Tip 10: Take your time and enjoy. Let no one tell you at what pace you should experience your pilgrimage, fast or slow. Any choice is a good choice if it feels right for you. So, please, use these tips only as a guide and experience it all for yourself. Enjoy your time on Shikoku!
Something to learn: Enjoy, enjoy, and enjoy!
During my preparation I looked at how long other pilgrims took to complete their round trip. I estimated that my pilgrimage would take two months, and I bought my tickets with that timeline in mind. Of course, it is almost impossible to decide ahead of time how your trip will proceed. The most important thing is that you really make the route your own. Let no one decide how you should do your henro, least of all me!
How much time do you have?
I had planned for it to take two months. At the start, I noticed that that timeframe made me feel pressured. Of course, ‘getting into the pilgrime’ is part of the first prefecture. I found that I had trouble letting go of my prepared plans. Where I would have liked to spend two nights in Shishikui, I wasn’t able to at Pavilion Surf. It didn’t occur to me to find another accommodation, because I felt that I had to go there. Because of that, it ended up taking five weeks for me to take a rest day. That was only in Matsuyama and felt like ‘playing tourist’.
How far do you walk in a day?
I am an experienced walker, and I had walked 4x 50km during the Four Days March of Nijmegen one and a half months ahead of my flight to Japan. And during that one and a half month, I tried to train for elevation as much as possible by climbing stairs and ascending false sloped bridges and dykes carrying my prepered backpack. Everything considered, I had a decent pace during my trek. With my backpack on, I walked roughly five and a half to six kilometres an hour on flat terrain. Ascending and descending mountains was quite a bit slower. Thanks to the height maps in the route guide, I was able to make good estimations for those parts of the route. My average distance covered per day was 26,5 kilometres.
Take your time and enjoy: are blisters a part of it?!
Even though I had covered many practice kilometres, I still had my fair share of blisters. My GoreTex-lined shoes and the hot and wet climate (in August/ September) caused my feet to become tender. The first week I had blisters on my big toe, in the spot where your toes rub against the ‘stick’ of slippers, and on my little toe. The use of Hansaplast to tape off the blisters worked against me: my socks stuck to the tape and that caused extra folds, and thus, blisters. Changing socks often, and letting my feet, socks, and shoes dry gave me more comfort. Thankfully, the blisters healed quickly, and after two weeks I had no more troubles.
How many temples will you visit per day?
One of the factors which I had taken into account in my planning was the number of temples I was going to visit. Some days I would visit up to six or seven temples, others none. Per temple, I estimated that it would take me approximately half an hour to do a complete ritual. Depending on the rest of my progress, I stayed longer, or would have to immediately continue. The (most) temple offices close at five o’clock, which means after that time you can no longer receive your stamps. And for the nights you could sleep there, you would have to report around that time on location. That meant that I would usually be on the road between 6.30/7.00 AM and 16.00/16.30 PM. On easier days I would arrive around half past two, on the harder days it would be just before half past five.
Stick with yourself (and what’s best for you)
At a certain point I noticed that I was progressing quite quickly. If I were to continue at this speed, I would complete the entire pilgrimage in about six weeks. That seemed a little too fast for me. Then, on Facebook, someone gave me the advice to walk less kilometres per day. However, that was not an option for me, because my walking pace is quite quick, and because of that I cover longer distances more easily in any given day. Walking more slowly only made me uneasy, so I needed to stay for longer in the temples and would finish my hiking for the day early. Pretty soon after, I went back to my old tempo. Looking back now, I could have easily taken three days more to rest up a little bit.
Anticipation is a gift
My preparation started in August of 2017, so two years before I finally ended up leaving for Shikoku. I saw a photo in a hiking magazine and decided that I was going to walk the henro. From that moment onwards I was reading up on it weekly, practicing Japanese, hiking, skimming the internet for information, and thinking about how I was going to arrange everything. All that preparation, to me, is an integral part of the pilgrimage. And now that I write this, it has been five years since I returned, and not a day goes by that I do not think back to my henro! I even went on my second henro covering the 88 and the additional 20 Bekkaku in SPing 2024.
Virtual henro in 2020
The first signs of the corona pandemic were visible when I returned home in October 2019. Four months later, the world closed its doors. Japan was no longer available to tourists for a very long time. In 2020 it turned out that the henro houses and temples experienced significant financial drawbacks from the lockdown. A Japanese fundraiser was initiated. By donating to the organisation on the last day it was allowed, I supported the henro-houses. My name appeared on a banner, which was carried by experienced henro and owners of henro-houses along the entire route. With that, I have done it thrice! My o-setai was well received. On Youtube, you can check on the progress through video registrations.
Take your time and enjoy: good luck with your henro!
Enjoy the trip, do what feels best for you. My most important advice is to treat the traditions and people of the island with respect, ensuring that the next generations of (gajin-) henro remain welcome.