Hello,
I am planning a trip to Japan and I am hoping to include a 1 week section of the Shikoku pilgrimage. For anyone who has hiked it, I am looking for a contiguous approximately 1 week section of the island that is less urban. I am an outdoor enthusiast and I understand many Japanese do the trial by bus or car, so a more mountainous section is preferable. If there are other hikes in Japan that could be done cheaply in a 7 day period, I would love to know of them as alternatives. I know of Shikoku because of my time on the Camino de Santiago, but I am ignorant of other Japanese trails. I will be in Japan during the month of December, and while cold and rainy weather are not deterrents for me I want to limit my exposure if possible. I would love some input from the community.
4 comments
Does it need to be Shikoku? One of the most famous trails is [Kumano Kodo](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4952.html) trail in Wakayama. It’s also the world heritage the same as Camino de Santiago.
December severely limits your options, because most of the mountain trails will be closed for the season.
As far as The Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage is concerned – doing temples either 75 (Zentsuji) or 80 (Kokubunji) to 23 (Yakuoji) would make most sense since this would be visiting a couple of the more interesting/spectacular temples on the train plus the trail deviates inland. It’s worth noting that sections that are typically done by bus/van are ‘skipped’, because while the coastal views of Kochi are really nice, they are monotonous if you see them for multiple days.
Otherwise, you’d probably have the option of doing Nakahechi.
Kumano Kodo and Nakasendo are good alternatives. Weather in December tends to be pretty mild as well– I would compare it to November in Northern Spain.
Another issue could be snow depending on the year. Also multi-day hikes in Japan often include staying at guesthouses and they are not cheap. This will be an issue for both Kumano Kodo and the 88 temples