Shikoku "Henro" the pilgrim

After close to 5 magical years in Japan, this weekend marks my final weekend before moving to Europe. With official marathons still locked down, I wanted to explore one more island before leaving Japan. As I was researching, I came across this fascinating and uniquely Japanese spiritual journey that hikes through 88 different Buddhist temples spread along the perimeter of the island of Shikoku. Legend has it that the Buddhist monk Kukai (7th century) was born and trained. After his death, monks began to travel to all these temples and eventually it became a pilgrimage. The full route covers roughly 1,400 kilometers and I attempted 50 of those today. Popularly known as Henro "pilgrim" is an unparalleled experience taken very seriously by a number of visitors that make this long hike. The El Camino de Santiago in Spain or the Kailash trek into the Himalayas are close parallel according to the research. But devastated by Covid, and pouring rain, I had the unique pleasure of experiencing pretty much all of it all by myself today, save the birds and the friendly villagers I met along the way.

So a bit of a geography lesson, the island of Shikoku is the 4th largest of the Japanese islands. It is about 2.5 by Shinkansen train to the town of Kobe and from there a 2-hour bus ride across the Osaka Bay. It always surprises me that forests cover 67% of the total land mass of Japan. Am pretty sure looking at the bright lights of Tokyo, you would never imagine. Japanese forests have deep valleys, thick cover, tall canopy trees, few birds, interrupted by constant rain streams and mostly quiet. In other words a perfect metaphor for what people remark about Japan - "it is so quiet". The quiet also gave me plenty of time to reflect on my stay in Japan. It is with mixed emotions that I leave Japan - a country where everything "just works, no matter how old". I am not going to try to capture all my feelings about Japan in a few words - that would not do justice. However it is a country that given the chance, everybody should visit at least once - the land, the people, the history, the respect to the environment, the culture of taking care of elderly, all make an inimitable combination. 

My journey started on Friday evening with a hop on the "bullet" train. I still get blown away by the precision and comfort of Japanese trains. For the fans of Kobe beef. the city of Kobe is a couple of hours out from Tokyo. A quick switch to a Highway bus and I drop off at Tokushima (the biggest town on the island). At these latitudes sun rise is at the ungodly hour of 3:45, and in order to get an early start and to catch the early morning peace, I quickly make my way to the first temple "Ryōzen-ji". There is a ritual that each pilgrim goes through to recite the heart sutra and so on. Respectful of the religious nature of temples, I tried to follow the rules. Each temple has a massive gate, a main hall, a statue of Buddha in some form and the monk "Kukai". It is also interesting to see the layout of the temples are very similar to the way Indian temples are constructed for alignment with the sun, the placement of bells, the direction of the deities and so on. With sleep a distant memory, I get into the thick of things, the next temple is a couple of kilometers away. The path is well marked with small arrows and after a few wrong turns I get the hang of what to look for. The rain starts with a drizzle and gets to be a torrent very soon. However this being the rainy season I was expecting it, and as expected it comes and goes in bursts. What is a little bit of rain when in the presence of such powerful spirituality. 

The path now leads through dense forests, muddy paths and I had to pay attention to my footwork. With in the first 15 minutes my shoes and socks are completely soaked - but not much to do to fix it, so I just hit the ignore button. Crossing many streams on the way it is tempting to slow down and just observe. The second temple Gokurakuji is an imposing structure with a massive imposing red entry way. The entrance has a Japanese garden and the stillness of the temple catches my breath. I am convinced that there are many levels of quiet, and the quietness in a Japanese buddhist temple is the quietest. The 3rd temple Konseji is guarded by 2 massive statues at the entrance with a menacing grimace. Whoever did these statues studied human anatomy, the muscles are rippling, the eyes are intimidating and the massive sword in the hand is synonymous with death. 

The way to the 4th temple "Dainichiji" is ways off about 6.5 kilometers and I get into the rhythm of taking pictures of the paddy fields and the vegetable gardens. Growing up in India, the paddy fields full of young rice plants bring back so many memories. The smells of the early morning punctuated by the smells of bamboo groves nearby feels so calming. I pass by villagers just getting to tending their fields. As they rain a farmer works more in the rain than in the sun. Dear old ladies are probably quite curious to see this huge tall Indian dude running around their paddy fields. Some wave at me tentatively, while others steal a glance curiously- but I have a large smile for every one of them. I take a couple of wrong turns through the rice fields and get redirected by friendly farmers. The 5th temple JIzo-ji is similar to the others, but my first glimpse of the monk statue dressed as a pilgrim. It is fascinating to think that I am walking the same paths that Kukai-san walked on more than thousands of years ago. I pass a few make-shift huts along the path designed for the Henro to either rest or sleep. All are in great condition and maintained by the local community. It is also great to see that the temples blend into the neighborhood - they are among the rice fields, the village houses and the by lanes of the small settlements. I get a sense that the temples and the community have a close relationship. The Henro seen not as a tourist but more of a religious traveler. Temple 6 is Anrakuji a fabled temple to visit during the Fall Color Change. It has an imposing stairs flanked on either side by autumn trees. The 7th temple Jurakuji is a mile away and has an imposing golden statue of the Buddha. On a sunny day with the eastern sun behind the Buddha, I can only imagine how imposing that would be. 

By now I have reached the half way mark, I am in good spirits and feel a deep sense of connection to the Henro. I just cannot get over the fact that these trails are centuries old. Temple 8 is Kumatanji is at the end of lovely path and has a red roofed pagoda on top. At Kumatanji one of the villagers stuck up a conversation. Google Translate to the rescue - He was fascinated that an American would be doing the Henro. From here the path to 9th Horinji was in the middle of a paddock all by itself. The path to #10 Kinhataji started to get steeper. The steep steps were imposing but once you get the hang of it, the view from the top was awe inspiring. The foggy mountains, the mist of the rain, the quiet of the forest - it is hard to describe. On the way to the 11th I run across some interesting and almost ancient gas stations, tractors and so on. I am no expert photographer, but if somebody is, I would recommend them to come visit Japan and just walk through the forests and the rice fields. Every corner I turn it feels like a picture perfect scene. The path to temple 11 is about 10 kilometers away and gets me to the last stop for today Fujidara. With out comparing one temple to the other each of them have their own appeal. You get drawn into the atmosphere of serenity unconsciously. 

Even though I rushed through the experience, a more measured pace and a better planned Henro would include a month of walking the 1,400 kilometers, sleeping in traditional Japanese inns, partaking of the simple village food, and relaxing in the onsen every evening. This would be one of my regrets as I leave Japan but with a promise that I will come back some day to continue the Henro. I tried to collect groupings of pictures to post to get you a sense of rural Japan and the serenity of Buddhist temples. Enjoy.

Japan has given me so much during the past 5 years. The people have shown me the value of patience, the country has shown me that progress and history can co-exist, the food has expanded my palette to beyond the spicy, and Nissan has taught me so much about the auto industry. I leave this country with a deep sense of respect and a yearning to return some day.

One more marathon done and closer to the goal.For a more complete list of the pictures (I do not do justice to the beautiful scenry. Somebody more competent with a camera can make magic.)

For a more complete list of the pictures (I do not do justice to the beautiful scenry. Somebody more competent with a camera can make magic.)