The 750-mile Shikoku Pilgrimage has been bringing people to Japan’s smallest main island for thousands of years.
Some embark on the journey as a path to spiritual awakening. Others do it as a way to get closer to nature, Japanese culture, and themselves.
We came to Shikoku for our own sort of pilgrimage: a quest to find under-explored trails to run for our fall/winter 2026 trail running campaign. Along the way we discovered the world’s best snacks, new friends, hot cans of coffee from roadside vending machines, warm toilet seats even in the most remote spots, and unforgettable views.
Because the trail is always so much more than the trail.
Our crew of 15, including trail runners Krissy Moehl, Mileshka Cortes Bernard, and Dean Aizawa, converged in the Ehime prefecture this past spring. From our base in Matsuyama to deep into the wilds of Shikoku Karst National Park, Mt. Ishizuchi, and Omogo Gorge, we logged about 750 miles on winding, one-lane mountain roads in Sprinter vans. Lawson and Family Mart convenience store stops became our daily ritual on the long drives to and from our shoot locations (pancakes with syrup + “Famichiki” FTW). And quiet time for reflection happened on the 2-hour drive back to the hotel every night.
A mini pilgrimage in the newest KEEN trail running shoes. Here’s a little behind-the-scenes recap to spark your own trail running adventure.
Day 1: Sky Paradise
Erica and Kim on the production team had everything super dialed ahead of time. But Japan weather in April can be tricky. We saw that it would rain on us for about half the time we were there, so we did our best to strategize our locations around that. Shikoku Karst National Park is known as “sky paradise,” so experiencing it on a clear day seemed like the right way to go.
And it was!
We found trails and paved paths that went on forever. Layers upon layers upon layers of blue mountains on the horizon, like the Joy Division poster that used to hang in my bedroom. The landscape looked like a postcard from Iceland, with grey karst rock formations standing out on the green rolling hills.
"It was one of those days you just didn’t want to end."
As Krissy, Mileshka, and Dean ran through open fields of bamboo, a golden hawk soared in the wind right next to us. It was having the time of its life. And so were we.
It was one of those days you just didn’t want to end. We chased the sun as far as it would go until it was gone.
Day 2: Mt. Ishizuchi
The weather report said things would get dicey in the afternoon, so we loaded up the vans early, around 6:30 am, made an espresso stop, and headed toward one of Japan’s Seven Sacred Peaks, and the highest mountain on Shikoku Island.
We passed a few legit pilgrims on the winding road up, humbling us day trippers and reminding us of the sacred nature of the space we were in. Constant dots of pale pink – cherry blossoms growing wild in the rugged landscape – flanked our 2-hour drive.
Then a really cold fog welcomed us at the trailhead.
We got all of our layers on to head up. We crossed snow in one spot, and as we gained elevation, we could see that clouds were cruising right through us. After running segments of the trail, the runners looked like they had just finished a marathon as they wrapped themselves in mylar blankets to stay warm.
While perched on cantilevered wooden planks eating lunch, there was a break in the clouds and we finally spotted the peak, called the “stone hammer.” As soon as Krissy saw it, she wanted to run to the very top. But Ishizuchi had other plans. The stormy weather rolled in, and it got pretty blustery, making filming incredibly challenging. So we called it a wrap and moved as fast as we could to get back down to the vans.
I logged 11,000 steps and 1,300 feet of elevation gain, and downed a really delicious bowl of ramen for dinner that night.
Day 3: “Magic River”
We were all still recuperating from the Ishizuchi adventure when we woke up to a rainy morning in Matsuyama. We needed a little magic.
Sean, our associate creative director for trail running, had discovered “magic river” earlier in the week when our driver made a wrong turn during location scouting. Actually called Omogo River, this spectacular gorge is surrounded by micro waterfalls, tunnels, bridges, lush trails, emerald green rapids, birdsong, pops of cherry blossoms, and a few abandoned huts.
It lived up to its nickname.
The rain had moved out by the time we arrived. And everything we wanted to film was in a pretty compact area, so we weren’t hauling photo and video equipment a few miles up a mountain. It was mainly the runners logging mileage. At one point we lost Krissy for 45 minutes when she took off on a 5-mile run during a shooting break.
Magic river was a true hidden gem. No cell service, and the only other creature we spotted on the trail the whole day was a Japanese fire-bellied newt.
Day 4: Karst and Kumakogen
For our final day of shooting, we headed back to Shikoku Karst National Park, this time immersed in the forest. We followed a rocky singletrack trail up to Tengu no Mori, the highest peak in the Tengu Highlands area.
Young, shoulder-high bamboo plants lined either side of the trail and swayed in the wind. As the runners zoomed by, every step crunched dried bamboo leaves that loosely blanketed the trail. Evidence of rainier days were there, too. Bright chartreuse moss covered karst boulders to break up all the grey and brown, and there were the cutest little “moss bombs” in the nooks of tree branches. On the ridge, the view was all blue. Sky paradise in full effect.
At lunchtime, we said goodbye to Karst for the last time and made one more stop before Jerry, our photographer, had to catch his flight back to the States. The small town of Kumakogen had put out their giant carp flags, called koinobori, across the Omogo River a little early for Children’s Day. Such a spectacular, exhilarating sight!
And that’s how our trail running pilgrimage ended. A group hug on the bridge, with colorful carp swimming in the sky.
And one last Lawson stop.
If You Go
- Matsuyama is a good base for exploring Ehime prefecture on Shikoku island. It’s a college town with great restaurants and a Montbell store for any last-minute outdoor gear needs. Matsuyama Castle is one of Japan’s twelve “original castles,” built in 1603, and the castle moat trail was great for early morning runs (check out my run log!).
- Shikoku island is more off the beaten path, so even during cherry blossom season it wasn't very crowded. Matsuyama airport is about a 1-hour flight from Tokyo.
- Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama is one of Japan’s oldest hot springs, the inspiration for the animated film Spirited Away. Onsen in hotels are also fed by natural hot spring water and follow the same etiquette.
- Tengu Highlands in Shikoku Karst National Park offers cabins and “tengalow” tent platforms for camping. We were there before the season started, but I bet it would be a magical place to camp and stargaze.
