Hiking - March 2024 in Shikoku?

Hi All,

We land at KIX (Kansai) from UK this Saturday (9th March) at 9am in the morning. We fly back from KIX the following Saturday (16 March) at 11am.

It�fs a very last minute trip - we only booked the flights yesterday.

We would like to do some hiking somewhere.

My first idea was Kumano Kodo but, at this late stage, accommodation is scarce. We would prefer day hikes to multi-leg hikes.

The other main option is Shikoku - Iya Valley, parts of the 88 temple pilgrimage and coastal hikes near Hiwasa/Mugi and in the Kochi area. My wife wanted to see the Nagoro scarecrow village but there was no chance of fitting it in when we visited north Shikoku last November.

The problem is time, as we only have 6.5 days and would have to get to Shikoku and back.

The Shikoku option would mean a lot of driving but I have driven all over the world, including Japan. It�fs just a case of is it worth it, given the limited time.

I have considered Wakayama (including Tomogashima), Awaji and or Shodoshima but I�fm concerned it might be too similar to our recent trip.

This is our third visit to Japan. My wife would prefer not to return to Osaka, Kobe, Okayama, Takamatsu, Matsuyama, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nara or Koya, having been there before. We loved Onomichi and the Seto Inland Sea but we were only there 4 months ago so want to try somewhere new.

In general we prefer slightly more off-the-beaten-path destinations.

I�fve seen some people on here recommend lower hikes in the hills around Kyoto and Nara (e.g. yamanobe no michi) but we would probably have to stay in Kyoto or Nara.

Main interests are food, drink, hiking and photography. We are a 40 year old couple.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Shikoku has some good hiking, and it doesn't have to be in the middle of nowhere. I loved Kotohira and going up to the Konpirasan Shrine there. A wonderful half day hike - no rough terrain; in fact it has a lot of stairs. Unpenji is another choice, with a great temple to see also. Going through the Ryugado Limestone Cave just outside Kochi City is also very memorable - not a traditional hike like you may be thinking, but certainly mind blowing and nature at its best - like suddenly walking into another planet. A couple other popular mountains to climb there are Mt. Kanpu and Mt Ibuki - but both are in isolated areas, and likely still quite cold at the summit. If you don't want to limit yourself to Shikoku, there are many other options. You could go to Himeji, see the castle and nice Kokoen Garden there, and also hike up to Engyoji. There is a ropeway you can take as well, so you could hike both ways, or just on the way down. Wonderful temple there also.
One of the most spectacular hikes I have taken is the Akame 48 Falls hike in Mie. It takes some time to get there (I went from Kyoto) but by car would be very convenient (the buses are few and far between). An excellent 5-6 hour hike past half a dozen large waterfalls and dozens of smaller ones.