The End and Beginning

On May 2nd, 2026, I completed my henro pilgrimage by visiting Ōkubo-ji, the 88th temple. While it signified the end of a 1,200-kilometer hike across all four prefectures of Shikoku—one that took up the larger part of two months—it definitely does not feel like an ending.

Let’s first go back to Kokubu, which I left on the 27th of April after visiting Sanuki Kokubun-ji (80) the previous day. It was a great day, weather-wise, and I had a 22-kilometer hike planned, including visits to two temples. Unfortunately, my body was getting tired and had already started complaining after just a couple of kilometers. It should not have been surprising; as I started counting back, I realized I had been walking for 23 days straight, doing a minimum of 20 kilometers per day. Still, I made it to Ichinomiya-ji (83), which was located on the outskirts of Takamatsu City.

I continued through the busy city, reaching the base of Yashima, a volcanic plateau on a peninsula in eastern Takamatsu. By that point, I had painful cramps in my calves, and my right Achilles tendon was sore, so I decided not to climb up, but instead to take a quick “cheat taxi” to the top. Yashima-ji (84) itself was beautiful, as were the views from the top of Yashima. I was also very lucky with my stay at Hotel Bokusai, which is not exaggerating its moniker of “best view hotel.” The panoramic view of Takamatsu City and its bay, with the Seto Inland Sea on the horizon, was 🙌🏼

After a good night’s rest at Bokusai, I braced myself for one last push before allowing myself a short break. Luckily, the descent from Yashima was very manageable, and although Yakuri-ji (85) is located at an altitude of 375 meters, a cable car to the top spared my legs. Yakuri-ji was, again, a stunning mountain temple. The 7-kilometer walk down to Shido-ji (86) was very relaxed, and the temple had a beautiful garden and a gorgeous pagoda. The last 6 kilometers to Nagao-ji (87) took me through mostly rural areas. The full day covered about 25 kilometers, and it was time to take a couple of days to rest before actually finishing my pilgrimage.

On the 29th of April, I had some time between hotel check-out and check-in, so I decided to take a bus to Tokushima and back. I wanted to visit the first temple—Ryōzen-ji—again. It was a strange experience, being back where it all started on March 4th. I felt a sense of nostalgia for the beginning of the pilgrimage. I was jealous of all those pilgrims who were just nervously starting out on their first day. I also immediately felt the urge to start walking to the next temple, but instead, I quickly took the bus back to Takamatsu.

The main hall of Ryōzen-ji

The next couple of days, I mainly relaxed and rested. I had a lot of sleep to catch up on, visited a barber for the first time in over two months, had an awesome shiatsu massage, and visited a museum. On the 1st of May, I also had a pre-celebration dinner with a newly made friend who disrupted her busy schedule and came all the way from Kōchi to visit me (thanks again, Yoshi-san 🙏🏻). It was great to be able to share this special moment with someone who has also experienced the pilgrimage and it’s impact firsthand.

On the 2nd of May, it was finally time to finish my pilgrimage. I took the train back to Nagao-ji (87) and started the final hike up to Ōkubo-ji. It was a nice sunny day, and although only 15 kilometers long, it was a varied and beautiful hike: a couple of agricultural areas, some last sleepy villages, and one final mountain. On route to the 88th temple, I also visited the Henro Museum, where I received my certificate and some final osettai. At exactly noon, I reached Ōkubo-ji and recited my final Heart Sutras, bringing to a close the most beautiful journey I have had the pleasure of experiencing in my life.

So while reaching the 88th temple might have signified the end of my henro pilgrimage, the journey feels far from over. In fact, it feels more like the beginning of the next chapter. I will reserve my final thoughts on the whole experience for a separate blog post, as I will need some time to digest all that has happened and everything that has changed within me during these last two months. Besides, I still have some last temples remaining…