This journey also reflects the true grit, resilience and sheer perseverance of the Japanese throughout history, as well as the stoicism of a community constantly threatened by natural disasters and a nation facing geopolitical challenges from its immediate neighbours: Russia, North Korea and China.
My semi-annual retreat to Japan in May this year brought me to Shikoku, the smallest of the country’s four main islands, which is notable for its round-island pilgrimage route in honour of the ninth-century monk Kukai.
Pilgrims undertake a 1,400km round-island trek over 60 days, visiting 88 Buddhist temples in a journey that is as spiritual and cultural as it is physically demanding. Legend has it that the mother of Iwasaki Yatarō, who founded Mitsubishi in 1870, walked and climbed a full 20km each day for 21 days, praying for his success.
