Henro-michi (route of pilgrimage)

・Is Henro-michi a direct road? No diversions?
・There are road signs on Henro-michi?
・People of Shikoku are kind enough to respond when asked about the route?
・Is Henro-michi safe?
・Is it safe to walk on Henro-michi at night?

・How long does it take to complete the pilgrimage on foot?
・What is the difference in height along Henro-michi?
・Various data differ in the total distance of Henro-michi. Why?
・“Henro-michi”and“Shikoku-no-michi”, are they the same?
・Is it possible to walk only on the old route (kyudo)?

・Are there by-passes to walk on in case the main road is blocked?
・If one finds the blockage of road, should one report it to some agency?

■ Is Henro-michi a direct road? No diversions?

　There are various routes for pilgrimage. There is at present no authorized fixed route. There are diversions on the way and so it is easy to get lost. One should carry a detailed road map. Google map is not helpful to get to temples on the mountain top.

　Paper based map（Henro-michi Conservation Association・Hudasho 0ban・maps in foreign languages）
　Electronic map（Ohenro densi michishirube(electronic signpost)）

2016.05

■ There are road signs on Henro-michi?

　There used to be and still remain many signs posted by various organization and individuals. It was decided to unify them in 2014 and the new signs have been introduced. However some of the roads are still lacking in proper signs. One should watch out not to get lost, in particular on mountain roads. To avoid troubles please carry with you reliable maps.

2016.05

■ People of Shikoku are kind enough to respond when asked about the route?

　There is no unique path of Henro-michi. In most cases local people know and can tell you the way to follow to get to the temple you are looking for. But not all the people in Shikoku know the roads of Henro-michi. You are lucky if you encounter someone who can tell you the right routes on the spot.

2016.05

■ Is Henro-michi safe?

　On the city roads, watch out for traffic accidents. There is no road reserved for pilgrims. Cars and motorbikes run on the same roads as the pilgrims walk on.　Also please watch out for slipping on the mountain roads. Accidents have been reported. In mountains live many organisms such as wild boars, monkeys, stray dogs, poisonous snakes, insects such as ticks and chiggers. A countermeasure against insects is to wear long pants even during summer.
The risk is higher when you walk in mountainous regions. There, it is hard to ask for help in case of accidents because you rarely encounter people and the mobile phone is often out of service and so an ambulance cannot come in time. It is safer to walk on the national roads
To take the roads along coast is relatively safer. In case of tsunami you just escape in a hurry up to a safe place higher in elevation. The chance to encounter tsunami is not zero, although extremely small.

　[ on earthquakes ]
　[ disaster related links ]

2016.06

■ Is it safe to walk on Henro-michi at night?

　You are advised not to walk at night. In particular on the mountain roads the chance is higher that you may slide off from the road. Besides you may face scary nocturnal animals.

　If you are going to walk over a mountain pass, you should beforehand calculate the time you need for that. Also please be well aware of the sunset time. Mountain area is dark even during day time. Often you can’t see things clearly more than one hour before the sunset.

　[ sunset time・sunrise time (Kochi) ]
　[ English version (Osaka) ]

2016.05

■ How long does it take to complete the pilgrimage on foot?

　It takes about 33(45) days by walking at the pace of 35(25)km/day. It’s advisable to know beforehand the speed of your walk on the flat place and in mountain. It will help in fixing the plan for the next day. Please note that the walking distance is the distance not between temples but between the lodgings.
During the pilgrimage you may come across people who would ask you about the speed and sometimes brag about the time spent to cover a certain distance. For instance, “In how many hours did you walk up to Shozanji-temple?” “This time it took me 35 days in total. Next time I will make it in less time.”etc.
Please be undisturbed by such words. Pilgrimage is not a race. You keep your calmness and go ahead observing your own pace.

2016.05

■ What is the difference in height along Henro-michi?

　The height from the sea level varies from 0m up to 900m of Unpenji-temple.
The highest spiritual place in Shikoku is the mountain top of Ishizuchisan, the highest mountain in the western Japan. It is at 1,965m above the sea level. (To be noted, Ishizuchisan is not among the 88 places of Henro.)

2016.05

■ Various data differ in the total distance of Henro-michi. Why?

　There are choices for the route of pilgrimage. They differ in distance. Mountain roads are often shorter in distance but harder to walk on. That is, a shorter distance does not guarantee an easier walk.
　The collapses of cliffs, mining of limestone and urban development etc have caused the disappearance of some of the roads, due to which, at present, you cannot complete your pilgrimage by following only on kyudo(old route).
Often kyudo(old route) runs in the remote regions. And sometimes there is no proper road to walk on and can be dangerous, for instance, in case of flood. It is advisable to avoid kyudo(old route) if the weather condition is unfavorable.
　Often, but not always, there is a bypass road and you would find a sign board with a map indicating the location of the road. Without a bypass it can happen the road may be closed until when the restoration work is completed, for instance in case of flood during the rainy season (June～July) or typhoon.
The mountain roads are often neglected and it may take years to start the restoration works. Please check in advance if the road you plan to walk on is open or not.

2016.05

■ “Henro-michi”and“Shikoku-no-michi”, are they the same?

　There is a partial overlap but they are not identical. Also there are two ｢四国の道｣(Shikoku-no-michi), one by MLIT (the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) and the other by the Ministry of Environment.

　MLIT (the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)
　Ministry of Environment

2016.05

■ Is it possible to walk only on the old route (kyudo)?

　The collapses of cliffs, mining of limestone and urban development etc have caused the disappearance of some of the roads, due to which, at present, you cannot complete your pilgrimage by following only on kyudo(old route).
Often kyudo(old route) runs in the remote regions. And sometimes there is no proper road to walk on and can be dangerous, for instance, in case of flood. It is advisable to avoid kyudo(old route) if the weather condition is unfavorable.

2016.05

■ Are there by-passes to walk on in case the main road is blocked?

　Often, but not always, there is a bypass road and you would find a sign board with a map indicating the location of the road. Without a bypass it can happen the road may be closed until when the restoration work is completed, for instance in case of flood during the rainy season (June～July) or typhoon.
The mountain roads are often neglected and it may take years to start the restoration works. Please check in advance if the road you plan to walk on is open or not.

2016.05

■ If one finds the blockage of road, should one report it to some agency?

　For everybody’s convenience, please report the incident to an appropriate organization. ｢Ohenro electronic signpost｣, for instance, will forward your report to ｢Henro-michi hozon kyoryoku kyokai (conservation co-operative association)｣ and other related organizations.

　[ present status of road blocking ]

　Reporting procedures
　1 - On the map｢Electronin map (Ohenro densi michishirube(electronic signpost)｣ select ｢座標(coordinates)｣,and indicate the location od road blocage.
　2 - Click ｢Mail｣button. Then opens a mail-form by which you can send the information of latitudse and longitudes.

2016.05

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