A different Camino, the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage

[katdavis]

(sorry Moderators, I didn't know where to put this, so please feel free to move it)

I walked the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan at the end of last year and have finally uploaded all the details onto my blog here. There's not much information out there about this walk, only one guidebook in English which is really just road maps, but it is an amazing adventure and I'd love to spread the word about it. 2014 is the 1200th year of the Pilgrimage so it's not a new thing and there are plenty of ancient temples to visit (88!)

Buen Camino!
kat

 

[Alyssa]

Kat, I'm fascinated by the Shikoku pilgrimage. Thank you for sharing.
Alyssa

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola Kat - I fly to Osaka on 22 October returning to Santiago 63 days and many, many temples later! I'll e mail you my questions if I may.

Regards

John

 

[katdavis]

Hola Kat - I fly to Osaka on 22 October returning to Santiago 63 days and many, many temples later! I'll e mail you my questions if I may.

Regards

John

I'm very excited for you and look forward to all your questions

 

[Sagalouts]

Amazing blog kat.well interested till I got to the bit about snakes bears deadly centerpeeds and hornets.think I will stock to the coast t coast and the odd mildly irritating mozzie,but great job and good pics

 

[katdavis]

It certainly was an adventure but the UK also has adders and Lyme disease carrying ticks so what's a few poisonous centipedes, hornets and bears?

Honestly though it was the toughest experience I've ever had and Japanese people believe snakes are lucky so maybe I just got lucky?

Buen camino!

 

[smj6]

Kat, your blog mentions Cinque Terre but then says: "Coming soon". Is there a good hike (with arrows!) there?
Suzanne

 

[katdavis]

Kat, your blog mentions Cinque Terre but then says: "Coming soon". Is there a good hike (with arrows!) there?
Suzanne

Hi Suzanne,

Yes there's a brilliant hike there and very well marked but half of the "traditional" route is currently closed.

The main blue route runs between Monterosso in the north and goes through Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and finishes is Riomaggiore, or vice versa. Due to a landslide in 2011, the blue route between Riomaggiore and Corniglia is currently closed but there is a higher route you can take between these towns if you don't mind very steep ups and downs!

I walked the whole route (having to take this higher route as described above) just over a week ago and it was an incredibly beautiful but strenuous walk mainly because I wanted to do it in one day and under time restraints to get a train back to Milan where I was staying for the weekend.

I should have my blog updated with all the details and pictures of this stunning trail in the next couple of days

Buen Camino!
Kat

 

[Wanderer64]

Kat-san, omedetou gozaimasu on your 88 Temples completion!

The Camino is the only long distance pilgrim route I've done, and if I were to do another it would be the 88 Temples, so thanks for your blog info! Filing it away for future reference.

I visited a few of the 88 temples on Shikoku when I lived in Japan. I lived just across the Inland Sea in an Okayama coastal town for three years. I did many, many hikes and walks throughout Japan, from the furthest reaches of northern Hokkaido to the southern islands of Okinawa, and have many great memories. I could digress at length about hiking/walking in Japan. Did you ever read Alan Booth's "The Roads to Sata: A 2000-Mile Walk Through Japan"?

Does the 88 Temples route provide temple lodging for pilgrims only? The great thing about this route, for me, would be the Japanese food along the way and the many hot springs and public baths, where I'm sure pilgrims love to soak their tired bodies. Boy, could I have used a hot spring bath a few times along the Camino.

I understand many pilgrims begin/complete the pilgrimage by visiting Mount Kouya (headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism) in Wakayama Prefecture, which is not on the island of Shikoku. Did you have a chance to do this? I did drive up there and stayed at temple lodging, and it is one of the most sublime places I've ever visited, and I'm not even religious!

I know this is a web site dedicated to the Camino, but it's always nice to learn about other pilgrim paths or long distance walking routes elsewhere in the world.

 

[katdavis]

Kat-san, omedetou gozaimasu on your 88 Temples completion!

The Camino is the only long distance pilgrim route I've done, and if I were to do another it would be the 88 Temples, so thanks for your blog info! Filing it away for future reference.

I visited a few of the 88 temples on Shikoku when I lived in Japan. I lived just across the Inland Sea in an Okayama coastal town for three years. I did many, many hikes and walks throughout Japan, from the furthest reaches of northern Hokkaido to the southern islands of Okinawa, and have many great memories. I could digress at length about hiking/walking in Japan. Did you ever read Alan Booth's "The Roads to Sata: A 2000-Mile Walk Through Japan"?

Does the 88 Temples route provide temple lodging for pilgrims only? The great thing about this route, for me, would be the Japanese food along the way and the many hot springs and public baths, where I'm sure pilgrims love to soak their tired bodies. Boy, could I have used a hot spring bath a few times along the Camino.

I understand many pilgrims begin/complete the pilgrimage by visiting Mount Kouya (headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism) in Wakayama Prefecture, which is not on the island of Shikoku. Did you have a chance to do this? I did drive up there and stayed at temple lodging, and it is one of the most sublime places I've ever visited, and I'm not even religious!

I know this is a web site dedicated to the Camino, but it's always nice to learn about other pilgrim paths or long distance walking routes elsewhere in the world.

Wanderer 64 - どうもありがとうございます! (Doomo Arigatou Gozaimusu)

If you ever want someone to talk to at length about walking in Japan, fire away! (I lived in Tokyo for 7 years and went hiking as often as I could). I haven't read the book you mentioned, but I'm going to check if I can get it for my kindle, thanks for the recommendation.

There's 2 types of temple lodging - paid (Shukubo) or free (tsuyado). The paid accommodation is available to everyone, usually between 5000 - 9000 yen incl dinner and breakfast. I assume the tsuyado is only for pilgrims, I stayed in many and some were very small so I think a pilgrim who has walked a long way that day might be a little taken aback to see tourists taking up the space... I love Japanese food too but as I was trying to do the walk on a budget my diet mainly consisted of convenience store food, if money's not an option and you're staying and eating at minshuku's and ryokan's then I think the food would be incredible. I did manage to visit quite a lot of onsens along the way so this was a wonderful way to relax at the end of each day.

I decided to visit Koyasan at the end of my pilgrimage (I've been there quite a few times before when I worked as a tour leader), so my last day (Day 45), I took a 3am ferry from Tokushima across to Wakayama, then a series of taxis and trains to get to Kudoyama station where I did the 23km hike (Choishimichi path) up to Koyasan - this is an incredible walk although a little nerve-wracking with all the bear signs!

I hope you have a chance to do the walk someday and if you have any questions, just ask

Kat

 

[Rachael]

Danielle who runs the Auberge du Pelerin in St. Jean Pied-de-Port has decorated it with her many souvenirs/mementos of the Shikoku pilgrimage. She has some fascinating stories of her experiences there.

 

[Kitsambler]

...the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan...

Great Blog you have made, Kat! It seems to have two options: expensive and comfortable versus budget and arduous. Congratulations on having completed this arduous path, and thanks very much for sharing the information.

 

[katdavis]

Great Blog you have made, Kat! It seems to have two options: expensive and comfortable versus budget and arduous. Congratulations on having completed this arduous path, and thanks very much for sharing the information.

Thanks Kitsambler, I guess on the plus side I didn't get bitten by any bed bugs (I did on both caminos!)

 

[Sheffield James]

Thank-you for sharing news of your blog, Kat. It is a very enjoyable and informative read and some of the photograph are quite spectacular. Incidentally, when I saw you in some of the Camino Frances photos, I realised we had spoken briefly once or twice in the latter stages of the route. I was walking with another pilgrim from Melbourne at the time.

I'm not sure I'll get round to making the trip to complete the 88 Temple pilgrimage, but reading your experience means at least I'll get to do it vicariously. I'll also make sure to read about your time on the Hadrian's Wall Path as I meant to do it as preparation for the CF, and would have done it this year if I hadn't decided to do the VF instead.

Best Wishes.

 

[katdavis]

I've finally got around to putting my photos together into a slideshow, for anyone wanting to go on a photographic tour of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage from the comfort of your couch

The trail, the flora and fauna (read snakes!), the food, accommodation, locals... hopefully this will inspire many more to walk this spectacular trail!

Click here for the video


Kat

 

[camino07]

Really enjoyed your slideshow Kat. Just read a book about the pilgrimage and the photos brought it to life.
Looks like a challenging walk and so many snakes!! Well done!

 

[katdavis]

Thanks Camino07,

I'm glad you liked it

Kat

 

[hampshire!tim]

Thank you so much, Kat !
This pilgrimage is on my list - I have visited a couple of those places, but how wonderful to have experienced the whole walk.
I have only spent a few precious weeks in Japan, yet I feel very connected to how special a place it is.
Thanks again

 

[katdavis]

Thanks Tim, sounds like you need to move it up on your list

Kat

 

[mralisn]

Wow, thank you very much for posting your video here. It comes at good timing.

Have 3 choices for next summer: Annapurna Circuit, Shikoko Route, Camino Portuguese. Now thinking this has jumped to the front of the list. If so, would definitely use you as a resource of information if that is ok.

Keep a smile,
Simeon

 

[Wanderer64]

いいな~... すごいですね!

Great montage, Kat!

I am really missing Japan after watching that.

This walk is definitely now on my bucket list.

Thanks for posting.

 

[emvb]

Thanks for bringing back the Shikoku memories, Kat.

For others considering this walk...

I've been to Shikoku twice to walk the 88 Temple henro (pilgrimage), adding the additional 20 "bekkaku" temples to extend the walk (and the inclines). I thoroughly recommend it to veteran Camino peregrinos, but be warned it's generally a tougher journey for a number of reasons:

Compared to the Camino Frances, there are far more steep climbs and descents. Although there are also many very flat stages along the coast as well.

Most of the walk is along roads with cars, and you will walk mostly on asphalt. The Camino was maybe 20% asphalt, 80% earth. The Shikoku henro is the reverse, or even worse, maybe 85%/15%. Very important to have shoes that are comfortable on hard surfaces all day.

Accommodation. If you're staying in minshuku, ryokan or business hotels, then you'll almost always need to make reservations, especially in April. (Along the Camino Frances, I never had to do this, although during Semana Santa, it was hard to find a bed.) If you're looking for free or informal accommodation, such as zenkonyado, then you'll need to know where they are (not everywhere on the path, certainly) and plan your timing carefully. If you're camping, you can probably be less careful with your route planning. So the henro is harder in this way, as well.

The walking henro (peregrinos) are 98% Japanese and 90% (usually older, retired) male. And you are walking through mainly rural Shikoku, which is not as cosmopolitan as Tokyo or Osaka. This is wonderful for practicing your Japanese language, but can be lonely if you speak only a little. But the Shikoku people are usually very kind and helpful to henro.

If you're seriously considering this walk, I'd suggest visiting Dave Turkington's site at: http://www.shikokuhenrotrail.com/

Eric

 

[katdavis]

Thanks for bringing back the Shikoku memories, Kat.

For others considering this walk...

Eric

I agree Eric. When I finished walking I described it as the toughest walk I'd done and even one year on when we tend to forget the difficulties of a walk and only remember the highlights, I still describe it as the hardest walk I've ever done! But surprisingly (to me) I would walk it again.

Great advice about Dave's website, it is a wonderful resource.

Kat

 

[lettinggo]

Great slideshow which bring back memories from my travels in Japan, although I haven't been near the 88.
I am wondering what kind of cost there was in completing the actual walk?
Can you give us an estimate so we can dream on?
Personally, I have been interested to visit Hokkaido for taking a walk, but now this has moved up the latter.

Thanks.
Lettinggo

 

[Phillypilgrim]

Recently read Gideon Lewis-Kraus' memoir "A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage For the Restless and the Hopeful"
His interesting account of walking the Camino Frances, the 88 Temples of Shikoku Island, and a pilgrimage to pay homage to the tomb of a Hasidic mystic in Ukraine. Check it out!!
http://www.npr.org/books/authors/151859222/gideon-lewis-kraus

 

[camino07]

I agree Phillypilgrim! Excellent book.

 

[emvb]

Lewis-Kraus has written a separate piece for those who've done the Camino Frances and who are thinking of doing the Shikoku Henro. A sobering read, to be sure, and most of the information still applies. There's a full copy on this forum at this location: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/shikoku-88-temple-pilgrimage.11758/#post-79918

 

[emvb]

Great slideshow which bring back memories from my travels in Japan, although I haven't been near the 88.
I am wondering what kind of cost there was in completing the actual walk?
Can you give us an estimate so we can dream on?
Personally, I have been interested to visit Hokkaido for taking a walk, but now this has moved up the latter.

Thanks.
Lettinggo

This page will give you a good breakdown, and includes a calculator to customize the estimate for your journey:
http://www.shikokuhenrotrail.com/shikoku/planningCost.html

 

[lettinggo]

This page will give you a good breakdown, and includes a calculator to customize the estimate for your journey:
http://www.shikokuhenrotrail.com/shikoku/planningCost.html

Thank you very much.
Lettinggo

 

[nreyn12]

Can't wait to read your blog, Kate! This pilgrimage is high on my list. Thanks for sharing this...perhaps we need to get a section going for other pilgrimages?

 

[katdavis]

Great slideshow which bring back memories from my travels in Japan, although I haven't been near the 88.
I am wondering what kind of cost there was in completing the actual walk?
Can you give us an estimate so we can dream on?
Personally, I have been interested to visit Hokkaido for taking a walk, but now this has moved up the latter.

Thanks.
Lettinggo

Hi Lettinggo,

I have a plastic bag full of Japanese receipts for pretty much my entire pilgrimage, but until now it's been too daunting a task to go through and add up all the costs! It's now on top of my list, so I'll post an update back in this thread when I have a total cost and breakdown

Kat

 

[lettinggo]

Hi Lettinggo,

I have a plastic bag full of Japanese receipts for pretty much my entire pilgrimage, but until now it's been too daunting a task to go through and add up all the costs! It's now on top of my list, so I'll post an update back in this thread when I have a total cost and breakdown

Kat

Hi Kat,

Thanks a lot.
I am just curious to the approximate cost so the dream gets some borders.
Personally, the bags of receipts I accumulate somehow always stay at the bottom of my to-do lists...
Then again, after I have done one, it feels like I have take care of the one at the very top of the list.

Lettinggo

 

[katdavis]

Great slideshow which bring back memories from my travels in Japan, although I haven't been near the 88.
I am wondering what kind of cost there was in completing the actual walk?
Can you give us an estimate so we can dream on?
Personally, I have been interested to visit Hokkaido for taking a walk, but now this has moved up the latter.

Thanks.
Lettinggo

Hi Lettinggo,

I have just finally calculated all the costs and added a page on my blog with the breakdown, click here to see the post.

The total cost was JPY 406,484. At today's exchange rate this is GBP £2,144 and USD $3,338.

This includes everything from flights, all accommodation, food, drinks, temple stamps etc. There are definitely cheaper ways to do this pilgrimage (camp every night), and more expensive ways to do it too (stay in paid accommodation every night). This price is probably somewhere down the middle.

If there's anything you think I've missed out in the breakdown, let me know.

I hope this helps!

Kat

 

[lettinggo]

Hi Lettinggo,

I have just finally calculated all the costs and added a page on my blog with the breakdown, click here to see the post.

The total cost was JPY 406,484. At today's exchange rate this is GBP £2,144 and USD $3,338.

This includes everything from flights, all accommodation, food, drinks, temple stamps etc. There are definitely cheaper ways to do this pilgrimage (camp every night), and more expensive ways to do it too (stay in paid accommodation every night). This price is probably somewhere down the middle.

If there's anything you think I've missed out in the breakdown, let me know.

I hope this helps!

Kat

Hi Kat,

Thanks a lot for your answer and the breakdown of the budget.
This gives a very good idea about the cost to make the walk and will hopefully go into future planning.
For a 50 day walk I find the total cost reasonable especially as it is on the other side of our world.

Lettinggo

 

[emvb]

PBS' new "Sacred Journeys" series on pilgrimages has a full episode on the Shikoku walk, with lots of extras on their website. The video is free to watch online, too. See: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sacredjourneys/content/home/

For those who can't see it from PBS website due to restrictions, it's also on YouTube here:

 

[jon gregg]

(sorry Moderators, I didn't know where to put this, so please feel free to move it)

I walked the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan at the end of last year and have finally uploaded all the details onto my blog here. There's not much information out there about this walk, only one guidebook in English which is really just road maps, but it is an amazing adventure and I'd love to spread the word about it. 2014 is the 1200th year of the Pilgrimage so it's not a new thing and there are plenty of ancient temples to visit (88!)

Buen Camino!
kat

10/7/17
Kat,
My wife and I ( both in our 70's ) did the Camino Portugese last September- October and are now planning to walk about 1/2 of Shikoku 88 in April. The Portuguese was lovely and made more so because we used the backpack transfer services and so never had to
carry our packs .....and wondered if there are similar transfer services on the Shikoku trail , as its a make or break situation for us i.e if the transfer services exist, we'll be able to go, and if they don't we won't.
We look forward to your response, and as I'm not very swift with the Forum format, in addition to posting to it, it'd be a great help if you could email your response to use as well at
< jgregg@vermontstudiocenter.org >
Regards and thanks
Jon

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Jon. I will email you also. There are no luggage forwarding services on the 88 Temple Route on Shikoku. There are few walking pilgrims and the Japanese only take the clothes they are wearing and launder them every evening.

I hope this helps.

John

 

[Henro2015]

Hi pilgrims. A friend and I completed the 88 temple pilgrimage in 2015. We started in mid March (cold), it took us 51 days in total. We didn't use any transport or paid lodging. It cost AUD$600 in total. Here is a blog we put together for anyone interested. If anyone has questions I am more than happy to give you information (which can be hard to come by).
(the blog starts at the end (fitting?)...technology...) https://grwakim.wordpress.com/

 

[MikeyC]

My wife and I walked from temple 68 to 88 last month, October 2017.
A note of caution that the Shikoku pilgrimage is very different to the Camino Frances. There is very little specific infrastructure aimed at henros (pilgrims) and this places an additional burden in terms of planning distances and accommodation. My wife reads Chinese which was a bonus otherwise non Japanese speakers will rely heavily on Google translate.
We found the going extremely tough as the route we covered was close to 100% road or pavement through urban and semi urban areas.
We have travelled before in Japan so the cultural differences are something we appreciate.
There was essentially zero camaraderie with fellow pilgrims as we only met 3 on the road including a European couple who just blanked us when we greeted them. There were coach loads of locals bussing between temples but there was little interaction despite us wearing the henro attire.
There are henro huts to take a breather and also henro houses to stay in. Do not assume accommodation will be on the route and some toing and froing may be needed.
I will say that we were at times humbled by the welcome we received. In one zenkonyado which was a family home we were treated like royalty by the elderly couple who lived there. When we explained that we had also walked the Camino they proudly pointed to a scallop shell hanging in a corner and then pulled out a photo showing them with the Mayor and a delegation from Triacastelo! It really is a small world!
As an alternative or add on pilgrims might consider the Kumano Kodo to the east of Osaka where the pilgrimage is twinned with that of Santiago. We finished up doing this and received a dual pilgrim certificate. There's plenty of information on the net so I won't replicate it here.
In summary we would certainly return for more of the Kumano Kodo trails but not to Shikoku.

 

[Robo]

As a general questions for you @MikeyC and others above who have walked these routes in Japan.....

How well accepted are Westerners? Non Japanese Speakers?
If I was going I would certainly make the effort to learn some very basic Japanese but obviously will not be up to those you have lived there like Kat!

We love Japanese food so that won't be a hassle ....

 

[Bradypus]

How well accepted are Westerners? Non Japanese Speakers?
If I was going I would certainly make the effort to learn some very basic Japanese but obviously will not be up to those you have lived there like Kat!

My wife who is English and a Christian walked the Shikoku circuit in October and November. She is still on her way home to the UK overland. She has been full of praise for the welcome and the generosity shown to her as a walking pilgrim. She did spend some time before travelling to Japan in learning some Japanese language through an audio course. She also had the great good fortune to have met an extremely kind Japanese man during an extended stay in Thailand shortly before arriving in Japan. Margaret and Ken-san met regularly there for conversation practice to work on learning more of each other's languages - a great mutual benefit. Although I was not particularly enthusiastic about the idea of walking the Shikoku pilgrimage myself I have been won over by Margaret's description of her experience and now intend to walk the route and perhaps one of the Kumano Kodo paths myself next year.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

As a general questions for you @MikeyC and others above who have walked these routes in Japan.....

How well accepted are Westerners? Non Japanese Speakers?
If I was going I would certainly make the effort to learn some very basic Japanese but obviously will not be up to those you have lived there like Kat!

We love Japanese food so that won't be a hassle ....

Hola Robo - I was apprehensive about these questions as well. However from the moment I arrived to start the 88 Temples it was clear that local people are not only welcoming to all pilgrims including westerners but treat them with great respect.
I struggled with Japanese and never really got past being able to say Good Morning. However everywhere I stopped there was a Japanese person with some English. They were always happy to help by booking accommodation ahead.
Apart from being a long distance walk I found few other similarities to the Camino routes. It's tough and unrelenting but frequently exquisitely beautiful and always deeply spiritual.

Buen Shikoku pilgrimage!

John

 

[MikeyC]

As a general questions for you @MikeyC and others above who have walked these routes in Japan.....

How well accepted are Westerners? Non Japanese Speakers?
If I was going I would certainly make the effort to learn some very basic Japanese but obviously will not be up to those you have lived there like Kat!

We love Japanese food so that won't be a hassle ....

Hi Robo
I can't recall one instance of not feeling welcome. From the moment we arrived in Takamatsu we were at times overwhelmed by the help offered by locals. As a further example to the one I mentioned above, the tourist office lady rushed out from Takamatsu Airport to find us on the shuttle bus because she had remembered another map that might prove useful.
Having a few phrases in Japanese will certainly endear you to locals who will appreciate the effort.
If using Google translate we learnt to ask for people to use short sentences. We sometimes got very detailed replies that the English version definitely showed that something had been lost in translation!

 

[VNwalking]

As if there aren't enough pilgrimages in Spain? It is hard to imagine how I could fit it in, but some day I so want to walk one of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimages. Thank you all for the encouraging remarks.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

And I should have added that I found a Translator App to be invaluable - including when I became ill and the doctor used the app on his phone and I replied using mine!

 

[HeidiL]

taking notes, quietly plotting