Shikoku

Are we ready for another pilgrimage?
What?  You say we haven't done the full Camino de Santiago yet?
But a night or two ago we watched the PBS Sacred Journeys episode on Shikoku and strolling through the Japanese countryside sounds delightful.  PBS has the whole episode for you to watch on its website, at least for the moment.  The Shikoku pilgrimage is a bit more challenging than the Camino Frances because it is 750 miles (not 500) around the island of Shikoku, visiting 88 Buddhist temples, many of them where Kobo Daishi, the Buddhist monk who brought Buddhism to the Japanese masses in the 9th century, studied and trained.  They say allow 45 days to complete it if you are walking, but many Japanese complete the pilgrimage by car, train or bus.  Below is a map of the island from the RandomWire blog by David, an English software engineer living in Japan who did the pilgrimage on foot last year.

He set off from Tokyo and began his walk May 1st, the same day of the year that we seem to begin our pilgrimages.  Like us because of International Labor Day, he was "slightly nervous about finding accommodation given that it’s golden week".  The night he arrived he had a "deliciously healthy dinner" and the first day of walking he had "an exceedingly healthy breakfast".  But alas, no photos of the meals although they must have been vegetarian.

(nokyocho 納経帳)

David has lots of photos and information in his day by day account of the pilgrimage and since he knows Japanese, he adds Japanese names with Japanese characters.  He also must have a fitness monitor since he lists his total steps for the day (1st day: 29,400 steps).  Juan would like the pilgrimage because at each temple they sign and stamp your pilgrimage journal (nokyocho 納経帳) and as you can see, it is a work of art.

 One can also tour Shikoku by train with a Shikoku Rail Pass but the lines don't exactly follow the pilgrimage route.  The Shikoku District Transit Bureau has a helpful website in English with bus routes you can follow to the 88 temples.  Tourism Shikoku, the official tourism guide for Shikoku, has information in English with a brochure on the henro (pilgrim) trail as well as information on the food (including markets), accommodations, etc. and brochures and maps on the various cities and sites of the island.


One of the sites they recommend is Dojo Hot Spring, upon which the animated movie "Spirited Away" is supposedly based.  I can see that one would have to do a lot of planning for a trip to this island.  And we better brush up on our Japanese...

Oh My, Here We Go Again: Tokyo Eye 2020

Funabashi Wholesale Market

I don't know if I'm ready for the Tokyo Olympics in three years but I do enjoy NHK's documentaries.  If only other countries had similar programs in English!  Heck, I'd even take documentaries on France in French and on Italy in Italian.

This evening I watched the Tokyo Eye 2020 episode on Tokyo's Amazing Backyard, Part 3: Funabashi.  Funabashi is about a half hour train ride east of Tokyo in Chiba prefecture.  They have a regional wholesale market there that you can visit instead of Tsukiji and actually buy the fish.  Tokyo's Amazing Backyard, Part 1 is on Kawasaki, to the southeast of Tokyo, and Part 2 is on Omiya, to the north of Tokyo.  In Omiya, in Onari, Saitama City, is the Railway Museum which looks like it would be fun for kids because they have simulators.
Naturally I can't ever remember what I've watched so here goes another list. The TVDB has a list of programs and I didn't realize they went back to 2015.  I'm not sure what the relationship is between the first list and the ones by year.  Also the links to the NHK videos won't last since they only have the most recent ones available.  For the earlier ones, one has to go to youtube and hope someone has posted them there.

Episode Number,  Episode Name,  Originally Aired
1 x 1 Shibuya Special Part 1: Transformation 2015-04-01
1 x 2 Shibuya Special Part 2: Hitting the Streets 2015-04-08
1 x 3 Ginza Rediscovered, Part 1: Roots of Tokyo Culture 2015-04-15
1 x 4 Ginza Rediscovered, Part 2: Two Sides of Ginza 2015-04-22
1 x 5 Tokyo Wholesaler Guide 2015-04-29
1 x 6 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 4: Latvia 2015-05-06
1 x 7 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 5: Cameroon 2015-05-13
1 x 8 Fusion of Past and Present: Akasaka 2015-05-20
1 x 9 Tokyo Ramen Adventure 2015-05-27
1 x 10 Flowers and Sweets for All: Jiyugaoka 2015-06-03
1 x 11 Mission Akihabara, Part 1: Starter Kit 2015-06-17
1 x 12 Mission Akihabara, Part 2: Expert User 2015-06-24
1 x 13 ICT Tokyo: Smarter Tourism 2015-07-01
1 x 14 Tokyo Tower vs. Skytree 2015-07-08
1 x 15 Farming in Tokyo?! 2015-07-15
1 x 16 The World of Sake and Wine 2015-07-22
1 x 17 Getting into Kimonos 2015-07-29
1 x 18 Shinagawa: A Warm Welcome to Tokyo 2015-08-05
1 x 19 Entertainment 2015 2015-08-12
1 x 20 Hot Spots for Summer! Part 1: Keeping Cool Indoors 2015-08-19
1 x 21 Hot Spots for Summer! Part 2: Hassle-Free Outdoor Activities 2015-08-26
1 x 22 Gateway to Tokyo: Your Guide to Haneda Airport 2015-10-07
1 x 23 Business District on the Move: Yaesu 2015-10-14
1 x 24 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 6: Albania 2015-10-21
1 x 25 Fusion of Past and Present: Akasaka 2015-10-28
1 x 26 The Meguro Area 2015-11-04
1 x 27 Three Tokyo Islands: Part 1 2015-11-11
1 x 28 Three Tokyo Islands: Part 2 2015-11-18
1 x 29 Tokyo Anime and Manga Tour 2015-11-25
1 x 30 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 7: El Salvador 2015-12-02
1 x 31 Night Guide to Tokyo 2015-12-09
1 x 32 Tokyo Onsen Heating Up! 2016-01-05
1 x 33 TOKYO EYE on Campus: Waseda University 2016-01-12
1 x 34 Shortcuts to Deep Tokyo 2016-02-02
1 x 35 Winter Gourmet Selection 2016 2016-02-09
1 x 36 Happy to Help! 2016-02-16
1 x 37 Tokyo Science Spots 2016-02-23
1 x 38 Celebrate a Special Occasion! 2016-03-01
1 x 39 Handmade in Kachikura 2016-03-08
1 x 40 Stationery Wonderland! 2016-03-15
1 x 41 2015-2016: Season in Review! 2016-03-29
1 x 42 Capturing Tokyo 2016! 2016-04-05
1 x 43 Tokyo Ingredients Taking on the World! 2016-04-12
1 x 44 Living in Tokyo: House Hunting 2016-04-26
1 x 45 New Developments: A Tokyo Architecture Tour! 2016-05-03
1 x 46 Deep Tokyo: Shinjuku and Okubo 2016-05-10
1 x 47 Top Trends in Tokyo Cafes 2016-05-24
1 x 48 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 8: Portugal 2016-05-31
1 x 49 Urban Oasis: The Springs of Tokyo 2016-06-07
1 x 50 Futako Tamagawa: High Style and Peaceful Nature 2016-06-15
1 x 51 Looking for Laughs in Tokyo 2028-09-16
1 x 52 Staying in Tokyo 2016 2016-10-05
1 x 53 Must-See Tokyo Museums 2016-10-19
1 x 54 Aged Foods: A New Tokyo Trend 2016-10-12
1 x 55 Mejiro: Welcome to Old School Tokyo! 2016-10-26
1 x 56 Exploring Tokyo's Rivers: The Tama 2016-11-02
1 x 57
1 x 58 Cool, Fun Tokyo Tours! 2016-11-09
1 x 59 Tokyo Autumn Festivals 2016-11-16
1 x 60 Tokyo Book Tour 2016-11-30
1 x 61 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 10: Venezuela 2016-11-23
1 x 62 Multicultural Takadanobaba 2016-12-07
1 x 63 A Deeper Tokyo Experience! 2016-12-14

2015 x 1 Tokyo Wholesaler Guide 2015-04-01
2015 x 2 Tokyo Ramen Adventure 2015-02-04
2015 x 3 The World of Sake and Wine 2015-02-11
2015 x 4 Getting into Kimonos 2015-02-18
2015 x 5 Shibuya Special Part 1: Transformation 2015-04-01
2015 x 6 Shibuya Special Part 2: Hitting the Streets 2015-04-08
2015 x 7 Ginza Rediscovered, Part 1: Roots of Tokyo Culture 2015-04-15
2015 x 8 Ginza Rediscovered, Part 2: Two Sides of Ginza 2015-04-22
2015 x 9 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 4: Latvia 2015-05-06
2015 x 10 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 5: Cameroon 2015-05-13
2015 x 11 Fusion of Past and Present: Akasaka 2015-05-20
2015 x 12 Flowers and Sweets for All: Jiyugaoka 2015-06-03
2015 x 13 Mission Akihabara, Part 1: Starter Kit 2015-06-17
2015 x 14 Mission Akihabara, Part 2: Expert User 2015-06-24
2015 x 15 ICT Tokyo: Smarter Tourism 2015-07-01
2015 x 16 Tokyo Tower vs. Skytree 2015-07-08
2015 x 17 Farming in Tokyo?! 2015-07-15
2015 x 18 Shinagawa: A Warm Welcome to Tokyo 2015-08-05
2015 x 19 Entertainment 2015 2015-08-12
2015 x 20 Hot Spots for Summer! Part 1: Keeping Cool Indoors 2015-08-19
2015 x 21 Hot Spots for Summer! Part 2: Hassle-free Outdoor Activities 2015-08-26
2015 x 22 Gateway to Tokyo: Your Guide to Haneda Airport 2015-10-07
2015 x 23 Business District on the Move: Yaesu 2015-10-14
2015 x 24 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 6: Albania 2015-10-21
2015 x 25 The Meguro Area 2015-11-04
2015 x 26 Three Tokyo Islands: Part 1 2015-11-11
2015 x 27 Three Tokyo Islands: Part 2 2015-11-18
2015 x 28 Tokyo Anime and Manga Tour 2015-11-25
2015 x 29 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 7: El Salvador 2015-12-02
2015 x 30 Night Guide to Tokyo 2015-12-09

2016 x 1 Tokyo Onsen Heating Up! 2016-01-06
2016 x 2 TOKYO EYE on Campus: Waseda University 2016-01-13
2016 x 3 Shortcuts to Deep Tokyo 2016-02-03
2016 x 4 Winter Gourmet Selection 2016 2016-02-10
2016 x 5 Happy to Help! 2016-02-17
2016 x 6 Tokyo Science Spots 2016-02-24
2016 x 7 Celebrate a Special Occasion! 2016-03-02
2016 x 8 Handmade in Kachikura 2016-03-09
2016 x 9 Stationery Wonderland! 2016-03-16
2016 x 10 2015-2016: Season in Review! 2016-03-30
2016 x 11 Capturing Tokyo 2016! 2016-04-06
2016 x 12 Tokyo Ingredients Taking on the World! 2016-04-13
2016 x 13 Living in Tokyo:House Hunting 2016-04-27
2016 x 14 New Developments: A Tokyo Architecture Tour! 2016-05-04
2016 x 15 Deep Tokyo: Shinjuku and Okubo 2016-05-11
2016 x 16 Top Trends in Tokyo Cafes 2016-05-25
2016 x 17 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 8: Portugal 2016-06-01
2016 x 18 Urban Oasis: The Springs of Tokyo 2016-06-08
2016 x 19 Futako Tamagawa: High Style and Peaceful Nature 2016-06-15
2016 x 20 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 9: Denmark 2016-07-06
2016 x 21 Living in Tokyo: Making Life Easier 2016-07-20
2016 x 22 Must-See Spots 2016! 2016-07-27
2016 x 23 Tokyo Beauty 2016 2016-08-03
2016 x 24 Tokyo Island Tour! Hachijojima 2016-08-10
2016 x 25 Looking for Laughs in Tokyo 2016-09-28
2016 x 26 Staying in Tokyo 2016 2016-10-05
2016 x 27 Aged Foods: A New Tokyo Trend 2016-10-12
2016 x 28 Must-See Tokyo Museums 2016-10-19
2016 x 29 Mejiro: Welcome to Old School Tokyo! 2016-10-26
2016 x 30 Exploring Tokyo's Rivers: The Tama 2016-11-02
2016 x 31 Cool, Fun Tokyo Tours! 2016-11-09
2016 x 32 Tokyo Autumn Festivals 2016-11-16
2016 x 33 The Embassy Take on Tokyo, Part 10: Venezuela 2016-11-23
2016 x 34 Tokyo Book Tour 2016-11-30
2016 x 35 Multicultural Takadanobaba 2016-12-07
2016 x 36 A Deeper Tokyo Experience! 2016-12-14
2016 x 37 Tokyo Mottainai! 2016-12-21

2017 x 1 Youthful Ikebukuro! 2017-01-04
2017 x 2 Enjoying Winter in Tokyo 2017-01-11
2017 x 3 TOKYO EYE on Campus: Keio University 2017-01-18
2017 x 4 Tokyo with Kids in Tow! 2017-02-01
2017 x 5 Tokyo's Amazing Backyard Part 1: Kawasaki 2017-02-08
2017 x 6 Tokyo's Amazing Backyard Part 2: Omiya 2017-02-15
2017 x 7 Tokyo's Amazing Backyard Part 3: Funabashi 2017-02-22
2017 x 8 Tokyo's New Place to Go! Akabane-Jujo 2017-03-01

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