{Shikoku Hachijūhachikasho Meguri}

--PLANNING--
--WHAT SHOULD YOU PACK?--

What you take with you and how much of it are both questions that can only be answered by each individal walker (assuming you are walking). Just remember that everything you take has to be carried on your back every day for two months. I opted for traveling light and washing clothes often so settled on the following:

In hindsight, i think i would have substituted a heavy sweater for the fleece jacket. I would have brought a sweater that i was willing to leave behind when i was through with it and discarded it when it started to warm up enough that it wasn't needed (somewhere in Kōchi Prefecture, if you walk clockwise). If you are starting your walk in late February or early March, stick with the fleece jacket. Or, more likely, plan on a heavy fleece coat. It is still very, very cold in the mountains of Tokushima at that time of the year.

Another thing that i wonder about is the rain suit. I took a lamenated suit that didn't breath. As soon as i put it on i started to sweat, and walking in it was like walking in a sauna. It cost about $120, but a more expensive, breathable suit is probably worth the money. For my trip in Kōchi Prefecture in 2006, i bought a new, breathable, top from North Face and i'll let you know how that works out.

As for boots, i wear high top hiking boots because i have weak ankles and like the support. If that isn't a problem for you, and you are willing to walk in wet shoes, i recommend simply getting the most comfortable shoes you can afford. Even though i always call this the Henro Trail, it is very rarely a real trail. Over 90% of the entire trip is walked on asphalt or cement, and by the 6th or 7th week, my feet really hurt. I don't think this would have been an issue,or, at least would have been less of an issue, if i had had a pair of very comfortable shoes made for walking on asphalt and cement roads day in and day out. Buy the most comfortable shoes you can afford. This is not the place to try and save money.

Electricity on Shikoku, like in the rest of Western Japan, is 100 volts and 60 cycles. In addition, the plugs and wall receptacles are the same standard polarized blades as used in the United States. That means if you are coming from the US, you do not need any special plugs or adapters to run your computer or other electrical equipment. If you are coming from a country that is different, you'll need to bring the necessary adapters and transformers.

I never once used the compass. Didn't even take it out of my backpack. It is just not needed. Period. The trail is very well marked. If you get lost, ask someone to point you in the right direction. Walk a half-kilometer and ask again. You can do this as long as you want and sooner or later, you'll figure out where you are. The guidebook for walking henro is very detailed and a lot of people are familiar with it so feel free to show it to them. I was surprised at the number of people who would ask to see it and then, after turning it this way and that, figure out where i was and how to send me in the direction that i wanted to go. (Having said this, however, i admit having gotten one email from a henro who says that he took a compass and used it all the time — although he admitted still getting lost.)

To carry everything, buy the lightest backpack you can find. It doesn't have to be that big because you won't be carrying much — unless you are camping our every night and like lots of "stuff." I loved my Kelty Redwing (large). It was light and had more than enough room for everything i accumulated.

Take a large heavy-duty garbage bag with you. Open it up and put it in your backpack. Then pack everything inside of the garbage bag. Look at it as a liner for your backpack. I don't care how good of a pack you buy, it is going to leak in some of the storms you walk through. I had a good pack and a good pack cover that i put over the outside of the pack when it rained, and the inside of my pack still got wet in the first few heavy storms. That's when i got smart and started to use the garbage bag. If you don't take precautions, the contents of your pack are going to get wet — or at least damp. This includes things you don't want to get wet, like your camera and nōkyōchō. Pack everything in the plastic bag and fold the top closed before closing the pack, and everything will stay nice and dry no matter how hard it rains.

Several people have asked me if it is OK to wear shorts during the pilgrimage and that is always a difficult question to answer. Are shorts forbidden? No. Is it traditionally unacceptable? No. One of the things about this pilgrimage that separates it from others is that anything is OK. Any type of dress, any mode of transportaion, any level of participation. There is no right or wrong, only more or less traditional. By those standards shorts should be perfectly acceptable.

Having said that, though, in Japan adults don't usually wear shorts in public unless they are participating in a sport that requires it. Completely apart from pilgrimage tradition, Japanese tradition seems to be that adults don't wear shorts. This is especially true in the more rural areas — like on Shikoku. Since i am a believer in "Gou ni itte wa, gou ni shitagae" (When in Rome do as the Romans do), i opt not to wear shorts when i am in Japan even though i live in them here in the US. That is, of course, only my personal opinion and should be taken as such. Each henro needs to make their own choice.