Buddhism · 150,000+ per year
Shikoku 88 Temples 四国八十八箇所
1200 km around the Japanese island of Shikoku. Six weeks on foot, dozens of temples, one dual-carrier eSIM.
Why this pack
The 200 km between Temple 37 (Iwamotoji) and Temple 43 (Meisekiji) crosses the Kōchi mountain interior where Docomo has known dead zones. A single-carrier eSIM leaves you offline for 2–3 days here.
The Shikoku Henro is a 1200 km circuit around Japan's fourth-largest island, visiting 88 Buddhist temples associated with Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi). It's the oldest continuously walked pilgrimage in Japan and typically takes 30–45 days on foot. Most walkers combine walking and local transport.
Japanese carriers (NTT Docomo and SoftBank) both have strong Shikoku urban coverage but measurable dead zones between temples 37 and 45 in the Kōchi mountains. Our Shikoku pack uses dual-carrier failover specifically for those stages.
Route and stages.
Coverage-aware breakdown of the route. We\'ve flagged the stages where carrier choice matters.
- 01
Temples 1–23 (Tokushima Prefecture)
Eastern Shikoku, urban, good coverage.
- 02
Temples 24–39 (Kōchi Prefecture)
Mountain sections. Dual-carrier failover critical.
- 03
Temples 40–65 (Ehime Prefecture)
Return along the north coast.
- 04
Temples 66–88 (Kagawa Prefecture)
Finish circuit, return to Temple 1.
Sacred notes.
- Pilgrims traditionally wear a white vest (hakui) and sedge hat.
- Temples close around 17:00 — plan arrivals earlier.
- The Shikoku Henro is self-paced; no group walks required.
Best season: April–May (cherry blossom, mild temperatures) and October (autumn leaves). Avoid summer heat and winter snow in the mountain stages.
Shikoku 88 Temples questions.
- No. Most modern pilgrims combine walking with buses and trains. The plan is sized for a 30-day mixed journey.
After the journey