Day 40 - Shikoku Henro

Today we began the Shikoku Henro, a Buddhist pilgrimage linking 88 temples around the island of Shikoku. Associated with the monk Kūkai, also known as Kōbō Daishi, the full circuit stretches roughly 1,200 kilometres—about 750 miles. We’re walking a four-day section, passing through villages, countryside and temple grounds.

Our first day took us through Temples 1–7: 13 miles in just over seven hours, including our stops. My favorite was Temple 6, Anrakuji. Cindy preferred little Aizen-in, the “sandal temple,” which isn’t one of the official 88.

Persimmons, beautiful gardens and a dog peeking through a wall added to the day’s discoveries. When we were admiring a butterfly in a woman’s garden, she gave us bottles of green tea to spirit us along! Tonight we’re staying at Temple 7, where dinner was remarkably good. The beer was even better! We met two Canadians and a Taiwanese pilgrim, all attempting the whole route despite never having done a long-distance hike before. A fascinating, five-star first day! Enjoy the photos!Read more