88 Temple Pilgrimage

All of us have a yearning to get out and explore the world. Whether it ends up happening or not, well, that's really up to the individual 😅. So I am going to talk about an exploration opportunity I have yet to seize. I previously mentioned growing up I had a fascination with mythology and folklore. Japanese mythology and folklore was the most captivating and intriguing. With Pokemon, it was a mix of both for me. It was its own lore and tied classic folklore into some of their character designs. Playing as a young kid out on an adventure, exploring the continent, collecting badges from Gyms. My curiosity only increased when it was discovered that the Pokemon maps were based on actual locations! Traveling for me in the US was a pretty regular occurrence, but after my parents’ divorce, the traveling only really extended to Arizona the furthest. I really wanted to get out there and see the world but I could not travel without both parents' permission due to their divorce agreements. I really wanted to be a foreign exchange student but I was unable to leave the state. But looking back I see how out of budget it would have been for both parents 😅. It was my goal to always visit Japan, and I had quite a bit of money saved up at one point to buy a one way ticket and just go and get lost, but came to better judgment.

 The dream of Japan stayed alive all through high school, and I started to seek knowledge from my elders and explore my past. This led me to my old day care, Magic Hours. In my senior year of high school I would make a trip to my old preschool to talk with my old director, Mrs. Patty. Instead of Tuesdays With Morrie, it was Wednesdays With Patty. We would talk about expectations, dreams/ aspirations/ fate/ death/ regrets. I learned a lot from those talks and it was great to see through the eyes of my elders. I was coming up on the month of June and it was going to be the final meet up. Once I arrived she had a gift on the table neatly wrapped. I did not open it in front of her. Thanking her, I set it in my backpack and we began our final talk. It ended and I said my goodbyes and I began the long walk home to my mom’s home and I decided to open the gift. It was a copy of DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: Japan. It was simply amazing! Exactly spot on gift, really. The book had everything; festivals, temples, gardens, theaters, crafts, nightlife, martial arts destinations, transit system maps. It was loaded with all the information. I got home and dove in and started flipping through it. I pick a random page and land on something that feels like fate. I land on a section called Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. I read on how it is a pilgrimage around the island and traditionally started in, get this, the town of Naruto. If you have read my previous post ‘Idols’ (link down at the bottom), you will understand how much that stuck out to me. As a pilgrim you can either walk, take a tour bus, or rent a bicycle for certain areas and / or a cab. Traditionally on foot, you can start in the town of Naruto, and dress in the pilgrimage attire with your robe, hat, and hiking stick to make your way all around the island stopping at the prime 88 Temples. There are more than 88, there are more optional temples but there are a core of 88 official ones required. It could take anywhere from 40 - 60 days to do it on foot! At each temple you gain a stamp for your book that is provided and at the pilgrimages end, you sign your name in a giant book. I immediately felt the similarities of exploring a place and collecting “badges”. Sleeping out in the wilderness or staying at an inn from time to time at night as we trek our way across the island by day. I felt that instant connection with this pilgrimage and I hope to be able to go forward and complete it before I get too old now 😅. It is definitely up there on my Bucket List, which would not be a bad post for me to write about here! So I will ponder on that a bit and see what I come up with! That will be it for today! And as always, till next time guys!