Shikokuchui to Kanonji, 25.1 km Today it was a Grand Old Duke of York kind of day: we marched to the top of the hill and then we marched down again - although Sam and Max took the cable car down which turned out to be a smart move as the downhill was tough! We … Continue reading Shikoku day 43 →

Goyomatsuso to Shikokuchui, 29.6km The first 20 kilometres was a tiring traipse through endless suburbs of the Japanese variety - each village seemed to merge into the next one. The monotony was broken by the periodic appearance of a float on the road, which at times prevented any further progress while they manoeuvred their wagons … Continue reading Shikoku day 42 →

Saijo City to Goyomatsuso, 20 km Threatening clouds as we left Saijo. On the hill in the background is the Archeological museum A temple free recovery day - although some may not consider walking 20 kilometres with a backpack much of a way to recover from over-exertion! The path was less than inspiring with much … Continue reading Shikoku day 41 →

Komatsu to Saijo City, 31.6 km View of Mount Ishizuchi One of the toughest days of the walk so far, but eased somewhat by our host of last night, Taniguchi-san, shuttling our back packs to our next hotel. This was even more critical as that next hotel was off-route, adding extra kilometres to an already … Continue reading Shikoku day 40 →

Imbari City to Konatsu, 25.1 km It was a longer day than the guide's version, but our overnight accommodation was a couple of kilometres off the route. On the plus side, we got to make our own, western style breakfast. No rice, fish, mystery pickled things or fermented mung beans in sight. Delicious! We meandered … Continue reading Shikoku day 39 →

Imbari City to Imbari City, 11.5 km Kukai at Temple 58. Hard to avoid having power lines in photos here in Japan. Almost a rest day, but we did the long day yesterday so they average out into two normal days if we'd been able to secure accommodation in the optimal locations. Tonight we are … Continue reading Shikoku day 38 →

Matsuyama to Imbari City, 40.5 km That difficult 'L', but also sums up our accommodation challenges! For three consecutive nights we've been forced to adjust our plans as the usual pilgrim accommodations are unavailable - full in the big cities, and unavailable due to the festival in the smaller towns. Today is the second of … Continue reading Shikoku day 37 →

Kumakogen to Matsuyama, 30 km Scenic shot taken leaving Kumakogen as the fog was clearing It was a brisk, foggy morning leaving Kumakogen, but the sun burned through before I'd gone too far. With the help of the wonderful lady working at the Garden Hotel, the boys had a bus to catch so that Sam's … Continue reading Shikoku day 35 →