The Shikoku Pilgrimage is a centuries old pilgrimage established over 1,000 years ago by the monk Kobo Daishi. On foot, it is a journey that covers almost 1,200km, taking you to 88 temples dotted around the beautiful island of Shikoku, Japan.
I completed my journey around Shikoku during October and November 2011 and it turned out to be an incredibly uplifting adventure. The natural beauty of Shikoku, the stunning temples and the wonderful characters I met along the way made it an unforgettable journey. I was humbled by simple acts of random kindness, I felt all manner of emotions, feelings and thoughts and if that wasn't enough, there were moments when I felt connected with something unmistakably and undeniably divine.
From the very start it felt as if there was a guiding and protective force at work. I found myself walking not only in the footsteps of the monk Kobo Daishi but in the footsteps of the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of other pilgrims who have trodden the very same sacred ground over the past 1,000 years or more. This is a story of my journey.
This site documents my journey in 2011. The following link documents my 2015 journey. The new site contains updated lodging details, daily expenses and another very full journal.