Ruth: I knew in advance that most of the 350 meter climb up to Temple 65 occurred in the last few steep kilometres. I taped my knees, loaded up on more sugary treats than normal, and started the day full of confidence. After stopping at... Read More

Gordon:  We are spending two nights at a business ryokan near Temple 62.  This has permitted us to enjoy an unladen day doing a return trip to Temple 60.  Visiting this temple involves a henro-korogashi (pilgrim falls down) climb to 750 metres. Like many mountain... Read More

Ruth: There are relatively few foreigners on the Shikoku pilgrimage route, so we tend to spend our time with the Japanese that we meet.  As the lovely temples begin to blur together, what stands out more for me each day are the wonderful interactions we... Read More

Ruth: There are moments everyday when I am struck by just how different Japan is from any other country I have visited. It goes beyond their resistance to global trends like chairs and beds, and the interesting coexistence of modernity and ancient traditions. Take this... Read More

Ruth: There is usually at least one point in every trip where I have to thank my Pocket Earth app for finding me yet another magical alternate route to cycle.  This morning, after climbing up to a pass at 720 meters I needed to make... Read More

Gordon:  Near the end of a long but beautiful walk / ride we reached Temple 44 yesterday.  This means that we have now visited half of the 88 Temples on the pilgrimage.  We also passed the halfway mark in the length of our visit to... Read More