Wilderness-Travel-2017-Catalog

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FOR MORE DETAILS ON OUR ASIA TRIPS, VISIT 87
We hike alongside Japanese pilgrims from all walks of life on this unique journey.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Hike pilgrim paths to the legendary
temples of Shikoku
• Explore the traditional Iya Valley, with its
thatched houses and vine bridges
• Meet pilgrims and hikers, sample
Shikoku’s delicious fresh seafood
• Visit Matsuyama-jo, one of the most
famous original castles in Japan
DETAILS
• 11-day trip begins and ends in Osaka
• 9 nights hotels, inns, and ryokans, 1 night
temple lodging
• All meals included except 1 dinner
DATES
May 21-31, 2017
Oct 15-25
TRIP COST
$6695 (11-12 members)
$7095 (9-10 members)
$7495 (7-8 members)
Single supplement: $1250
TRIP LEVEL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Easy to moderate hikes, 2-5 hours a day
on hiking days, walking tours, many
temple stairs
BLAINE HARRINGTON III
For 1,200 years, o-henro-san (pilgrims) have walked the
88-temple pilgrimage route across Shikoku Island,
following in the footsteps of the great 8th century Buddhist
saint Kobo Daishi, the most revered figure in Japanese
Buddhism. We’ve selected the most beautiful temples—and
hikes—to create a captivating journey across this legendary
isle. You’ll follow trails between venerated temples, climb
one of Shikoku’s highest peaks, and discover the remote
Iya Valley, a vestige of old Japan with its kazura-bashi (vine
bridges) and 300-year-old thatched farmhouses. Cultural
adventures abound, from a soak in the thousand-year-old
Dogo Onsen (hot spring) to stays at a temple lodging and a
welcoming family-run ryokan in the mountains.
Days 1-4 Osaka / Koyasan Monastery / Temple Hikes
Our journey begins at Koyasan, the monastery where Kobo
Daishi is buried. Pilgrims traditionally come here to ask for
his “support” before starting their hikes and we’ll do the
same. After getting our pilgrim’s “passport” (to be stamped at
each temple), we boat to Shikoku and begin our pilgrimage
at Ryozen-ji, the first temple on the circuit. We’ll also visit
Kakurin-ji, a mountain temple 1,500 feet above the sea, and
a temple where pilgrims touch an ancient tree said to have
been planted by Kobo Daishi.
Days 5-8 Iya Valley / Matsuyama / Dogo Onsen In the
Iya Valley, whose high peaks and deep gorges made it a
safe haven for the Heike Clan during the civil wars of the
12th century, our hike brings us up sacred Tsurugi-san (6,412'),
a peak steeped in legend. After a visit to the famed Taga-jinja
Fertility Shrine, we hike to Iwaya-ji Temple, perched on
a cliffside above the valley floor. In Matsuyama, explore
Matsuyama-jo, a castle with bird’s-eye views of the Seto
Inland Sea, and soak in Matsuyama’s Dogo Onsen hot springs,
one of the oldest public bath houses in Japan, with a history
dating back a thousand years.
Days 9-11 Kompira-san / Okubo-ji / Awaji Island / Osaka
We visit Zentsu-ji Temple, where Kobo Daishi was born, walk
through an underground tunnel that pilgrims must “feel” their
way through, then climb the 1,368 steps to the Shinto shrines
of Kompira-san, dedicated to sailors and seafarers. Our final
stop is Okubo-ji, or Temple 88, the last temple on the pilgrimage
trail and a must-see for us. After an overnight on Awaji Island,
known in Japanese folklore as the birthplace of Japan, we
depart on Day 11 via Osaka.