The 88 Temple Pilgrimage is an ancient pilgrimage, also known as the Shikoku Pilgrimage (Shikoku Henro in Japanese), is a renowned religious journey in Japan that takes pilgrims on a spiritual and physical adventure to visit 88 Buddhist temples on the island of Shikoku. The pilgrimage follows the steps of the Buddhist monk Kukai (Kōbō Daishi), who founded the Shingon school of esoteric Buddhism.
I walked this pilgrimage in April 2023 and it took me 45 days to complete. I predomintly camped and used Henro Houses to sleep in. The kindness I experienced from the local people is one of many beautiful things I expereinced on this pilgrimage.
This guide will answer my most frequently asked questions about the 88 Temple Pilgrimage and highlight basic questions to ask yourself to see if this is the right pilgrimage for you.
How long is the pilgrimage?
The 88 temple pilgrimage is 1200 kilometres (745 miles) long and it takes anywhere from 45 day to 2 months. I strongly suggest giving yourself more time than you think it will take you. Over this amount of days and different terrains things can go wrong and you want to have a buffer zone so you can have as many rest days as possible.
BONUS TEMPLES! Have you heard that the pilgrimage is 1400 kilometres long (869 miles) ?
Well some pilgrims will walk to the extra 20 Bekkaku temples and the other numerous Bangai temples. I visited a few of the Bekkaku temples that were along the main path but I didn’t detour off the path to visit them.
If you are considering to walk the 88 Temple Pilgrimage then you must consider if you have enough time to walk at your personal pace. Remember you don’t want to rush a once in a lifetime experience like this.
Do I need to be Buddhist to walk it?
No, to walk the pilgrimage you don’t need to be Buddhist or pay a fee or apply for a pass. This is my most frequently asked question on Instagram.
The Japanese people love seeing foreigners experience their culture and especially the 88 temple pilgrimage. You will get friendly waves, ossetai (gifts), and support from locals.
In saying this we must always be respectful of the local culture and religion. This is a religious journey for Japanese people who usually choose to walk this pilgrimage as a grieving process. So you must ask yourself your purpose for walking this pilgrimage? If you want a holiday or leisurely walk in nature, then this isn’t the trip for you.
Do I need to pay to walk the 88 temple pilgrimage?
There is no formal payment to walk the pilgrimage however be prepared to give offerings of money at each temple. These monetary donations are important for the upkeep of the temples and is also an important part of the gifting nature you learn about on the pilgrimage.
During the pilgrimage I was gifted money at times and even though I tried to refuse the local people insisted. I would then donate it to the next temple in their honour or give to a homeless person on the way.
At each temple the calligraphy stamp costs 300 yen and at temple 12 it costs 500 yen. You don’t need to collect these stamps however I recommend you do, it’s a great keepsake and the money goes towards the upkeep of the temple.
What is ossetai? Why do locals give you free food while you are walking?
Ossetai is a concept well known to henro who walk the pilgrimage. Yes you will be called Ohenro by the local people.
Shikoku island, the home of the pilgrimage, has a collective agreement to help pilgrims on their way. The term ossetai is similar to gift. It is frequently given to pilgrims walking the pilgrimage to support thier journey and can come in the form of food, drinks, money or even an invitation to rest in their home. I experienced multiplke invitations to sleep in locals homes. Usually most pilgrims stay in Minshuku (local homestay) or Ryokans (small guesthouse).
Can I camp on the pilgrimage?
This question is also an incredibly popular question I get on my Instagram from people wanting to walk the pilgrimage. This question also deserves it’s own post, which I will write shortly.
In short, yes you can camp but it’s not advised. Out of all 45 days on the pilgrimage I camped a total of 20 nights and the other nights I was invited by locals to stay or I stayed at a Henro House (local homestay only for Henro). Some nights I paid to camp and some nights I didn’t because I pitched my tent in a henro hut. There are various reasons why camped in frowned upon by some locals which include pilgrims leaving mess behind and camping on private land. It’s hard to know in Japan what land is private and public so it’s best to consider it all private land.
The main point is camping is possible however it is difficult. I would only suggest camping in henro huts, which are huts designated for walking pilgrims to rest. A lot of these huts have signs that say no camping allowed but few do allow camping as long as you are discreet like setting up late and packing up early. If in doubt ask a local or the temple staff where you can camp, occasionally they might let you camp on the temple grounds but this should be left as a last resort.
I chose to camp not to save money but to experience the challenges that the first pilgrims walking the trail may have faced. Some of my favourite moments were staying in Henro House’s so I suggest having enough savings to really enjoy all aspects of this pilgrimage and don’t rely on camping for free every night. A few nights I was turned away and had to pay for an expensive Ryokan (guesthouse) because nothing else available.
Another point to consider is that there are many monks who also walk this pilgrimage and camp because they can’t afford guesthouses. The huts should be given to these people to sleep in first.
What is the terrain like?
Due to an increase in infrastructure alot of the original trail is now built over and that means there is a lot of road walking. I would say 55% of the pilgrimage is either road walking or walking on man made paths. 30% is semi wild nature paths that are not too far from civilisation. 15% is wild, sometimes un maintained and very rural.
There are steep climbs and steep descents. Good hiking shoes are a must and proper training is advisable in the lead up to the pilgrimage.
Do you have another question?
If you have another question and you think I missed something important above please leave me a comment below and I will answer them.
To see my daily recap videos of walking the pilgrimage head over to my Instagram.
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Happy trails!
Kiera
