Going camping in a month or so. cant wait. share some camping stories anons

what religion do you adhere, to if you adhere to one at all, and is there anything special about shikoku? whio were the most hearwarming people you met during your time there?

>what religion do you adhere, to if you adhere to one at all,
None really. I grew up in protestant Europe though, but was raised secular.
>and is there anything special about shikoku?
It's often called the spiritual island, due to its connections to the development of Japanese buddhism. I did a shingon buddhist pilgrimage called "hachijuhakkashou junrei" or more commonly known as "shikoku henro," the shikoku pilgrimage. You visit 88 different temples all around the island, while walking a trail circumventing the entire island.
>whio were the most hearwarming people you met during your time there?
There were many, but the most hearwarming I'd have to say was Aki, this monk I met. He was also doing the henro, but all dressed up as Odaishi-sama (this monk from the 700ds who founded the whole thang). I struck up conversation with him and we hung out for a few days, I got to meet some of his friends and had a warm bed to stay in, and we had some good bantz and a few good laffs. Good guys desu.

But the single most heartmelting moment was probably somewhere in either Kouchi or Ehime, can't remember which.

>walking down from some godawful mountaintrail I'd been walking all day
>dead tired, feet hurt, this rucksack is too heavy, I wish I was at home shitposting on Jow Forums
>entering urban area, no place to pitch my tent, fuck
>it's getting late, fuck
>see a group of random HS/middleschool girls (uniforms are cool desu)
>they all yell "herrooooo!" to me in unison
>I smile and say hello back
>one of them gets up
>has this look on her face
>hfw
>starts uttering words one by one, adding almost like a punctuation between each word
>ARE
>YOU
>AMERICAN?
>this is the most English I've heard in a week
>flabberghasted, I turn around and reply
>No, I am from Europe.
>they all start fucking clapping
>wat
>everyone (including me) superimpressed over the exchange of communications that just happened
>melted my heart

God I love Japan.

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sounds like you had a lovely time, glad to hear it. i can understand how it feels to hear a familiar language after so long. what made you want to do the pilgrimage and how did it affect you after?

someone give me tl;dr

Fuck, this melted my cold heart on this summer night. Thank you user.

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great now you have created several hundred new english teachers in japan.

i know most people on this site want to go to japan but consider korea as well. it can be a very fun time filled with lots of warm and welcoming people despite the whole bugman internet meme. also ips on this thread have remained the same for a few posts so im wondering whhich one you are

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I decided on the pilgrimage after deciding on going to Japan. I wanted to try backpacking and the pilgrimage seemed suitable. Not much of a noble reason to do such a pilgrimage, but I'm still glad I went. I learned a lot about people, some are nice some are bad. Being on the opposite side of the entire Eurasian continent brings with it a few things. I don't mean to sound like a hippie or anything, but it made me realize people are people. Japs, americans, guatemalans, swedes, are just like you and me, there are good and bad apples. Also, being on the other side of the world, with nothing but a backpack and a map and nowhere you've gotta be, is the freest I've ever felt.

tldr japs said hello and it was superqt

You're welcome. I often got "herro"es thrown after me, and it was always super cute. It was usually school students, which I think is nice because hey, maybe they'll get more confident in their English?

Where I went is different from most of what people think Japan is though, because it's so rural and relatively poor. In Shikoku I was pretty much the only gaijin around, so I guess I got special treatment, but it was still pretty cozy. Rural Japan best Japan.

I'm actually planning on going as an English teacher sometime next year, hopefully.

don't worry about who I am. Just worry about the false expectations you've created for several young ones.

based. this is why traveling can be good for people it gives a lot of mcuh needed perspective
im op, not the pigrimage user. while i agree its useless to advocate traveling to most robots, it can also be a great experience for those on the fence. there are many younger people on this board now that are willing to try new things and are more normal than the typical robot and i think its fine to tell them about your experiences. he wasnt exactly saying you should drop your life and do this, just talking about how fulfilling it was for him personally if you read the tone of his post

Lemme tell you the one about the racist hick, fun guy

>be hitchhiking out in the boonies, I think it was Kouchi
>sticking out my thumb outside of a lawson wearing my cleanest clothes trying to look not like a bum, sign saying I know japanese and all
>some 30yo dude pulls over in something which looks like an 90s hatchback, looks somewhere between "seen a few miles" and "beat to shit", ashtrays still work tho, yay
>"oi where ya goin?"
>blah blah blah
>get a ride
>cool guy, works as a manager at a construction site
>first took me back to his house to pick up a few things and then we drove on
>life in the boonies
>starts chatting
>end up talking about other foreigners
>"I fucking hate chinese and north koreans, you know chinese right?"
>"yes, japan has bad neigborhood" (in shitty japanese)
>"I met a chinese, august last year, he was a loudmouth so I beat him up."
>"lol that's preddy sick m8"

still keking at this guy, such a lad.

>racist hick
You're just an oversensitive faggot. Most people don't adhere to your washingtonpost.

lol theres so many old asian bastards who are proud of their racism. i think its awful but i can also understand since so many countries have a lot of history with each other. my favorite experience in korea was when a grandma took me to her home and gave me a delicious home cooked meal and some homemade kimchi after learning i was from america

That sounds like an awesome experience.
I kind of wanted to go to Shikoku to eat udon and see the vines. I'm not super outdoorsy though. Were there any nice towns you stopped by in?

I wish I didn't live in NYC. I can't have have a bonfire, can't own a gun/go shooting, can't have a peaceful hour in the woods. inb4 "stay there liberal" I'm right leaning.

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ny has a lot of rural spots though if youre willing to make the drive. the pic from my op is from getaway which has a NY outlet. dunno how far it is from nyc but it was a very comfy visit for me personally

I know, I love upstate NY. I would visit Lake Taghkanic for 2 weeks every summer when I was younger. I just wish I could live upstate but I don't know where I would live and what job I would have to take.

yeah the city definely has a lot more to offer in terms of jobs and careers. i was thinking more as a break though during your vacation days. im not knowledgeable in NY state besides maybe utica since my gf went to school there for a bit and we would drive 7 hours together to drop her off or pick her up and it was pretty incredible to see how rural things were up there

>I kind of wanted to go to Shikoku to eat udon and see the vines. I'm not super outdoorsy though. Were there any nice towns you stopped by in?
Matsuyama was really nice. If you want Udon go to Kagawa and enjoy best Udon noodles in Japan. There are tonnes of cozy cities all across Shikoku, nice ryokans and stuff too. Just get a car mon ami.