Walking with a monk. 1250km, 88 Temples and two pairs of shoes. Join me on an adventure.

Covid threw a cog into the works of life. My son missed out on a lot growing up - so for the last 3 summers we went on adventures. Adventures around Japan. The first was cycling and camping around Sado Island off the coast of Niigata. The next year we flew our bicycles to the remote island of Yakushima and spent 3 weeks riding around the island, trekking in the mountains, and swimming with turtles in the sea. Last year saw us embark on a trek through the Japanese Alps - tents, helicopters, glaciers and granola bars.

So as this summer starts to roll around I am in a bind, my wife says my son, who is entering his last year of junior high, needs to knuckle down and hit the books, so no extended summer adventures (for him) this year.

But I am now in a rhythm - I need to do something and go somewhere. I need a summer adventure. So I searched the internet for, “solo hike or bike in japan for summer with no bears” (yes bears are real thing here in summer and they are only getting worse) and up popped the 88 Temple Henro (pilgrimage) in Shikoku.

Now don’t get me wrong - temples are pretty cool, but 88 of them? Really?

A bit more research and I stumble onto the kicker - 1250km (750 miles) of walking around the whole circumference of Shikoku. That will take me about 45 days to 2 months

Sounds like an adventure.

The Henro Pilgrimage follows in the footsteps of a Buddhist monk called Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai) who trained and spent time at these temples and on this route about 1250 years ago. There's a phrase called Dōgyō ninin that means walking together with Kūkai as his spirit accompanies you on your journey.

Many Henro (pilgrims) wear a sedge hat, white vest, and carry a staff among other things. Some drive, some ride and others walk. For sleeping there's tents, temples, guesthouses and hotels.

So I bought a book with the map, downloaded an app and now I am planning an adventure.