Hiwasa to Mugi, 26.2 km Actually we are about 4 km past Mugi, as the town is lacking in accommodation options, and our host at the Panda House recommended Miyamaso, which seemingly also goes by the name of Kaizan-so. It has both lodgings and a restaurant, so maybe the names refer to the different operations. … Continue reading Shikoku day 9 →

Katsuura to Temple 22, 20.5 km Near Temple 21 Not a long day in terms of distance, but there was about 1200m of elevation gain, and about 1200m of elevation loss. A very tough day on the legs! We were blessed to do this very challenging day in the dry - large segments of the … Continue reading Shikoku day 7 →

Tokushima City to almost T20, 28.2 km Sam's photo of us among the bamboo Another day, another deluge, although it did stop raining about 30 minutes before we arrived at our destination. From the comfort of our futons we now know that Shikoku took a whack from a tropical depression. The first 10 kilometers were … Continue reading Shikoku day 6 →

Temple 14 to 17, 17.1 km Temple 15. Built in the 18th century after the original one was destroyed in one of the many regional wars I missed posting last night as we had a cultural experience - going to a performance of traditional dance for the region. There was audience participation at the end, … Continue reading Shikoku day 5 – return to Tokushima →

Temple 12 to Temple 13, 19.5km In the misty mountains Actually that photo was after the rain had stopped. For the first 30 minutes- almost exactly the time it took to clamber the 273 vertical metres over the first 2km -it was quite damp. Deploying the pack poncho made little difference as the effort required … Continue reading Shikoku day 4 →

Temple 11 to Temple 12: 16.3km The temple starting and finishing locations are approximate as the villages where we actually stay may not show on Google maps. Just like Lake Ontario doesn't show anymore, soon to be followed by Trump Strait (formerly Hormuz) and the Republic of Trump (formerly Venezuela). Today was a beautiful walk, … Continue reading Shikoku day 3 →

Temple 8 to Temple 11, 20km Max ringing the bell at T10 The host at last night's accommodation, Minshuku Okudaya was charming and helpful. He drove 7s to the Onsen via a convenience store so that we could provision for breakfast, then explained the protocols at the onsen and the attached restaurant. Wonderful hospitality! Tonight … Continue reading Shikoku day 2 →

Temples 1 to 7, 22km All smiles.... before the walking started! It's been quite the experience on day one. After many many kilometers of pilgrimage in Europe where one can bumble along even with minimal grasp of the languages due primarily to them using the latin alphabet, here in Japan you are pitched headfirst into … Continue reading Shikoku day 1 →