By failing to align their strategies, the governments of Shikoku's four prefectures have hampered their efforts to get the island's ancient Buddhist pilgrimage trail on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The Shikoku Pilgrimage trail, which links 88 temples associated with the monk Kukai, founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism, has been traveled for centuries by pilgrims seeking enlightenment.

Zenji Shingai, 77, head of a nonprofit organization in Tokushima promoting the UNESCO bid, is critical of the prefectures' efforts to get historic sites on the trail designated.