JOURNEY METRICS
Below is a summary of my total expenses divided across 5 key categories. The figures are in Yen but you can switch to alternative currency calculations based on recent exchange rates using the drop down. A day by day breakdown of expenses is available here. The totals cover 50 days - 47 days around Shikoku, 2 at Koyasan and my relatively short journey back home.
The distances I walked each day depended primarily on where I was going to stay for the night. How far you do walk depends on many other factors such as the terrain, the weather, your physical fitness etc. I found an early start was usually better than a late finish. The maximum distance I walked on a single day was 43km and the average distance I covered on days I walked was 26.4km. I have included a detailed timeline for each day to give a good idea of the actual walking time and the total time I spend each day from start to finish.
The number of temples you can visit on any given day depends on their proximity to each other, how easy they are to access and availability of places of stay. The mountain top temples do take longer to get to so please take a look at the elevation details of the more challenging to access temples.
There are a lot of different types of lodging available along the ohenro trail. My intention was to keep my lodging expense to a minimum and on the whole I succeeded. My total expenditure for the 47 days in Shikou was about ¥40,000. Please look at a more detailed listing of all the places I actually stopped at. I also have a full listing of many other places available too.
The basic weather metrics were as follows. These refer to the 47 days around Shikoku.
The following calendar view spans the period February 22nd to April 12th. It includes 2 days at Koyasan and the final day is the day I returned to Tokyo. There were several days with severe wet weather but on the whole I recall the pilgrimage being mostly sunny or sunny/cloudy. The best advice I can give regarding wet weather is to keep your feet dry and to use a long lightweight poncho that covers you and your pack.
