Shikoku (四国) is Japan’s fourth largest island, southwest of Japan’s main island Honshu. True to its name, Shikoku is divided into four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kōchi and Tokushima. Mountains running east and west divide Shikoku into a narrow northern subregion, fronting on the Inland Sea, and a southern part facing the Pacific Ocean. Most of the 4.5 million inhabitants live in the north. Mount Ishizuchi (石鎚山) in Ehime at 1,982 m is the highest mountain on the island. Because of wheat production Sanuki udon (讃岐うどん) became an important part of the diet in Kagawa Prefecture (former Sanuki Province) in the Edo period. The larger southern area of Shikoku is mountainous and sparsely populated. Shikoku is famous for its 88-temple pilgrimage of temples associated with the priest Kūkai. Most modern-day pilgrims travel by bus, rarely choosing the old-fashioned method of going by foot. They are seen wearing white jackets emblazoned with the characters reading dōgyō ninin meaning “two traveling together”. Tokushima Prefecture also has its annual Awa Odori running in August at the time of the Obon festival, which attracts thousands of tourists each year from all over Japan and from abroad [ref].