Cycling and Hiking Shikoku’s 88 temple pilgrimage route in Japan: Temples 22 – 51

The pilgrim’s ordeal

Kobo Daishi travels with you. Statue at Cape Muroto

I stood, weak and dizzy, at the foot of the steep stone stairway to the grey tiled temple of Ishiteji, the 51^st temple on the ancient Buddhist pilgrimage around the lush, mountainous island of Shikoku, Japan. ‘What was I thinking?’ I gritted my teeth, wiping sweat off my brow as I hobbled painfully up the uneven steps to the temple. ‘Why did I ever think that bicycling and hiking the Henro Michi pilgrimage would be a great idea?’ I mumbled miserably.

At the top of the steps, I peered into the latticed wooden windows partially concealing a dimly lit statue of the Buddha surrounded by twinkling golden lanterns. Below me, a large stone incense bowl wafted smoke from the three sticks I had lit in honor of our visit. I shoved a clammy hand into the pocket of my white henro (pilgrim) shirt. Down the back of my shirt, the words written in Japanese proclaimed, “Two traveling together,” referring to the belief that pilgrims were always accompanied by the spirit of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism.

Cycling/hiking Shikoku’s 88 temple pilgrimage route in Japan: Temples 1 to 21

Becoming a pilgrim

Self-consciously, my husband, Lorenz, and I walked to the entrance to Temple 1, Ryozenji, to perform the sacred rituals for the first time. Dressed in crisp, new, white henro (pilgrim) vests, we bowed with hands in prayer at the temple’s imposing wooden entrance gate, flanked by scary demons. Protectors of the dharma (or sacred Buddhist teachings), the eight foot scary, wrathful deities glared at me. I swallowed hard before stepping past them. Was I worthy of entering? I am not Buddhist. Nor is Lorenz. We had come to hike and bike the Henro Michi for personal, not religious reasons.[i] Still people from all faiths, and no faiths, are welcomed to walk, bike, take buses or even drive to worship at the 88 temples on this thousand year old pilgrimage that spans over 1040 kilometers around the traditional island of Shikoku, Japan.

A return to Shosan-ji:

Following the Buddhist pilgrimage route to the 88 temples of Shikoku

We leave tomorrow to return to the remote Buddhist mountaintop temple of Shosan-ji in Japan. I am excited, nervous and more than a little curious to visit this beautiful, mystical place that our family stumbled upon so many years ago.

During our family’s cycling journey around the world, we got lost—horribly lost—in the steep mountainous interior of the island of Shikoku on Japan. We ended up camping on a freezing cold, windy, mountaintop below the Buddhist temple of Shosan-ji. As we awoke to an icy November sunrise over the grey-tile-roofed temple the next morning, we were startled to hear the tinkling of bells. Astonished, our family gazed bleary-eyed out of the tent at a group of white robed pilgrims, tapping their staffs adorned with tiny bells, as they walked up to the temple.

Cycling the historic Canal du Midi in France:

From Toulouse to Sete

Voila! We finally found the perfect bike trip for everyone! The Canal du Midi across southern France. This easy, historic and picturesque bicycle trip offers a dream vacation for anyone who can pedal a few miles on a flat path. The canal is one of the most unique UNESCO World Heritage sites. Its bike path (once a donkey towpath) winds 240 very easy kilometers (150 miles) past delightful medieval villages, ancient Roman sites and rolling French vineyards.

If you have ever dreamed of trying out a bike trip—for a day, a weekend, or a week—this is the perfect first (or fiftieth) adventure for you. Best of all, there are a number of companies who will organize your hotels, rent bicycles to you and carry your luggage along the way (see resources at the end of this blog). Of course, for those on a budget, you can also camp or stay in the many gites (homestays) and hostels along the way.

Car-free in Carcassonne

Biking across the Pont Vieux in front of Carcassonne castle

As some of you may know, we are currently living in the south of France, in the medieval hilltop city of Carcassonne. Without a car. We decided to try the French lifestyle and are “toodling around on bikes dans la campagne francaise“[1] instead of driving everywhere. More accurately, we are trying out a life of picking up our fresh baguettes and croissants in the morning by walking to the local épicierie. Cycling to the local open air marché to fill up our panniers with farm fresh lettuce, freshly picked local oranges and homemade cheese every Saturday. And wandering for hours around the red-tile roofed Mediterranean villages on the French coast, just an hour’s train ride away on our weekly excursions.

Cycling New Zealand’s wild West Coast

Glaciers, snow covered Alps and rainforest: from Wanaka to Greymouth

Christmas morning dawned quietly in New Zealand’s lush Makarora River valley, winding below snow capped Mount Aspiring National Park. Outside our simple backpackers cabin, our bicycles stayed dry, tucked under the eaves, as the rain pattered softly on the roof. Lorenz and I dug into our clothes panniers to find the few small Christmas gifts we had been hiding for days on our bicycles. We laid out our tiny stash under our impromptu Christmas “tree”—a bouquet of green ferns and bright red cherries hanging from branches that Lorenz had gathered from a tree outside.

Cycling New Zealand’s Stunning Southern Alps circuit

From Christchurch to the Alps to Ocean Trail and Wanaka

Majestic 12,000′ snow-capped mountains. Towering glaciers. Glistening, turquoise alpine lakes. High plateau grasslands lined with brilliant purple lupins. And wild, verdant coastal temperate rainforests. New Zealand’s Southern Alps Circuit is awe inspiring and jaw droppingly beautiful. It is easily one of the most stunning bike tours we have ever taken in our lives.

Cherishing the Christmas Chaos

Spending a year and a half on a bike, camping in a tent, with two children, somehow opens our eyes to truths we forget in our busy lives. This Christmas I want to share with you the words of a newsletter I wrote in Japan, on our family’s world cycling tour. They ring as true today as before–perhaps even more so as many of us struggle to feel happy about the world we live in after Covid.

20 Nights in a Tent

& Upcoming Breathtaking talks

How to spend 20 summer nights in a tent in the Pacific Northwest (even if you do have a job, the campgrounds are full on weekends, and you don’t want to travel far). NOTE: backpacking counts, but it’s not the only answer!

Cycling South Korea: The east coast route and islands

“OOOH. Look at that one!”

I pointed to the red and gold fireworks exploding above us on the long sandy beach of Yeongdeok, South Korea. Lorenz and I had pitched our tent on a camping platform, next to hundreds of other happy Korean families, squatting around fires on the beach and roasting meat on their traditional barbeques. It was Gaecheonjeol, the Korean national holiday, celebrating the beginning of the Korean people in 2333 BC, by the legendary bear-god, Dangun. For miles, the beach was filled with excited, running, laughing children, and their parents and grandparents shooting off colorful roman candles above the quiet ocean, sparkling silver under the night moon.