Shikoku

The smallest and least populated of Japan's four main islands moves at a gentler pace than the Tokyo and Kyoto circuit. Shikoku's 88 temples associated with Kobo Daishi form a pilgrimage that takes around 45 days on foot, but you do not need to walk it all: a few days on one stretch, staying in small inns between temples, gives you forest paths, bells at dawn and very little conversation required. For deeper quiet, the Iya Valley, with its steep forested slopes and gorges, is counted among the least explored regions of Japan. Avoid Japanese holiday weeks such as Golden Week in late April and early May, when domestic travel surges; otherwise the island rarely feels crowded.