by Shikoku Henro Trail Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:43 am
Originally posted by member "Goat" on April 19, 2017.
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« Reply #7 on: Apr 19th, 2017, 11:48pm »
Hey AVR,
Happy my post was of some use to you. Best of luck with your Henro. I'm near the end of my 2nd one, this time in the "normal" direction. My blog has been suffering as I abandoned my plan to post regularly from the trail - too tired at night, and battery life on my MacBook is precarious. Instead, I've been doing one daily/nightly picture from the day on Instagram. If you're a part of that gang, my IG handle is; goattrackphotography .
As for your own camping, here's my goatly wisdom. I have never, to my recollection, on either Henro I've done, asked a local or anyone else if I can camp. I don't mean that to sound arrogant or rude, but I am a seasoned Leave No Trace camper and nobody would ever know I have been there. Why complicate things and - if your Japanese skills are poor - stress out both parties? I'm careful about where I do it (I know I listed some scummy places in that post, but the only time I was seriously trespassing, to my knowledge, was the night I was briefly in some apparently abandoned garage - but I was desperate) and crucially, I wait till sunset or a little after, all going well. If someone should happen along and raise a ruckus, your pilgrim status will go a long way.
I haven't camped in schools etc, and only a couple of time in shrines, but I'll add a detail from this Henro. I met and hung out with a pair of young French pilgrims I nicknamed the Jinja Ninjas as their preference is for rural shrines to set their tent up in. They are fussy about quiet spots (I'm not but should be). They haven't had any trouble - they go to the back somewhere secluded and set up - after sunset. A Japanese Henro told them that even if someone found them, they'd be forgiven their trespasses since they're pilgrims.
If you're really desperate and especially if it's raining, seek out a roadside pavilion ("henro goya") or similar - and there's always bridges. Nobody will hassle you. Michi-no-eki have never let me down, though they can be noisy (traffic). I've used vacant lots, construction sites etc (desperate) without trouble - I'm gone well before sun-up. As for your skin colour, I doubt it would brand you as much more "foreign" than your average white westerner. Most of the rural folk you encounter have never left their prefecture let alone their country - we're all exotic and sometimes scary to many of the older ones. But I think most are proud or intrigued that foreigners make the effort to come to Shikoku and engage with the landscape in this way.
Go stealthily into the night & sleep in peace.
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