Japan’s Most Beautiful and Least Visited Island

Welcome to Shikoku, Japan’s best-kept secret island nobody talks about – but everyone should be. Translating to ‘four lands,’ Shikoku is the smallest of Japan’s main islands, yet it’s big on beauty and adventure. But don’t expect a bullet train zipping you around the island because Shikoku prides itself on being the most rugged, remote, and refreshingly under-traveled of Japan’s islands. Fewer roads, fewer crowds – more charm.

I first heard of Japan’s Shikoku Island after I had finished the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage and was looking for alternative hikes to the Camino de Santiago in other countries.  The Shikoki 88 Temple Pilgrimage was one of the options. When I heard about this multi-month Pilgrimage around an obscure island in Japan hiking from temple to temple – I was immediately intrigued.

Shikoku offers three things I love the most about travel—it is off the beaten path, full of cultural opportunities, and has a fantastic long-distance hiking adventure. I knew Shikoku would be on my itinerary the next time I visited Japan!

Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage

Let’s talk a little about what put Shikoku ‘on the map’ for most adventure travel folks—the 88 Temple Pilgrimage.  The 750-mile hike covers diverse landscapes, including mountains, forests, coastal paths, and roads. It is indeed a rugged and challenging experience. It is believed that Kōbō Daishi (akaKūkai), a Buddhist monk who lived during the early Heian period, made this journey initially. Kōbō Daishi is credited with founding the Shingon school of Buddhism and is deeply revered in Japan for his teachings and contributions to Japanese culture.

The route takes you through Shikoku’s 4 prefectures:  Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, and Kochi. The journey through these four regions is likened to a symbolic path to enlightenment, with temples 1–23 representing the idea of awakening, 24–39 austerity and discipline, 40–65 attaining enlightenment, and 66–88 entering nirvana.  This progression mimics Buddha’s path to enlightenment.

However, like the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, you don’t have to be spiritual or Buddhist to hike the trail.  Anyone can do it for any reason. I wanted to hike it to immerse myself in Japan’s culture, eat fabulous food, experience the kindness of strangers, and see beautiful landscapes.

Strangely, I could never carve out two months of time to hike the entire route, but it still remained on my travel wish list….