It was Ryan Armstrong's dream to follow in the footsteps of the great Kobo Daishi, that is to complete the 1,200-km, 88-temple pilgrimage on Shikoku Island first made by the Buddhist saint 1,200 years ago.
His reasons were simple.
"I wanted to understand Japan and to challenge myself," says the University of Hawaii MBA student. "I wanted to know what type of person I was. Was I someone who gives up when confronted, or could I push forward in the face of adversity?"