Stage 3-1 | July 14, 2024
This was my third section-walk of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.
This time, I walked in Tokushima Prefecture over two days and one night.
I combined my car and trains, walking the parts I could.
It was not a complete walking pilgrimage.
Even so, step by step, I moved forward on my own feet.
🗺️ This Route
Main Route
- Parked near JR Aratano Station
- Temple No.22 Byōdō-ji
- JR Awa-Fukui Station
- 【JR Awa-Fukui Station → JR Kiki Station by train】
- JR Kiki Station
- Haiku Path
- Yamaza Pass Rest Area
- Temple No.23 Yakuō-ji
- JR Hiwasa Station
- 【JR Hiwasa Station → JR Aratano Station by train】
- JR Aratano Station
- Drove to a business hotel in Tokushima City for the night
I started walking from JR Aratano Station and headed to Temple No.22,
Byōdō-ji. After that, I continued toward the next stop, JR Awa-Fukui Station.
It was a day when an ordinary walk gradually began to feel like a pilgrimage.
The First Challenge of the Morning Was Finding a Place to Park
I arrived at Aratano Station while the air still held the feeling of dawn.
The first thing I struggled with was where to park.
I drove around the station area several times, then began walking with a slight sense of panic.
At that moment, all I could think about was completing the day’s plan.
But after walking all day and arriving at Hiwasa Station, I found a roadside station in front of it, with a large parking area, toilets, and places to eat.
“I should have used this as the starting point and taken the train back to Aratano Station.”
There are many things you only realize after the walk is over.
Temple No.22 Byōdō-ji
After walking for about twenty minutes from Aratano Station, I arrived at Temple No.22, Byōdō-ji.
I put my hands together in the quiet temple grounds.
May I be able to walk safely today, too.
With that wish in my heart, I headed toward the next destination.
A Pilgrim I Met at Awa-Fukui Station
After walking for about an hour and a half, I arrived at Awa-Fukui Station.
While I was waiting for the train, another pilgrim spoke to me.
He was also continuing the pilgrimage in sections while working.
That day, he had walked as far as Temple No.22 and was going home from this station.
From the next day, he would be back at work.
There was someone else walking while continuing daily life and work.
Just that made me feel a little closer to him.
As we talked more, I learned that this was his second round of the pilgrimage.
The year 2024 was a leap year.
It is also said to be a year when doing the pilgrimage in reverse order brings greater blessings.
So he had started from Temple No.88.
“I thought I would be fine because it was my second round,” he said with a smile.
But even roads he had not gotten lost on in the normal order became difficult when walking from the opposite direction. It was easier to miss the signs than he had expected.
In the end, he gave up the reverse pilgrimage partway through and started again from Temple No.1 in the usual order.
Even with experience, people can still get lost.
I felt that the Ohenro is not such an easy journey.
Over the Mountain, Toward the Sea
I took the train to Kiki Station.
From there, I walked along the Haiku Path.
At the Yamaza Pass Rest Area, I changed into shoes for mountain walking.
Then I entered the forest.
The voices of cicadas echoed around me.
In the midsummer heat, I kept walking in silence.
And the moment I came out of the mountain, the sea opened up before my eyes.
It was a view I could only meet because I had walked there.
I followed the Haiku Path.
Along the quiet mountain road, there was the Yamaza Pass Rest Area,
where I paused for a short break and checked the route ahead.
Then I entered the forest beyond the arrow.
I Couldn’t Meet the Sea Turtles. But…
That day, I had planned to stop by the beach known for sea turtles.
However, a marathon event was being held.
There were traffic restrictions on the roads, and many people cheering along the sidewalks.
Because of the crowds, I gave up on going to the beach.
I felt a little disappointed.
Still, I stopped and cheered for the runners.
“Keep going!”
Usually, as an Ohenro pilgrim, I am the one receiving encouragement from local people.
But that day, I was the one cheering for marathon runners while dressed as a pilgrim.
It was a slightly mysterious moment.
The next temple was still far away.
Even so, watching the runners give their best somehow made my own feet feel lighter.
I felt as if my walking pace had become just a little faster.
Temple No.23 Yakuō-ji
I walked through the seaside town and arrived at Temple No.23, Yakuō-ji.
After completing my visit safely, I headed toward Hiwasa Station.
The end of the day was getting closer.
Temple No.23, Yakuō-ji.
The vermilion Yugi Pagoda
and the view from the temple grounds left a strong impression on me.
A Short Rest at a Small Shop
I took a break at the roadside station in front of Hiwasa Station.
The place I entered was a tiny shop that became full with about four people.
An elderly woman welcomed me kindly.
I ordered a dish called “Minami Awa Don: Migiagari Don.”
It was a bowl topped with bigfin reef squid and Awaodori chicken.
After walking all day, it was just what my body needed.
It was not luxurious.
It was the kind of deliciousness that makes you feel relieved.
The day’s walking journey ended at JR Hiwasa Station.
The local dish “Minami Awa Don,” which I found near the station,
became another reason to want to visit again.
A Day That Left More Atmosphere Than Photos
From Hiwasa Station, I took the train back to Aratano Station, then drove to a hotel in Tokushima City.
Looking back now, I do not have many photos from this day.
At that time, I was walking with only my smartphone.
As I kept checking Google Maps, the battery drained quickly.
Under the midsummer sun, the phone became hot, and sometimes the camera would not even start.
So on this day, there were more scenes left inside me than in my photos.
The morning when I struggled a little to find a place to park.
The conversation with the pilgrim I met at Awa-Fukui Station.
The view after crossing the mountain and reaching the sea.
The time I spent cheering for marathon runners.
The bowl of food I ate in a small shop.
None of them were dramatic events.
And yet, this day truly held the kind of atmosphere that only someone who walked it could bring home.
👉 Related illustrations here
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🚶 Next｜YUMEVOJA Solo Shikoku Pilgrimage – Episode 5 (Coming Soon)
Starting from Tokushima Station, I will walk to Temples 18 and 19.
Leaving my car at the hotel, I continue my pilgrimage on foot before returning to Tokushima Station.
Today’s bonus capsule!
✨ Gateway to the Shōwa Era
―Osettai, a Kindness Passed Down
The Showa era (1926–1989) was a time when modern technology and ideas began to transform everyday life in Japan.
When walking the Shikoku Pilgrimage, pilgrims sometimes receive osettai.
It may be a cold drink, a piece of fruit, or simply warm words like, “Keep going.”
For someone who has been walking for hours, that kindness becomes an unforgettable memory.
Looking back, most of the people who offered me osettai were from the generation that lived through the Showa era.
Of course, this does not mean that younger people never do it.
But the Shikoku Pilgrimage is a culture that has continued for more than a thousand years.
As fewer people walk and more people visit the temples by car, the scenery of the pilgrimage may be slowly changing.
Still, I hope the kindness toward travelers will continue to be passed down, even as times change.
Now, as I write this article, I am remembering the kindness I encountered on that day.