🌸 Noire Henro-san: Getting Ready for Shikoku

How am I preparing for Shikoku?

I

f you don’t know already, another walk is within my sight. This time it is in Japan. Preparing for Shikoku, another long distance pilgrimage, feels daunting. I am in a deeply thoughtful mood. Frankly, I am a little nervous and a little anxious… but I am going anyway. I know and trust myself.

That’s it. I’ll do the best I can. It is a simple thought that may be foolhardy. I am not overly fearful, but a few things landed on my mind.

Unpacking My Fears

Some of my concerns mirror those I had when I prepared for the camino in Spain. I walked the longest route – camino Mozárabe – to Santiago de Compostela against conventional thinking. It was my first pilgrimage. I was advised to walk one of the shorter routes but I was undeterred. I completed the trek and lived to tell the tale. Will it be the same for Japan?

Buddhist Master Kōbō Daishi walked the sacred pilgrimage route, wishing for the peace and security of Japan in the middle of a chaotic period full of civil wars and devastating disasters. After many years of reflection, he founded the famous temple complex on Mount Koya.

Not much has changed. I find myself doing the same thing – walking during a chaotic period full of wars and devastating disasters in the world – over one thousand years later. On this pilgrimage, I’ll find a way to reclaim and restore a hopeful view of the current broken world for myself and anyone who reads these words. Is that even possible?

Preparing for Shikoku

This time, I am a little wiser about what I carry on my back. I will carry one change of clothes along with the clothes that I wear. The most important items for me will be water and a little food.

Too many “rainy day’ items are often a burden to carry. Unfortunately, we feel that we need them.

What I am carrying

I am carrying the backpack that I made for the camino in Spain.

The most important task is preparing the pack to make sure it is not ripped or moldy inside. I gave it an inspection, then a good cleaning. It is weather-worn, but I love that. I would have been disappointed if I could not carry it with me to Shikoku.

Many essential items are the same preparing for Shikoku pilgrimage. I might pare down a bit more. Since I have a better idea of the things I actually need, this pack should be lighter.

What I am doing

I am vaccinated and boosted. Only months ago, Japan reopened its borders to foreigners. The pandemic and its effects around the world triggered the closure and isolation of the country. The 2020 Olympics were the exception.

Another thing that I strongly considered is the Japanese encephalitis vaccine. Encephalitis is a mosquito-borne illness that can result in a serious inflammatory reaction to a mosquito bite, specifically, the tiger mosquito. It can lead to a virus which could last a year or two. There may be bouts of fatigue, fevers, aching joints, arthritis or even death. The greatest risk of getting bitten is during the late rainy summer season.

After considering the facts – likelihood of exposure, very high cost, and alternative preventative measures – I decided not to take the vaccine. Well, time will tell if being on a budget in this instance was the right thing to do!

I am fortunate to reside in a city that has a hospital with an international travel medicine department. My consultation with the staff there included a discussion about mosquitos, other potentially troublesome insects and reptiles, fauna and flora in Japan and southeast Asia. We discussed their possible impact on me as a hiker in the area.

Also, I updated my medical profile with an annual physical which included a mammogram, colon cancer screening, and metabolic workup. Other than the lifestyle issues like diet and sleep that I was counseled to tweak, everything was fine.

I was tempted to skip some of these tests but I did not want to get in trouble with my doctor. These are the things I do to love, honor, and respect myself. Now that I have the results, I get out of bed each morning without fear or dread. I look forward to it. That is ikigai!

Maps and Things

I am studying maps for pilgrims on foot and stories of fellow henro-san who have made the trek. It is a lot. I am planning and preparing for Shikoku the best I can.

Training for Shikoku

I am preparing by training, at least, three days a week, I try to walk at least 10 kilometers or 6 miles. Many of the temples and shrines in Shikoku are atop steep hills and steps. Since I live in a fairly flat part of the U.S., I had to improvise. Any opportunity I get to climb stairs, overpasses and inclines on bridges, I take. Luckily, a local mall provides a place to climb more than two hundred stairs at a time.

Preparing for Shikoku in My Mind

Earlier, I stated that I am not overly fearful, but the usual concerns are taking a slight toll on my mind:

• foot problems,
• not enough first aid supplies,
• not finding a place to sleep for the night,
• being turned away from a minshuku, ryokan, or onsen because I am black,
• not understanding and not being understood,
• not finding a bathroom when I need one.

Possibly.

As you see, these concerns are not inside my backpack. Still, in their own way they add weight. All I can do is provide for contingencies. Yes, there will be things that I cannot control. To combat that, I’ll rely on my home training and sense of self-preservation, and a calm acceptance that things will work out.

Things that happen may bother, frustrate, or even sadden me. I may despair and relive moments, especially the ones where I feel wronged or unsafe. My sleep may be disturbed. I may feel like giving up. But those feelings won’t stay for long. Maybe a bit longer than I would like but not forever.

How do I know? Having lived on this earth a long time, I experienced bad things before. My response has always been that at the end of it all, my wit and self-respect shall remain intact.

Is it possible to overthink these preparations? Certainly. But I don’t think I have.

So this is how I am preparing for Shikoku

I am doing my best to be ready. There are some things that I cannot anticipate. I will remember how I handled them in the past. My hope is that I will be strong enough mentally and physically to meet any situation with reason and courage.

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Baadaye and Mata Ne

Shirley J 👣