The Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage is a 1,200-kilometer route the Buddhist priest Kukai (aka Kobo Daishi) walked over 1,000 years ago. Eighty-eight temples make up the ancient path that is still walked today by the faithful and the curious. But one of the joys of the Shikoku pilgrimage is the local food found along the way, and in Kagawa Prefecture in particular, that means the Japanese favorite: Sanuki udon (thick white noodles).
This week I take you via foot, taxi and train, through wind, clouds and rain, as I slurp my way from one hot bowl of chewy noodles to another while visiting temples along the Shikoku pilgrimage.
I started this three-day section of the pilgrimage at Takamatsu Station, with the goal of doing the last six temples of the 88-temple route, covering a distance of approximately 60 km.