On our Hiker’s Journey to Shikoku, vacationers observe a pilgrimage route originated by the Buddhist saint Kobo Daishi, discover honored temples and a feudal-era fortress, climb certainly one of Shikoku’s highest peaks, and uncover the distant Iya Valley, with its vine bridges and 300-year-old thatched farmhouses. Beneath, ten-time adventurer Michael Koberda shares some photographs from his current WT journey.
My spouse Anna and I journey quite a bit, however the Hiker’s Journey to Shikoku in October 2017 was our first journey to Asia. We had been ready for brand new experiences, and but Japan nonetheless felt much more unique than we’d imagined—in probably the most constructive sense.
Throughout our days in Kyoto, we visited historical websites just like the Fushimi-Inari , the place greater than 10,000 vibrant orange torii gates line the walkways. The autumn colours on the maple timber had been simply starting to alter whereas we had been there.
From Kyoto, we headed to Shikoku, a small island of steep mountains and inexperienced valleys. It appeared like one other world in comparison with the bustling cities of Tokyo and Osaka. It was extraordinary to hike by way of historical forests and go to among the many temples that adorn the island.
Throughout certainly one of our hikes within the Iya Valley, we crossed a kazura-bashi, a woven vine bridge, suspended over the river. These bridges had been as soon as made fully of vines that might be chopped all the way down to evade pursuing enemies. (Fortunately, they’re now strengthened with some metal beams!)
One of many distinctive features of Japan is its delicacies—you can’t probably go hungry on this gastronomic paradise, even if you’re not expert in utilizing chopsticks. The meals is unimaginable, with so many various flavors and textures. We ate numerous fish and greens ready in quite a lot of methods; the photograph above reveals a conventional breakfast.
Some days had been cloudy throughout our hikes, whereas others had been vivid and sunny. Right here is our group at a lookout in Shikoku.
One other distinctive facet of Japan is the gorgeous gardens, some meticulously landscaped with rocks and pebbles raked in intricate designs; others stuffed with ponds, lush greenery, and colourful vegetation. This one specifically is the biggest rock backyard (or zen backyard) in all of Japan.
We noticed many Buddhist temples, each large and small, and so they had been all distinctive and delightful. In Koyasan alone, there are greater than 100 temples, and the Shikoku pilgrim route is linked by 88 temples. Here’s a look inside Zentsui-ji, temple No. 75 on Shikoku, the place Kobo Daishi was born.
This was a very memorable journey; we hold speaking to our associates about it and can most likely proceed to take action for a very long time.
