My Shikoku Henro Tales Part 15 - Getting to and around Shikoku

Typhoon Jebi almost ruined my carefully planned Shikoku trip.  It ripped into Kansai, forcing 

the closure of the airport and the cancellation of our PAL flight, just two days before we were
to leave. 

But thanks to my patient (and long suffering) travel agent, we were able to book seats on
Japan Airline on very short notice.  

Taking JAL proved to be a blessing as they have flights to Tokushima, our first stop in Shikoku.

However, because  JAL  lands in Narita you need to transfer by yourself to Haneda Domestic Terminal,  a 70 minute bus ride away. 

Here's my MVP - most valuable pointer for travelling within Japan.
Send your big suitcases ahead to wherever you are going via Takkyubin (TA-Q-BIN).
This very efficient service from the Yamato Transport Company will send packages, suitcases,
etc from point to point, anywhere in Japan.

JAL could not check our bags through to Tokushima from Manila  so after picking them up from
the arrival area, we headed to the Yamato Counter and sent them off straight to Tokushima.  

Throughout this trip, we used Takkyubin to send our bags from hotel to hotel and back to Narita airport at the end of our journey. Takkyubin made for easy and luggage-free train and bus travel around Shikoku.

Just a reminder -- if you send your bags via Takkyubin, delivery is the next day or at least
two days  if you're sending your bags to the airport.  Your hotel concierge or even the ubiquitous conbini store can arrange for Takkyubin service. 

We had a comfortable four hour transit time between our arrival in Narita and our flight for Tokushima in Haneda.  The lines at the luggage drop off at Haneda Domestic Terminal were so
long, we were really glad we did not have our suitcases with us.  Checking in was a breeze.

Tokushima Airport is about 30 minutes from the city.  A very convenient way to get to and
from the airport is the Airport Shuttle Bus which runs every hour from 6 a.m. till 9 p.m.

My pocket wi-fi was waiting at the hotel when we checked in.  While you can now rent a
device at the airport, I've noticed that the lines are always so long since every tourist who
gets off the plane seems to want one.
I have always pre-ordered from https://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/. 

The device is delivered to your hotel and you send it back in its own self-addressed envelope
when you leave Japan.  You can ask your hotel to mail it for you or you can drop it off at the
mailbox at the airport.
I cannot stress how useful the pocket wi-fi is, specially when you are trying to find your way
between temples and there are no directional signs in sight. 

Friends always ask me about the JR Pass and should they get one before they fly to Japan.  

The pass does not come cheap, a 7 day pass costs 29,000 yen.  But it allows for unlimited train
travel all around the country.  

However, if you're staying in one area like Shikoku, there are local JR Passes that would suit
you better.   We bought the All Shikoku 7 day pass for 12,500 yen and used it to travel to Kochi, Matsuyama, Takamatsu and all around Tokushima.  

The round trip from Takamatsu to Matsuyama  alone cost 11,980 yen so the 12,500 yen pass
was terrific value for money.  

In addition to  JR lines, the Shikoku pass can also be used in all local trams and private railways around Shikoku.  While there are no shinkansen,  there are several train lines that crisscross the island.  This made it easy for us to visit all four prefectures of Shikoku within the week that we
were there. 

Most of the temples we visited in Tokushima were not accessible by train so we took the city and municipal buses.  These run infrequently, just one or two every hour.  Buses were a slow but fun 

way to see more of the countryside.
Our hotel was right across the main bus terminal and the staff at the ticket office were always ready
to help henro by  giving directions and even providing bus timetables.

While Shikoku is a bit off the usual tourist track, it is easily accessible from major destinations
like Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo and you don't have to spend huge amounts on the shinkansen.
A cost effective and convenient option are the buses which go to these big cities.
For 1/3 of the cost of a ticket on the bullet train,  we took the JR Bus from Kyoto Station to Tokushima and the trip took less than three hours.  The ride was smooth, comfortable and
there are many schedules to choose from all throughout the day.

P.S

Our main reason for visiting Shikoku was to do a small portion of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage.
If you want to experience being a henro, if only for a day or two, I would suggest Tokushima City
in Tokushima Prefecture as a good base.  Out of the 88 temples, 23 can be found in the prefecture
and temple 1, where you start the pilgrimage, is just  a 30 minute train ride from Tokushima Station.  

Temples 1 to 7 are within 20 kilometres of each other and make for an easy, two day walk.