November 1, 2017. Kuma-kōgen to Temple 45, Iwayiji, and return.
Walking The Henro: Day 3
Walking The Henro: Day 2
October 31, 2017. To Kuma-kōjen and Temple 44: Daihōji.
Walking The Henro: Day 1
October 30, 2017. Ōzu to Tsukiawase via Uchiko. 29 kilometers.
It's about two in the morning on October 27, 2017. Once again, Gail and I are on our way back to Japan. Back to Shikoku. Back to the Henro 88 temple pilgrimage. Our plan is to complete the last third of the Henro-michi, visiting the final 44 temples along the route before returning to the... Continue Reading →
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: Why We Walk
April 19, 2017 The next two days will see us walking down the very same highway we sped along by bus yesterday. Then, it took a little over an hour to be whisked to Uwajima. Today’s 28-kilometre walk - 5 hours of solid walking at a brisk pace - will only get us part of... Continue Reading →
Shikoku: A Day in Uwajima
April 18, 2017 Today is a rest day. Free of hours-long walking. A chance to visit local sites. And to eat, of course. Unfortunately, Ainan Town does not seem to offer much in the way of nearby sightseeing opportunities. So we hop on a bus and head east, down the coast to the larger and... Continue Reading →