Welcome to Shikoku, Japan’s best-kept secret island nobody talks about \u2013 but everyone should be. Translating to ‘four lands,’ Shikoku is the smallest of Japan’s main islands, yet it’s big on beauty and adventure. But don’t expect a bullet train zipping you around the island because Shikoku prides itself on being the most rugged, remote, and refreshingly under-traveled of Japan’s islands. Fewer roads, fewer crowds \u2013 more charm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I first heard of Japan’s Shikoku Island after I had finished the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage and was looking for alternative hikes to the Camino de Santiago <\/a>in other countries.\u00a0 The Shikoki 88 Temple Pilgrimage was one of the options. When I heard about this multi-month Pilgrimage around an obscure island in Japan, hiking from temple to temple, I was immediately intrigued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shikoku offers three things I love the most about travel\u2014it is off the beaten path, full of cultural opportunities, and has a fantastic long-distance hiking adventure. I knew Shikoku would be on my itinerary the next time I visited Japan!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Table of Contents<\/p>\n