(This week’s Japan Trip is LINKED HERE!)
“O-henro”, a pilgrimage to eighty eight temples in Shikoku, was completed just 1200 years ago. O-henro is heard to be attracting attention of foreign people highly in recent years.
Mr. David Morton of Tokushima Bunri University, who put out some information of O-henro culture in Shikoku in English, said like below.
“South Africa, Hong Kong, Netherland and other countries. It was the first time for such a lot of people to come for O-henro.”
He said that he receives emails from about thirty foreign people.
It is announced that the number of O-henro visitors is 150,000 people in a year, and about 5,000 people of them are walking actually. Most of the Japanese are using a car, especially bus tours are so popular. In touring seasons of spring and autumn, lots of day-trip buses from afar are lining around the parking of O-henro temples.
Mr. Morton says, however, the number is reaching at fifty to a hundred people a year, but almost all walk taking time. English guidebook is published only for walking.
Before that, as there was no English guidebook with maps, it was not spreading so much. But since Mr. Morton translated Japanese guidebook for walking into English and published it, it was getting popular. Already published third edition, about 3,000 copies are selling. With this book on, foreign people come to travel for O-henro.
“Foreign people who actually walked on O-henro spread out their experiences, and it was getting popular little by little.” He said.
Watching a movie of O-henro on Youtube, exchanging information and then visiting, might be the way of today.
It should be a little tough for the first trip to Japan, though. I heard someone was so embarrassed with forced sitting on his knees, which is Japanese formal way of sitting. But, there’s a custom called “Settai”, that people who are living there in Shikoku, give O-henro walkers a tea or a snack, that kind of contact with local people should be warming your heart.
By the way, as well as O-henro temples, there’re other many sights to see in the Shikoku Island. For example, like stated below.
Eat Sanuki’s udon, thick Japanese wheat noodles. Also enjoy various kinds of udon at different places.
Have a sweat in onsen(hot spring) places, such as Dougo and Nibukawa.
Have seafood of Kouchi and Ehime, from the Pacific Ocean.
Appreciate flowers, autumn leaves and so many plants of the season.
In this season, try to think about a trip to Shikoku?
We introduce Shikoku tour at this week’s Japan trip. Please take a look! (LINKED HERE)
