A guided introduction to Japan's great henro pilgrimage — walking sections of the 1,200-kilometre route between temples founded by Kobo Daishi.
The Shikoku pilgrimage links 88 temples in a loop around the island, traditionally walked in white robes with a wooden staff over 40 days or more. This trip does not attempt the full circuit — instead it walks the most rewarding sections in the Tokushima and Kochi prefectures, riding between distant clusters so the days on foot are spent on genuine pilgrim paths rather than roadside shoulders.
You'll stay in temple lodgings and family-run pilgrim inns, ring bells at torii-flanked shrines shared between Buddhist and Shinto practice, and eat with fellow walkers — Japanese and foreign — who are on their own version of the same journey. It suits travellers drawn to Japan's spiritual side and comfortable with unhurried, repetitive walking days.
