Day 12: Temples 35 – 36 Another day on asphalt on the outscirts of Kochi in beautiful weather – yet another day without a cloud in the sky. I was up at 6.30 and waiting for the first bus to Tosa, a few kilometers past where I finished yesterday. The bus arrived on time, just didn’t go to Tosa – as…
Day 11: Temples 31 – 34 I knew there would be days like this, days where you really wonder why you are doing this. Days where your feet or legs are just saying stop. It’s funny how you begin to address parts of your body as though they aren’t part of you, but kind of aside from the rest of you…
Day 10: Temples 27 – 30 Todays first hurdle, 425m above sea level, along 4km partly road and partly mountain track and the last 1km with an average gradiant of 45 degrees. I’d slept well, rose at 6.30, left my backpack at the hotel, and caught the 8.03 train to Tonohama. It took me 45 mins to get to the top,…
Day 9: Temples 24 – 26 Below is my view of the world just now, as I sit looking out over the Pacific, watching a couple of fishing boats slowly sail across the relative calm ocean. I’m sitting outside the Muruto whale museum, which I’d hoped to see if I had time, I had the time, but it is closed. So…
Day 8: Hiwasa to Mugi Really I should have called this Hiwasa to Mugi – the hard way. But more about that later. The guest house is run by a Frenchman, married to a Japanese lady. He has lived in Japan for 45 years. There are 4 rooms he lets out, and last night it was full, with one Japanese…
Day 7: Temple 23 After temple 23, the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage changes from the awakening stage to the ascetic training stage as we move from Tokushima province to Kochi province. One could say exactly the same happens for me. Today I moved away from my base in Tokushima, and for the first time need to carry all my…
Day 6: Day off Due to the fact that I started on Sunday instead of Monday, and as the hotel is booked until Saturday when I move on, I have a day without walking. According to my piedometer I walked 20 km anyway! I didn’t set the alarm, and slept until 8am. So much for the theory that I…
Day 5: Temples 20 – 22 I got up at 6am, had a very quick breakfast, that opened at 7am sharp, and by 7.25 was on the bus that drops you at the bottom of the mountain that temple 20 is at the top of. Again, the bus was full of school kids, most of who were still on the bus…
Day 4: Temples 13 – 19 Seven temples and 25km, a long day. I caught the 8.10 bus to temple 13. Temple 13 is 10km after where I’d finished yesterday, so this was the first, and certainly not the last part of the route, that I will skip. As with other early trains and buses, it was full of school children…
Day 3: Temples 11 – 12 If this was a bike race, this would be the kings stage – three tops at 626m, 745m and 706m and three tough downward ascents. All in all 24km, where pretty much 12km are uphill and 12km downhill. I was up at 6.30, breakfasted (they had cornflakes today!) and on the 8.12 train for Kamojima,…
Day 2: Temples 6 – 10 I slept well, and only woke once during the night, which was not due to the earthquake that hit Japan and could be felt here. Breakfast was Japanese, so I’m going to have to get used to eating rice and pickled fish for breakfast. Something I would otherwise eat at dinner back home. I caught…
Day 1: Temples 1 – 5 Today wasn’t supposed to be a walking day, but a settling in day. However, upon arriving in Tokushima, I went straight to the hotel to check-in. But when official check-in time is 14.00, it doesn’t help that you’ve just flown in from HEL and have barely slept, when it’s only 12.45! I left my bag…
Day 0: Copenhagen to Tokushima It’s Sunday morning and I am sitting on a bus, just leaving Osaka Airport. It’s sunny, but windy. Along the coast there are windsurfers and a baseball match. Sitting here, looking out, this could just as well be the US – highways and highrises. Lene drove me to the airport, we left home at 11am,…
Temple etiquette There are a number of steps one should follow when visiting a temple. These steps are recommended, but not compulsory. At the main gate (to ward of evil spirit’s): Stand on the left hand side of the gate, put your hands togeter, and bow once. At the wash basin (to purify oneself): Wash yopur hands…
Nõkyõchõ and Osame-fuda The stamp book or Nõkyõchõ is your proof that you have indeed visited each of the 88 temples. After worshiping at the temple, one takes it to the office and to have it signed and stamped. It costs 300 yen (2,3 €) per temple. Name slips, or osame-fuda, are slips on which you write your name…
Pilgrim Attire You don’t have to use any of the attire, but you will be recognised as a pilgrim if you wear the white vest. Sugegasa – the wedge hat, that is useful for blocking the sun, or raingear. Kongozue – the staff, you take Kõbõ Dashi with you when you carry the stock, and in return he…
Shikoku 88 temple route Shikoku literally means “four provinces” and the pilgrim’s journey through the four provinces is considered to be a symbolic path to enlightenment. The theme of the Tokushima province (temples 1–23) is Awakening; the Kōchi province (temples 24–39) is Ascetic training; the Ehime province (temples 40–65) is Enlightenment; and the Kagawa province (temples 66–88) is Nirvana. The temples are primarily situated along the…
