henros are the wild boars. They might be aggressive if caught unaware or with their cubs. The small bell (jirei) you buy for the temple rituals is a good thing to use to make them aware of your coming.
For many people, however, it is the snake known as mamushi viper that is the most scary. They are potentially lethal to humans, but antidotes are available. It is good advice to pay attention to the path ahead of you when you walk on the forest or mountain paths, but be aware that snakes can also be found in the middle of civilization too. Know that there are more snakes than the mamushi viper that you probably will meet.
Wildlife. A couple of wild pigs is seen on the road not far from the Iya Kannon shrine on the way to Yuki.
Other creepy crawlies you will encounter are the numerous spiders. There are supposedly no venomous spiders for humans in Japan, but with the rise in globalisation there are some stowaways. The large millipede known as mukade is not lethal, but you do not want to be bitten by one (you should seek medical attention if bitten though).
What to do at a temple, the temple rituals
The English guidebook gives a detailed walkthrough of the temple rituals with a description of how to resite the sutras. The only missing sutra is the one that is specific to the main deity or honzon of the temple. However, in short, this is what you should do at a temple:
1. When you arrive at a temple, you should bow once at the templegate facing the Main Hall.
2. Then you should wash your hands and mouth at the wash basin, then put on your wagesa and juzu.
3. Ring the bell in the bell tower to announce your arrival.
4. Worship and resite the sutras at the Main Hall.
5. Worship and resite the sutras at the Daishi Hall.
6. Receive the temple stamp and calligraphy in your nōkyōchō-book at the temple office.
7. When leaving the temple, face the templegate again and bow once.
To worship and resite the sutras you should do the following (both at the Main and Daishi Hall):
1. Light intense and a candle.
2. Ring the bell once.
3. Place a nameslip (osamefuda) in the corresponding box.
4. Give a donation to the offertory box.
5. Put your hands together and resite the sutras.
What to do at a temple, the temple rituals. Here I stand resiting the sutras at the Nagaoji temple.
Do not view the amount you pay to get the temple stamp as a fee or payment, instead it should be regarded as a donation to the temple.
One important thing to be aware of when doing the pilgrimage is the opening hours of the temple office. It closes at 17 o'clock. This essentially means that you cannot go any or much further if you arrive at a temple after closing time. Then you would have to return to the temple in some way.
Pilgrim / henro attire and items
As opposed to the more famous pilgrimage in Spain, the Camino de Santiago, in order to be regarded as a proper henro in Japan and on Shikoku, you need to put on a specific pilgrim attire. Note that this is not mandatory and you will be able to complete the pilgrimage without doing so. On the other hand, if you choose not to wear the henro attire, people will not recognize and welcome you as one. Walking with the pilgrim attire will make the local people be more open to you, and assist you on your pilgrimage. It is entirely your choice. Again, the English guidebook gives a full description of what you need and I will here only list the items in short:
1. Sedge hat (sugegasa).
2. White vest (hakui).
3. Bag (zudabukuro), use this to store the intense, candles, nōkyōchō-book and other necessary items in.
4. Rosary (juzu).
5. Pilgrimage-book (nōkyōchō).
6. Pilgrim-staff (kongōzue), note that you should take care of the staff before yourself, the end of the staff should be washed when arriving at a place to stay and you shall not tap the staff when walking on a bridge (as Kōbō Daishi might be sleeping underneath it).
7. Nameslips (osamefuda).
8. Bell (jirei).
9. Stole (wagesa).
Pilgrim / henro attire and items. All the henro attire and items I bought laid out on a bed, with the exception of the staff.
If you start from temple #1 (Ryōzenji), you can get all the necessary items at the temple shop there.
For my own part, I chose not to buy the rosary and the pilgrim-staff. However, I did buy the staff at temple #80 (Kokubunji), so to at least walk some of the pilgrimage with the staff. I did this because I felt that the staff would be too much in my way otherwise, as I like to have my hands free when I walk.
Nōkyōchō-book
A few words about the pilgrimage-book or the nōkyōchō. This serves as a proof that you have visited each temple on the pilgrimage. For each temple you visit, you receive a temple stamp and calligraphy after you have finished resiting the sutras at the Main and Daishi Hall. The calligraphy is handmade as you watch. When you have finished your pilgrimage, you will have an unique souvenir from your adventure. I love getting the Compostela and the pilgrims passport with the stamps in from the Camino de Santiago, but this is way more precious to me.
Note that instead of the book, you can choose to use a scroll or a white vest for the same purpose. If you choose the scroll, there are temples (in Kōyasan for instance) that can mount your finished scroll in a beautiful clothed frame to put on your wall.
Nōkyōchō-book. A view of my Nōkyōchō-book.
Equipment and clothing, what to bring
The most important decision in order to know what to bring with you of equipment, is where you want to spend the night at. If you plan to stay at paid accommodation (such as a minshuku, ryokan, hotel or temple), you will need less equipment and clothes. If you also want to stay at some of the free places along the route (such as a zenkonyado or tsuyado), you will have to bring some additional items (such as sleeping bag and matress). If intending to camp, you will need more.
By any means, a tent is not necessary to do complete the pilgrimage. It will however, provide you with a greater level of flexibility when it comes to find a place to stay for the night. It kind of all depends on what level of budget you are having. Remember that it is essentially not a mountain hike. If you bring a tent with you, it should be a tent that is self-standing and does not require tentplugs to be pitched. You only need to carry with you a sleeping bag and matress if you sleep in a tent, or plan to stay at a free accommodation along the way.
Unless you really really want to cook your own food, or love the sound of a cup of something warm brewing, I would not recommend bringing with you a stove. Getting food is really not difficult, and the various conbinis (and some stores and supermarkets too) will happily warm the food you buy from them.
Bring raingear, whatever the type you prefer, but bring it. It will rain at some point of your pilgrimage. It will be wind too, so if you use a poncho, use a solid one. The sedge hat (sugegasa) is also quite convenient when it rains, as it will bring cover for your head, but when there is a strong wind it could be more troublesome.
Use lightweight shoes for walking, and that has solid soles. The surface you will be walking on will mostly be on hard road, but there are also long stretches that goes on soft surface like forest or mountain paths.
Bring some light and good breathing clothes for the walking. And a lightweight set for the evening. A sweater for cold evenings is also nice to bring, depending on what time of year you will be walking. It will start to be colder in late october. Getting your clothes washed is usually easy. Most accommodations offer laundry to the henros, sometimes for a small fee, sometimes free as osettai to the pilgrims. And there are also laundries available.
Equipment. Bring this, the English guidebook.
On a slightly funny sidenote, most of the paid accommodation offer you a yukata (sort of a pajamas) to use in the evening. With good planning you might then only need to bring what you need of clothes for the walking, and just stick to wearing the yukata in the evenings (you cannot, however, wear it if you leave the accommodation).
Osettai
As a pilgrim or henro on Shikoku, you are very likely to be met with what is known as osettai. This is aid and gifts given to you by the locals (or other henros at times) to help you along on our pilgrimage. Osettai can be everything from foods, drinks and candy, to money or an offer to give you a lift to the next temple or accommodation (very often offered when the weather is bad).
Remember that when you are walking as a henro, you will be walking with Kōbō Daishi (Dōgyō Ninin). So when people are giving you osettai, they are also giving to Kōbō Daishi, hence it is considered rude and impolite to decline the offer of osettai. One thing that is a common courtesy, which I unfortunately learned too late, is to give an osamefuda (nameslip) with your name on as a token of gratitude to the person offering you osettai.
Osettai. After leaving Yuki and Tainohama Beach I received this pack of hot buns with red bean paste as osettai from a passing car.
Options for the visit of Kongōfukuji
Temple #38, Kongōfukuji, is located out on the tip of Cape Ashizuri-misaki. To reach this temple and go the next temple, there are several options. Most pilgrims opt for walking out to the temple, then returning by the same way and go to temple #39 (Enkōji) on the route going from the Shinnen-an shrine (this is the shortest route). If you choose to do this, staying at a guesthouse near this shrine is recommended, as you can ask to leave your backpack there while you visit Kongōfukuji.
However, if you think the same way that I do, it will be nicer to see something new rather than the same scenery that you already has seen. I would recommend walking around the Cape Ashizuri-misaki and opt for one of the three routes leading towards Enkōji after Tosa Shimizu (there are several accommodations in this town). I found the western side of the cape much more beautiful than the eastern side. Be sure to visit the wonderful Ryugu Shrine all down by the cliffs next to the sea, if you do this.
I opted for the walk over the Imanoyama mountain and never did regret that decision. On the way, you can visit the lovely site of the Fujito Yorodori shrine all the way down at the riverbottom. If you walk further to go any of the two other options, you can see the special Tatsukushi / Minokoshi varegated shoreline.
Now, if you still opt for the route leading from Shinnen-an, then at least walk around to Tosa Shimizu before heading back over the eastern side of the cape.
Options for the visit of Kongōfukuji. View of the clifs on the western side of the Cape Ashizuri-misaki.
Useful sites and blogs about the pilgrimage
Here I have gathered some useful sites on the web, as well as some nice blogs to read about other peoples adventures on Shikoku.
Sites with useful information about the pilgrimage:
http://www.shikokuhenrotrail.com/.
Blogs and tales from other people that has hiked the trail:
Elly Jührend
Following the Arrows (Kat Davis)
Walking Henro (Taryn Bravo)
Henro - Walking my Life
Randomwire
Tali Landsman Art
Ellie Bennett's blog
Due Cicloamici In Giappone
"Walking Our Camino(s)"
From Hanko to Tokyo - Shikoku 2018 (Timo Nevalainen)
The Cup and the Road
Kevin Considine
