Tales of a Summer Henro

Pilgrims, or 'henro' as they are known in Japanese, have been walking clockwise around Shikoku, Japan's fourth largest island, for well over one thousand years. They follow in the footsteps of the great Buddhist saint Kobo-daishi, searching for the ever elusive enlightenment that he found there. They visit the 88 sacred temples, and in overcoming the hardships of the journey they become better for it. Or so the theory goes! Nowadays nearly all 'henro' travel in cars, taxis or buses, and phy...