Shikoku Island Pilgrimage. Nov 23-28.
Tour Highlights
Autumn
Pilgrimage through Shikoku's unique foliage.
Walk the pilgrimage routes during Shikoku's most beautiful season, when temples
and mountain paths are ablaze with colour.
Haiku
Workshops
Draw inspiration from nature and landscapes encountered during the journey,
enjoying daily haiku workshops and evening readings.
Stay at Japan's Oldest Hot Springs:
Dōgo Onsen
Explore the historic hot spring town, experience Japan's hot spring culture, the home of the renowned haiku master, Masaoka Shiki.
Visit
Konpira-san
Climb the 785 stone steps and enjoy views overlooking the Sanuki Plain. Feel the blessings of the pilgrimage.
Spectacular
Views of the Seto Inland Sea and Mountain Temples
Immerse yourself in the unique natural beauty of the Seto Inland Sea, including
the “Temple in the Sky” Unpenji and Goshikidai.
ABOUT OUR TOUR
ABOUT THE HAIKU WORKSHOPS
Haiku workshops are held each morning before we set out, with prompts and time given for gathering inspiration as we walk. Taking our lead from haiku masters: Shiki, Basho, Issa, and other poets we encounter along the way, we explore haiku ( the three line poem), haiga (illustrated haiku with sketch or photo) and haibun ( prose and haiku combined). In the evenings after dinner we have readings and share our daily haiku discoveries.
OUR ITINERARY
A 6 day pilgrimage on the smallest of Japan's four main islands, Shikoku — home to a sacred route that connects the 88 temples where the famous monk (calligrapherand poet) Kūkai, trained over 1,000 years ago. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, this pilgrimage has been practiced for centuries and remains a vital part of Shikoku’s cultural identity. Fully guided walks with our own mini van and driver. Visiting a select few temples we will have an opportunity to learn about the history and culture of an extraordinary lineage, reflect on the lives of past pilgrims and poets who travelled these paths. Daily haiku workshops, guided walks and scenic drives take us deep into the autumn landscapes where we gather observations for our haiku explorations.
Day 1. We start our journey in the afternoon in Matsuyama, the birthplace of the renowned haiku master Masaoka Shiki, staying 2 nights at the historic Dogo Onsen, Japan's oldest onsen, which features the original 1894 wooden Honkan bathouse,
an inspiration for Japanese poets and writers across time. Known as Haiku City,
Matsuyama celebrates haiku on trams and buses, in haiku bars, and with
an annual competition for highschool students. There are post boxes
around town where you can post your haiku, stones with carved haiku and poets' hermitages to visit. Exploring the town by foot on Day 2 we visit Matsuyama Castle, Haiku Road, Hōjōen Garden, Dōgo Haikara-dōri, Dōgo Onsen Annex Asuka no Yu, Sky Walk, Dōgo Park, Ishite-ji Temple. Along the way we encounter the living culture of pilgrimage inspired by the monk Kūkai, where pilgrims walk in white robes carrying staffs symbolising the belief that they travel together with Kōbō Daishi. The temple’s ancient gate, stone Buddhas, and mysterious Mantra Cave evoke centuries of devotion, marking the quiet beginning of our own journey through the sacred temples of Shikoku. Walking: 5-6 kms
On Day 3 we travel to Unpenji Temple, the 66th temple of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage and its highest, perched about 900 metres above sea level on Mount Unpenji. Known as the “Temple in the Sky,” the mountaintop grounds are surrounded by deep forest and offer sweeping views across the mountains of Shikoku, the Sanuki Plain and the Seto Inland Sea—on clear days even distant islands appear on the horizon. For pilgrims of the past this mountain crossing was one of the most difficult stages of the journey, and reaching the temple was said to bring a deep sense of accomplishment and peace. We later visit Zentsū-ji, one of the largest temples on the pilgrimage and the birthplace of the great Buddhist monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi), where spacious grounds, historic halls and a five-storey pagoda create a serene atmosphere. We stay at the temple lodging in Zentsūji. Walking: 6.6 kms
On Day 4 we visit Kotohira-gū Shrine, affectionately known as Konpira-san, long revered as a guardian deity of seafarers. The approach climbs 785 stone steps through cedar groves to the main shrine, where views open across the Sanuki Plain and the distant Seto Inland Sea; along the way we see the Omote Shoin with sliding-door paintings by Maruyama Ōkyo and stone monuments inscribed with poems by writers such as Matsuo Bashō, Kobayashi Issa and Kitahara Hakushū. After visiting the shrine we return to the lively temple town for lunch at leisure among its famous udon restaurants, then explore cultural sites including the historic Kanamaruza Theatre—one of Japan’s oldest kabuki theatres—and the Kinryō no Sato Sake Museum. We stay at Kotohira Onsenkyo.Walking: 9 kms.
On Day 5 we visit Goshikidai, a serene mountainous area overlooking the Seto Inland Sea, famed for its striking vistas and five peaks—Akami-ne, Kinomi-ne, Kuromine, Aomine, and Shiramine—named by Kūkai after the sacred colors of Buddhist mandalas. The mountains host two pilgrimage temples: the 81st, Shiramine-ji, with its Edo-period main hall and Daishi Hall, and the 82nd, Nekō-ji, a forested temple known for the legend of the Ushi-oni and its Hall of Ten Thousand Kannon Statues housing around thirty thousand figures. Walking along the historic Negō-ji Path, with stone mile markers, pagodas, and ancient ruins, visitors can feel the presence of centuries of pilgrims, while in autumn the trails are carpeted with vibrant red and yellow leaves, creating a breathtaking tunnel of foliage set against the gentle light of the Seto Inland Sea. We stay at Toresta Hakusan. 9 kms.
Day 6. After breakfast we visit Ōkubo-ji Temple, the 88th and final temple of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, where pilgrims complete their long journey and experience a sense of fulfilment. Nestled in the quiet Sanuki Mountains
and surrounded by forests, the approach is lined with cedar and maple
trees, and walking sticks (kongōzue) offered by previous pilgrims stand
along the path, quietly conveying their prayers and memories. The main
hall emerges through autumn foliage, creating a serene atmosphere
perfect for reflection, gratitude, and contemplation of new steps in
life. Here we hold our final haiku workshop, putting the pilgrimage into
words, before providing transport to the nearest station, where the
tour concludes. 6kms.
$4750 AUD Twin Share, Early Bird. Pay your deposit $950 AUD asap then pay in full by June 15.
Limited singles. Single supplement $450 AUD
PAYMENT
Payment details are sent on your expression of interest. Use the booking form below.
Inclusions: Ground transport, accommodation in small ryokans, breakfasts and dinners and some lunches, temple, museum tickets.
Exclusions: Airfares, travel to and from tour start and finish, travel insurance, personal extras, alcohol and extra drinks.
Experience the journey
DIETARY PREFERENCES
Vegetarians and vegans can be catered for with advance notice. Gluten free is more difficult. While it may be possible to omit certain items that obviously contain gluten, such as bread or noodles, it is impossible to provide fully gluten-free meals due to the use of certain staples that serve as the basis of so many dishes in Japanese cuisine. Please let us know in advance of any allergies or ingredients you may wish to avoid. However we cannot take responsibility for what may or may not be in any particular dish.
Masaoka Shiki was born in 1867 and is considered to be one of the the great haiku masters alongside Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), Yosa Buson (1716-1784), Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) and Fukoda Chiyoni (1703-1775). Shiki suffered from tuberculosis which worsened when he served as a war correspondent in China. Returning to his hometown Matsuyama to stay with the novelist Natsume Soseki, he took on disciples and promulgated a style of haiku
that emphasized gaining inspiration from personal experiences of nature. He is credited with modernising the haiku form in the Meiji era by introducing the concept of Shasei or 'sketching from life' which he learned from his artist friends. He argued that haiku is a legitimate literary form and deserved to be recognised as such. Here are some autumn haiku by Shiki...
autumn is leaving
tugging each others' branches
two pine trees
Autumn evening sky,
a single crow returning
to its distant pine.
Matsuyama castle
the keep is higher than
the autumn sky
(keep is the castle tower)
morning coolness
purple clouds are
vanishing
Find more of Shiki's haiku here.
PREVIOUS TOURS
Our Shikoku pilgrimage will be our 6th Haiku Walk in Japan. See here for pics from our other tours. Below is a haibun account by one of our writers from our 2025 Haiku Walk on the Nakasendo Way.
Along the Kiso Road — Walking, writing and shared days in Japan.
by Edwina Cowdery
Each morning after breakfast we write together the way we walk; side by side, sometimes in step, sometimes drifting apart—trusting the path ahead will hold us all. Japan gives us the cadence. Trains arriving precisely on time. Tea poured without hurry. Toilet shoes. Between these rituals, we open notebooks, uncap pens.
First, we read the haiku masters, taking turns. Bashō. Chiyo-ni. Shiki. Short poems, long silences. The room listens, too. These voices do not instruct; they tune our listening. Their lightness gives us permission to be exact without being heavy, brief without being small. Reading them aloud steadies the air between us.
thin autumn light—
a single line
holds the room
We walk during the day—through forests, along shrine paths, between post villages. Some of us stop to write as we go; others carry the day quietly, storing it in the body, in a photograph, in a remembered turn of light. Later, it finds the page. Our feet shape our sentences. Our breath creates spaces between words. Writing becomes a way of letting the day move through us before it settles into memory.
In the evenings, Jan invites us to read—not drafts, not explanations, just a share from the day in whatever form it has taken: a haiku, a fragment, a list, a sentence still warm from our writing hands. There is no critique. No fixing. The words are quietly received, like offerings placed at a forest shrine. We listen without reaching for anything.
open notebooks—
what was seen today
rests between us
This cadence offers companionship without pressure. You can speak or remain silent. Either way, you are counted. Hearing another person read their day enlarges your own. A detail you missed—steam lifting from a ramen bowl, a crow’s angled hop—finds a place in your own mind. Connection happens sideways, without declaration.
Jan holds the space with an ease that feels fearless because it is so grounded. She trusts the form, trusts the silence, trusts that attention is enough. Her invitations are gentle and exact. Read when you’re ready. Listen fully. Let it land among us.
She understands that legacy lives in practice, not polish. That humanity shows itself when words are allowed to be provisional. Under her care, we learn that reading aloud is an act of courage and of service—offering the day back to the group, unarmoured.
shared breath
one voice, then another,
night settles in
Over time, something collective forms. Not a style, but a tempo. Reading together slows us into a common pulse. Writing together keeps us porous. We begin to notice thresholds everywhere: between walking and resting, seeing and saying, solitude and company. Our writing teaches us how to belong—to place, to one another and back to ourselves.
When we leave, we carry home more than notebooks full of jottings. We carry a rhythm sturdy enough to return to: read, walk, listen, write, read. Repeat. This is what the cadence offers—connection without demand, growth without force, a quiet lineage of attention passing from voice to voice, day to day.
bowls cleared away
our favourite haiku
still between us as we part