So What’s This All About Then?

Five years ago when we first arrived in Shikoku it was more by chance than by design. Against everybody’s advice we had rented a car in Japan and were heading south in the hope of encountering some warmer weather and a change of scenery from Osaka’s seemingly endless cityscape.

I don’t remember if I knew of any pilgrimage prior to us crossing the bridge from Honshū to Shikoku. What I do remember is the stunning view over the archipelago that met us on that bridge as we drove across the Inland Sea. This beauty turned out to be only a small taste of what was awaiting us on the other side.

To make a long story short I completely fell in love with the island of Shikoku. And as soon as I learned that there was an ancient pilgrimage which visited all of the 88 Buddhist temples skirting the island, an idea started forming in my mind.

To the occasional great dismay of those closest to me I am of the clear conviction that crazy ideas that make me a little scared and uncomfortable are there because I need to act on them. And so it came to be that I convinced Jonas to walk with me in the footsteps of the Japanese buddhist munk, Kōbō-Daishi. All 1300 kms worth of footsteps, that is.

Just to put the idea of walking 1300 km into perspective it should be said that until very recently I had never walked more then 10 km in a day and I have never gone on multiple-day hikes before. I was never a girl scout and I was a self-proclaimed “indoor-person” well into my twenties.

Things change though, and over the last couple of years I have evolved into a person who throughly enjoys spending time outdoors and who can get as much (if not more) enjoyment from digging through the dirt in my garden as I would from going to a bar. With the prospect of going to Shikoku in mind I have also started developing some weird habits such as walking to IKEA and watching youtube videos on how to most efficiently pack a rucksack.

However, as I started my research I found it hard to find useful information on the pilgrimage. Much of it is in Japanese (understandably) and even though the pilgrimage is undertaken by thousands of people every year, very few choose to do it on foot (again, understandably).

The purpose of this blog is to become both a digital archive of our trip and the time leading up to it as well as a place for us to share some of the resources and gear that we have found to be useful along the way. Hopefully, some of you will find it either helpful or entertaining as well.

So, once again, against everybody’s advice we are setting course for Shikoku. But this time we are taking the slow route. This is our travel journal and we’re happy to have you along for the ride.