November 5, 2017: Hōjō to Imabari City Temple 54: Enmeiji Temple 55: Nankōbō
Walking The Henro: Day 6
Walking The Henro: Day 5
November 4, 2017. Matsuyama to Hōjō. Temple 52: Taisanji Temple 53: Enmyōji
Walking The Henro: Day 4
November 2, 2017. From Kuma-kōgen to Matsuyama via six temples and a bowling pin. Temple 46: Jōroruji Temple 47: Yakakaji Temple 48: Sairinji Temple 49: Jōdoji Temple 50: Hantaji Temple 51: Ishiteji
Walking The Henro: Day 3
November 1, 2017. Kuma-kōgen to Temple 45, Iwayiji, and return.
Walking The Henro: Day 2
October 31, 2017. To Kuma-kōjen and Temple 44: Daihōji.
Miyajima: Island of the Gods
The gods may be in hiding this week. It’s a brief train and ferry ride from downtown Hiroshima to the small island of Itsukushima, more popularly known as Miyajima or, perhaps, Miyashima. And popular it is. The ten-minute ferry ride is jam-packed with tourists, Westerners like us but primarily Japanese nationals. As we pour off... Continue Reading →
Shikoku: Last Steps
April 22, 2017 Today's walk will be bittersweet. An easy 20 kilometers from now we will reach Ōzu, the endpoint of our springtime walk along the Henro-michi. After a good Japanese-style breakfast, Gail and I set off from Matsu-ya, our business hotel in Unomachi. Budget-conscious Simon has foregone the expense of a hotel meal and... Continue Reading →
Shikoku: Three Temples and an Izakaya
April 21, 2017 Walking a pilgrimage can be a solitary activity. Gail and I have each other for company, but many travel solo. On occasion our paths mesh for just a moment, loosely intertwining on the trail or at a temple. We exchange pleasantries as best we can, considering we speak only English and they,... Continue Reading →
Shikoku: Uwajima Exotica
April 20, 2017 Tsushimachō Iwamatsu can be thought of as a suburb of Uwajima. Today’s brief 15-kilometre walk, which takes us from the former to the latter, follows a busy road lined with a non-stop collage of roadside shops and big-box sheds. It’s a utilitarian stretch of car-based enterprises typical of a North American exurban... Continue Reading →
Shikoku: Temples
April 17, 2017 A slight drizzle accompanies our way out of Sukumo. Light enough to pack our rain coats away, letting the cool dew dampen our clothes and drip off the brows of our conical hats. We head inland, away from the sea and up into the hills, following small roads and forest trails, cutting... Continue Reading →