"For a great number of people the main motive for undertaking a pilgrimage consists in the journey itself -- wandering along a path leading away from the familiar place and at the same time leading towards oneself.

This constant quest and continuous enhancement of the daily experience, in whatsoever form, seem to be a central need of each human being.  The road-movie and documentary Walking Pilgrims (Arukihenro) focuses on this need in relation to the lives of today's Japanese wandering pilgrims.  It shows thier motives, aims, and desires on a very personal level along the 88 Temples' Pilgrimage that circles the Japanese island of Shikoku.

Despite the increasing secularisation of Japanese society today, the 88 Temples' Pilgrimage has enjoyed great popularity over the last few years.  Besides the huge crowds of bus and taxi tours (comprising 99% of all the pilgrims), who rush through the route as quickly as possible, there are still a few walkers who undertake the entire pilgrimage in 40 to 60 days on foot.

Walking Pilgrims was shot during a period of nine months, while the filmmakers themselves hiked along the entire pilgrimage, accompanying different pilgrims through long stages of their journeys.  Based on ethnographic survey methods the film highlights the reasons and motivations of today's walkign pilgrims, as well as their quest for personal change along the 88 Temples' Pilgrimage.  Not only are the experiences of the pilgrims themselves documented, but also impressions and observations from Shikoku residents, priests, and academic experts.  Leading from the microcosm of this pilgrimage, Walking Pilgrims shows profound insights into the religious and socio-cultural background of Japanese society today and points at the same time to the universal human need for the quest for oneself."

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