Shikoku's 88 Temples Circuit 四国八十八箇所巡り

The 88 Temple Pilgrimage is a 1,647 km Buddhist pilgrimage circuit around the island of Shikoku. It passes through 108 temples (20 of which are not numbered), including 88 that are said to have been founded by monk and scholar Kūkai (空海), better known by his posthumous title Kōbō Daishi (弘法大師).

Kōbō Daishi was the founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism, which has its headquarters at Kōya-san in Wakayama prefecture.

The pilgrimage starts from Ryōzenji, near Naruto in Tokushima prefecture, follows a clockwise circular route, and terminates at Ōkuboji in Kagawa prefecture. It takes approximately two months to complete the journey on foot through the official trail. It is estimated that 100,000 pilgrims, known as henro-san (遍路さん), carry out the journey annually.

Most travel by bus, by car or by bicycle, and those setting out on foot are a small minority. It is possible to stay over at about half of the temples for roughly ￥4000 the night, meals included. Each temple has an official stamp to prove that one has been there. Although this is a common practice in tourist spots all over Japan, the circuit's temple don't hesitate to charge ￥300 for the privilege. Many pligrims complete the circuit with a visit to Kōya-san.

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