This week I’ve had a few conversations along these lines:

“I’m actually going to Japan for a month”

“Oh wow, for a holiday?”

“Yea kinda, a cycle holiday”

“….Oh, um, is that a holiday!?”

Every time someone expresses surprise at my plans it’s hard not to feel a tiny bit of doubt that this is a good idea. Am I nuts? Hopefully not, but I guess I’m about to find out! Spending longer than just a week or two in Japan has appealed for quite some time now, as a way to brush up my Japanese speaking skills and reconnect with my second home. What exactly to do while I was in the country was the question.

Early in 2025, while watching a travel show, I heard how relatively quiet and off the beaten tourist path the island of Shikoku was. An internet search revealed a 1,200km pilgrimage trail that involved visiting 88 temples and following in the footsteps of the famous monk Kobo Daishi, also known as Kūkai. The googling didn’t stop there, and I was hooked on the idea.

While I really wanted to walk this journey and see how far I could get in a month, cycling is much more doable for my knee at the moment. It also means I have a chance of completing the entire journey in my month of work. The recovery journey after the injury has been full of ups and downs, frustrations, stress, and humbling moments. It felt like I’d only just come back from Covid post-viral complications to then have lost my beloved sport and exercise, and through it fun with my friends all over again. I have been lucky to have lots of support along the way though, and got a solid two months of training done on my bike riding all over Christchurch up and down hills. A big thank you to my physio, partner, family, and friends for helping me get to the start line. I’m not sure how it’ll go, but I’m sure it’ll be an adventure!

I also want to say I know it’s a privilege to have a month off work and be able to do something like this. I’m thinking of everyone who’s not having such an easy time of it, and I hope by sharing this adventure I can help in some small way. It was a few years ago now but I remember struggling through a freezing Christchurch winter while following my friend’s cycle trip from Switzerland to New Zealand. I looked forward to her photos and stories, and she inspired me to think I could do something like that one day. So here goes nothing! I promise I’ll actually do my best to finish this blog too!