Camino as model for Shikoku.

Some time ago Pilgrimageandplace highlighted the Shikoku pilgrimage in Japan. (See here)

The route of the 88 temples.

The Kumano Kodō, another set of pilgrimage routes in Japan, already has connections with the Camino the Santiago. And is also on the World Heritage List.

(See my other blog to meet the Kumano Kodō!)

"The Japanese government is hoping to take advantage of the Camino de Santiago to develop the niche religious tourism sector."

"The head of the Galicia regional government, Alberto Núñez Feijoó, and the governor of Japan’s Kagawa province, on the central island of Shikoku, recently signed an agreement to work together to promote the Shikoku Pilgrimage, known as the Way of the 88 Temples."

"The Japanese government is hoping to take advantage of the Camino de Santiago to develop a niche religious tourism sector, creating its own pilgrimage circuit by uniting the two routes. The hope is that it will help boost the country’s ailing economy, as well as opening up what is still a largely insular society that has one of the lowest immigration levels in the developed world.

As with the Camino de Santiago, Japanese tourism authorities will be hoping to attract visitors also interested in trying local cuisine. The local Udon noodle and seaweed soup that comes in dozens of varieties is among the best-known dishes in the region. The area also has its own native species of chicken, as well as its particular way of preparing tuna and sea bass sashimi."
(source article see below)

See full article 'Japan looks to Camino de Santiago as model for its own pilgrimage' route from ALICIA GONZÁLEZ in ElPais here.

Pilgrimage and Place also just spotted the full documentary series from Bruce Feiler on Sacred Journeys with also a part on Shikoku-Henro. See here.