Minimum Backpack

As a senior, days of camping have faded away. In the infant stages of planning my first Henro experience, a second trip to Japan. Luggage usually consists of a carry on and small day pack. Currently, I envision leaving my main bag at a hotel and continuing on with just the day pack. Time of the year would be late October into November.

The day pack would contain a change of clothes and other 'essentials.' For a solo walking trip, is this too minimalist? Is it a good idea to bring along a sleeping bag? Would be staying in Minshuku, Ryokan, Zenkoyado, Tsuyado and wherever else Airbnb/Booking.com/ Agoda may direct at the end of a hiking day.

D.

I used a small-ish 28L backpack. You can see my complete packing list here.

I did not need a sleeping bag.

https://elizabethlindau.com/2017/03/09/pilgrimage-packing-list/

Personally I'd be a bit nervous to not have any lodging booked ahead.

" I'd be a bit nervous to not have any lodging booked ahead."

How far in advance would you book ahead?
Doesn't take much to figure that it all depends: time of the year, weather conditions, expected daily walking distance, route section difficulty, etc.

Thank you for the packing list.
Thank you Google translate and the luck in pressing the correct combination of buttons to actually order the book.

D

Are you still in the planning stage (since Japan is STILL not open to tourists)? Your minimal backpack sounds great -- I go with a change of clothes and toilet articles plus a few extras for photography, etc. If you want to stay in zenkonyado and tsuyado, you will need a sleeping bag and camping mattress. If you only stay in paid accommodations, no, and almost 100% of these places have washing machines (usually dryers as well), sometimes free, sometimes 100-300 yen including detergent.

As for AirBNB, that won't help you much. What you need is,
#1 -- (basically required) The book "Shikoku Japan 88 Route Guide" which you can learn about and order from information on the main page of this website, and
#2 -- (highly recommended) A cell phone, preferably with a Japanese SIM card (though wifi is available at most inns and convenience stores) which will give you access to Google Maps, Maps.me (important in the mountains because Google Maps lacks most mountain trails), and the comprehensive, searchable database a group of us will be making available very soon.