Shikkoku 88 compared to the Camino

[duncanwhyte]

[Moderator note: Some posts about the Shikkoku 88 have been moved from this thread which asks about the Camino.]

From what I've read, the Shikkoku 88 requires ceremony at the shrine and being a guest in someone's home. The Camino is more informal. It's left to the pilgrim to create as much as they require. That might be the unexpected difference.

I'm considering a visit to Japan, hopefully spring or autumn. Which I'd like to do on the hoof, camping ad hoc and exploring. Is that possible?

 

[Bradypus]

From what I've read, the Shikkoku 88 requires ceremony at the shrine and being a guest in someone's home.

Yes to the first part but not the second - or not necessarily anyway. There are set rituals to be performed at each temple though quite how strictly they are observed will vary a great deal according to the individual's own beliefs and intentions. As for accommodation - an extremely varied mix of options. In the entire 1,200 km I was only once a guest in someone's home although I did also spend a night sleeping in a daishi-do in a family's garden and another in a dedicated pilgrim hut close by a family home.

 

[HenroDon]

From what I've read, the Shikkoku 88 requires ceremony at the shrine and being a guest in someone's home. The Camino is more informal. It's left to the pilgrim to create as much as they require. That might be the unexpected difference.

I'm considering a visit to Japan, hopefully spring or autumn. Which I'd like to do on the hoof, camping ad hoc and exploring. Is that possible?

It doesn't require ceremonies at the temples (shrines are for Shinto, temples are for Buddhism, though there is some mixing) and about 95% of pilgrims stay in small inns and guest houses. A handful of temples have lodgings, and those are wonderful. It's very, very rare to stay in a private home. Wild camping is frowned upon, though a few people do it anyway. It is, however, a wonderful pilgrimage. If you search the web or Facebook for Shikoku 88 or for the word henro, you'll find lots more information.

 

[duncanwhyte]

Okay thanks for explaining.

With camping, how available are the official sites? It seems some are limited in services and some need advance booking. What's the format here?

 

[HenroDon]

Okay thanks for explaining.

With camping, how available are the official sites? It seems some are limited in services and some need advance booking. What's the format here?

As you say, some need advance reservations. There's a book called Shikoku Japan 88 Route Guide by Naoyuki Matsushita. It's the bible for walking pilgrims who can't read the Japanese guidebook. (Actually, some Japanese pilgrims use Matsushita's book because the maps are better.) There are some useful websites, but no really good apps yet.

 

[Bradypus]

With camping, how available are the official sites? It seems some are limited in services and some need advance booking. What's the format here?

Very few official sites. Wild camping or sleeping in the pilgrim rest huts used to be widely tolerated but this is no longer so true. This post by the author of the definitive pilgrim guide for the Shikoku circuit lists official camp sites but also explains the growing problem which wild camping presents.

Wild Camping on The Shikoku Pilgrimage – Henro (おへんろ)

henro.co

 

[dreaming]

Just wondered how difficult you found it to get accommodation as one couple didn't continue due to no accommodation? They said tour groups booked them out

 

[dick bird]

Just wondered how difficult you found it to get accommodation as one couple didn't continue due to no accommodation? They said tour groups booked them out

I think that is more likely to happen on the Kumano Kodo. Tour companies don´t seem to have latched onto the Shikoku pilgrimage yet. The main problem might be the sheer scarcity of accommodation in remote areas.

 

[Anna&Michael]

As you say, some need advance reservations. There's a book called Shikoku Japan 88 Route Guide by Naoyuki Matsushita. It's the bible for walking pilgrims who can't read the Japanese guidebook. (Actually, some Japanese pilgrims use Matsushita's book because the maps are better.) There are some useful websites, but no really good apps yet.

There's a great app now, HenroHelper. A fabulous resource that compliments the guidebook and has info on campsites as well as other accommodation, temples, convenience stores, etc