Digging around way way back in archives, I found this nice little article about the Shikoku Pilgrimage. It also has a nice reference to the Sen Guesthouse out in Matsuyama. A bit of inspiration to get us feeling more in the mood of getting back to Shikoku, and starting out on the pilgrimage once again!
I wish to strongly encourage you to check out this amazing website:
https://emergencemagazine.org/feature/shikoku-pilgrimage/#/index
It is beautiful and navigates like a dream. And it is chock full of information and material. I will need some serious time to check this out in greater detail. If you have time, and inspiration, or if you need inspiration, I recommend some time here.
A nice brief article on travel trends around the world. The Shikoku Pilgrimage gets a mention in the middle. It’s nice to see and the numbers of growing tourists each year seem to be a reflection of this as well. More people are finding the trail out here. A UNESCO designation may be soon in the coming as well. We may be living in some interesting times to come!
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6557251/the-trends-shaping-the-travel-industry-in-2019/
A very nice write-up about Jasper Winn on his ohenro adventure in Japan. A very light article with an unfortunate sentence about how the Heart Sutra, and the recitation thereof was “annoying” to his spirituality.
Oh well, you can’t please everyone. At any rate, despite the annoyance here is hoping to this article inspiring more pilgrims to come this way, and hopefully to be a little less annoyed at the cultural and spiritual elements of the pilgrimage.
Check out this article by the Mainichi!
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200112/p2a/00m/0na/002000c
“Omotenashi” is an expression you hear often in hospitality circles. It can mean a lot of things, but it is the term to best express the thoughtful and gracious reception we get as foreign visitors to Japan. There is kindness, empathy, care, and a desire to “share the moment”. Elegant, and very Japanese.
Most certainly word of people’s experiences on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage is getting out more and more. One of the participant on the Ohenro San お遍路さん Facebook group shared this link. I want to share it with you here too.
I will keep posting more articles as I find them. If you see something on-line that you think should be here for others to discover, please drop me a line and let me know!
Thanks so much and travel safe!
Your Pilgrimage in Japan 