{Shikoku Hachijūhachikasho Meguri}

--Thoughts After Returning Home--

It's hard to explain this walk to other people. The biggest reason is that the reasons for walking are numerous and different for each person. Whatever i write on these pages may strike a chord with some of you yet do little else than amuse others while leaving them with a chuckle. But that's OK because i often find myself chuckling at myself as i read through what i have written previously — expecially what i wrote in my 1999 journal... For me, Shikoku has become a once-a-year intensive retreat in the study of Living vs Existence. They really are two separate things, but unless you are careful it is all too easy to miss the first one completely. Existence is easy — it's nothing more than physically being. But to 'live' requires using more than just the body, it also requires some work on, and some participation of the mind and sprit. So, the issue is how do i work on the body, mind, and spirit and fit that into a normal life?

While there are days i'd rather sit at home on the couch and watch TV, i force myself to do body practice on the aikido mat and in my running shoes on the side of the roads here in Lockport. At the same time, it sounds easy to say that spiritual practice is done just sitting on my zafu here at home, but that sitting can be just as hard as putting in 15 miles on the side of the road.

For me, that leaves working on the mind. To those i meet on the side of the road in Shikoku it may not seem as if i am doing any more than taking a vacation, but in reality iam doing a lot more than that. My goal on the island is to work on what i have such a hard time working on at home — living. Completely. Being fully engaged with life. Being aware, alert, and awake throughout the day. Sounds easy? It's not. Especially for me. My inclination is to live in a shell; to tune out the world; to ask all to leave me alone and in peace.

Which brings me to the streets, roads, and trails of Shikoku each spring. There, for two or three weeks a year, i participate in 'Life.' With a capital 'L.' Actively living. Accepting anything and everything that comes my way. Accepting anything and everything as equal. Participating in the interactions that i have with all of the people i meet, as opposed to just being on the receiving side of the interaction. Enjoying each and every day. Staying engaged throughout the day and not just day dreaming while i walk.

• It's about walking in the rain and enjoying it as much as walking on a bright sunny day.

• It's about dealing with blisters and continuing to walk even though your feet a screaming for you to stop.

• It's about looking for food when you forgot to stock up the day before and now find yourself out in the middle of nowhere without a store in sight.

• It's about beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. Beautiful views in and from the mountains. Beautiful views of farms and fields on long country roads.

• It's about warm breezes coming in over the beach when it's chilly. And cool, refreshing, breezes when the sun is trying to bake you on the side of the road like any other piece of road kill.

• It's about warm sunny days under bright blue skies.

• But, in the end, and most importantly, it's all about the people you meet while on the trail.

Walking in the rain can be interesting if you let it be. We usually huddle indoors when the weather is bad and don't see that life continues as usual for many. Even though it's pouring, you'll still see farmers working in their fields, fishermen working out on the docks working on their nets, mailmen on their motorbikes delivering the mail, deliverymen out making their rounds, students walking to and from school, and on and on.

I have tried everything i can think of to avoid getting blisters on my feet, but have still not found the solution. This year i completely avoided cotton and bought polypro socks. Yet, i still had blisters on my right foot — in the same place as '99 and '05. I have decided that i have some inherent problems there that makes blisters inevitable.Which sounds stupid, i know...

In any case, almost every henro is going to have to deal with blisters, and while this is certainly no fun for the week or two that it takes for them to heal, they keep you alert and alive.

As an aside, i saw a lot more English this year. Virtually all of the governmental buildings and street signs are marked in both Japanese and English. Of course all of the henro markers are bilingual. And, many (maybe most) minshuku and ryokan seemed to have their names written in romaji. All in all, it seems to be getting easier for non-Japanese speaking henro to get around the island.

The temples seemed more accessible this year. I could be wrong, but it seems that more and more of them have the front of the hondō and daishidō open so that you could see inside.

I'll be making a lot of small changes and additions to the web site based on this year's trip. Some of the areas are:

• What to pack and what not to pack.
• Specific costs.
• Typical day on the henro trail.
• Take a computer? Or, a Palm Pilot (or equivalent)?
• More information on room reservations, check-in, check-out, etc.
• Meals throughout the day.
• Taxi Pilgrimages.
• Internet Connectivity.
• How to get there and how to get back home.

As i say on many of the other pages of the site, if you see something that is missing send me a note. I'm thinking of adding a FAQ for those questions that i get the most often. But, it will do little more than point the reader to the section of the web site that already answers the question.

These changes will take some time and will probably happen over the course of the summer, so don't look for them in the near term.

My camera had battery problems this year so i took less than a dozen pictures. Luckily Tom Ward and David Moreton sent me pictures that they took when we were walking togehter, so i'll post some of those.

All in all, it was another wonderful year on Shikoku and i had a great time.

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