Japan
Shikoku Pilgrimage
Eighty-eight temples circling an entire island, walked in white over 1,200 kilometres.
The white coat marks you. Eighty-eight temples circle the island of Shikoku over some 1,200 kilometres of mountain paths, coastal roads and forest trails, and the pilgrims who walk them wear white, the colour of burial dress — a sign that they set out ready to die on the road. The full circuit takes around six weeks on foot, and every step is still a commitment.
The Shikoku pilgrimage follows the footsteps of Kūkai, the ninth-century monk born on the island who founded Shingon Buddhism; tradition credits him with founding or visiting many of the temples himself. The route runs through all four of Shikoku's provinces, which pilgrims read as a path to enlightenment: awakening, discipline, enlightenment and nirvana. The custom of o-settai — residents offering food, drink, shelter or small gifts to pilgrims — is still alive. Each temple stamps the pilgrim's nōkyōchō book, and many begin and end the journey at Kōyasan, where Kūkai lies in eternal meditation. Pilgrims range from Buddhist devotees to grieving parents to retirees looking for a reason to keep walking.
Solo
The pilgrimage is fundamentally a solo act. Walking for weeks around an island, depending on the kindness of strangers, dismantles assumptions about what you need.
- Eighty-eight temples circle the island over about 1,200 kilometres — the full walk takes around six weeks.
- White-clad pilgrims receive stamps at every temple, and o-settai, the island's living tradition of giving to pilgrims.
- The route passes through fishing villages, mountain temples, river gorges and Pacific headlands.
- Walking alone for weeks strips everything back — many pilgrims call it the hardest and best thing they have done.
Katsuo no tataki — bonito seared over a straw fire, sliced and splashed with broth, a Shikoku-born dish on the Kōchi stretch.
Sanuki udon on the Kagawa stretch, thick and impossibly chewy, at noodle shops that sell out by early afternoon.
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