Sacred and Everyday Kochi (1 day)

As you start your walk, you will soon pass an elementary school. The kids are often outside running around, and some might cheerfully shout “hello” as you pass.

Your trek continues through neighborhood lanes and over bridges as you approach the first temple. The streets get narrower and you glance over a wall into someone’s garden. What is that tree growing there? Ask your guide and she can tell you. Soon you reach the end of the lane and start climbing through fruit orchards. As you continue, you find yourself in the beautifully landscaped Makino Botanical Garden. This wonderful garden shares grounds with the first temple you will visit today: Chikurinji. Set on a large terraced garden of its own, it was founded over a thousand years ago. Many rituals must be observed and your guide will lead as you first cleanse your hands with pure water. Next, light candles and incense, and finally intone the appropriate mantra for Monju, the enshrined deity of wisdom and scholarship. Don’t forget buy an omamori (good luck charm) for any students in your life.

Leaving Chikurinji, you will begin to catch hints of sea air on the wind. Arriving at temple 32, Zenjibuji, wide-open vistas of the Pacific coast stretch out beneath you. This temple serves as a center for those praying for the safety of the local fishermen and travelers as they set out to sea. After completing your own prayers, descend into the breezy, open communities below, where residential streets blend seamlessly into agricultural lands.

Right on time for a rest, you will stop for lunch at a neighborhood eatery. Afterward, a short walk brings you to the water's edge, where you will board a rare, entirely electric-powered ferry. On the other side, you’ll visit the famous Suigei (“Drunken Whale”) sake brewery (on weekdays and Saturdays only). Take a look into the brewery and ask questions. Try some sake too! If you like it, you can buy a bottle to take home. A short walk will bring you to the last temple for today. This is Sekkeiji. Sponsored by the historic lord Chosokabe of the Tosa (now Kochi) domain, this is one of only three Zen Buddhist temples in the whole Shikoku pilgrimage. Pray together with your guide one last time and return by bus to Kochi city.