shodoshima 88 temple pilgrimage
The view of Goishi zan, temple #2
The 88 temple pilgrimage in Shikoku is experiencing an influx of walkers, both Japanese and foreign. Lessor known but following the same tradition is the 88 temple pilgrimage on the island of Shodoshima located in the Seto Inland Sea.
This 140km walk brings participants up to mountain top temples, through sweeping rice terraces and past traditional soy sauce factories. The monks that take care of these temples are known for their enthusiasm for the pilgrimage and will often encourage Ohenro - walkers of the pilgrimage - to have a chat or participate in a fire ritual.
Though it is quite a challenging 7-10 day hike, it is a truly unique place in the world and for those brave enough to attempt the hike, it will surly be a amazing experience. Because Shodoshima has such a rich and varied landscape, everyday is a different environment with different challenges. There are no large urban areas, no long tunnels and there are no long stretches without temples -as is the case with Shikoku proper- so one always feels both connected to nature and to the temples that one visits and worships at each day.
Shodoshima 88 temple pilgrimage official site (Japanese)
Shodoshima
88 temple pilgrimage map is on sale
Contents
1. About the Shodoshima Pilgrimage
2. Access to Shodoshima, culture and local infomation
3. List of temples
4. 1/27,500 scale map, 1/10,000 scale map
5. Walking elevation profiles
6. Bus route map and time tables (Japanese & English) QR code link included
7. Supplementary materials: Worshipping at the temples and chanting the sutras
8. Made with water resistant synthetic paper.
The price is 1200 yen (plus tax and shipping)
Please email us if interested in purchasing a map with 1. your email address, 2. postal address, and 3. how many you want to buy,
You can pay by credit card.
email: info@senguesthouse.com
How to make your walking plan
If walking about 20km per day, from 8 am to 5 pm, praying in temples and having lunch and break times, it takes most walkers 1 week to complete the pilgrimage. Of course, this depends on how fast you walk and if you wish to take in any of the sightseeing spots around the island.
There is a real possibility that there will be no accommodation at the end of a day of walking, so it may be necessary to take a bus to accommodation for that evening. In these cases, it is important to check the bus schedule - for example, at the end of the 6th day of walking (on the sample model course map). Most walkers will then take a bus to an area that has accommodation.
Also, Shodoshima is a small enough that many ohenro will make a base at one accommodation and go back and forth by bus each day. One advantage of this system is that you can walk with minimum stuff.
1-week long model courses
1. Start from Sen, 3 accommodation base plan
2. Stay at Sen every night plan
3. Start from Tonosho plan *different accommodation
4. Start from Sen plan *different accommodation
We can give you advice on completing the entire pilgrimage or seeing just a few temples on a day hike. Please feel free to contact us for the details !