There are plenty of historic and contemporary accounts of pilgrimages around Shikoku and I’m always fascinated to learn about the perspectives of the people who undertook them and the colour that the period in time lends their stories. In many respects little has changed over the centuries; the path and practices are more or less the same, but modern technology and conveniences have lessened the risks and isolation.

I recently had the pleasure of reading author and traveller Todd Wassel’s account of his second circumnavigation by foot and bicycle in his book ‘Walking in Circles’.

Read more

Canadian Mark Groenewold who lives in the city of Takamatsu on Shikoku has published a new book titled “Your Pilgrimage in Japan: A Regular Canadian on the 88 Temple Buddhist Pilgrimage of Shikoku“.

Rather than trying to write a comprehensive guide, Mark wanted to “inspire, inform, and encourage” those interested in the Shikoku Pilgrimage after walking it himself in 2016.

As with many other Henro, he was disheartened by the island’s declining population and wanted to help promote Shikoku to encourage inbound tourism.

Read more in the Nikkei Asian Review or on Mark’s own site.