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Date:2020/02/25

There are many huts along the pilgrimage route. Some were designed and built as places for pilgrims to rest during the day. Some are old buildings where pilgrims are can rest during the day and, sometimes, can also spend the night. All are maintained by local volunteers out of the goodness of their hearts, in the spirit of generosity.

Some pilgrims believe that it is okay to stay overnight in any of these huts as long as they do no damage. That’s not true. Some pilgrims believe that as long as some local Japanese person says it’s okay to stay overnight that it is okay. That’s not always true either.

Our pages on huts tell you which huts are definitely okay for overnight stays (sometimes with a phone number you must call) and which are forbidden. However, for most huts, there is no definite rule. We’ll give you some guidance here to help you judge whether or not you should stay in any particular hut.

If a hut has no water or toilet available nearby, you probably shouldn’t stay there. Japanese are critical of people who go to the toilet in the fields or in the woods. The forests and fields along the pilgrimage route are all owned by individuals, companies, groups, or towns. They don’t want your waste.

If there are houses near the hut and no toilet available, don’t stay there. Huts with a lot of people nearby usually are not good for overnight stays. If it’s okay, we will say so on the page for that hut.

If you ask a local person if it’s okay to stay in a hut and they say yes, it’s probably okay, but Japanese people have subtle ways of saying No that can sound like Yes or Maybe. Also, ask yourself, “Who is this person giving me permission to stay?” Is it the manager of the hut? If the Yes is warm and enthusiastic, it’s probably be okay to stay there. If the person says Yes but doesn’t say it enthusiastically, you should probably move on.

Some people practice stealth camping. They set up a tent or lay out a sleeping bag after dark and leave early in the morning. Also, they practice LNT (Leave No Trace) camping. This may be okay, but only in rural areas. If you have to make sure you are not seen, doesn’t that mean that you shouldn’t be there?

What will happen if you stay in a hut that you really shouldn’t stay in? Probably nothing bad happenwill happen to you. However, even if you don’t see anybody, you will probably be seen by someone. The people who see you will remember, when the question of pilgrims in general and foreign pilgrims in particular comes up. Every village, and every neighborhood in a town or city (up to and including Tokyo), has a neighborhood group that meets periodically and works together to clean the streets and discuss trash pick-up and others matters of mutual interest and collective responsibility. If enough pilgrims violate community standards, we may not be welcome. Sometimes one person can spoil it for everyone else. The hut between temples 11 and 12 now has a sign forbidding overnight stays except in an emergency because of one person’s violation of the unwritten rules.

We suggest you leave a donation at any place where you spend the night free of charge (unless it is the home of an individual). Sometimes there’s a donation box or a bowl to leave money. Sometimes you can leave it under the sign-in book for guests. Here are suggested amounts:

Simple hut with no toilet – 100 yen
Simple hut with water and toilet nearby – 500 yen.
Hut with toilet, shower, etc. – 1,000 yen.

You can stay in some huts, but not necessarily every hut you’d like to stay in. Our pages on individual huts will give you some guidance. So will Google Maps. (Click on a hut name and check the reviews for information.) Have a safe, wonderful pilgrimage and try to leave a trail of goodness behind you. For each hut, we will give you a map link plus this guidance:

Overnight Okay?
1. Yes
2. Yes, but first phone xxx-xxx-xxxx or ask [name and location of person to ask].
3. No (Sometimes there’s a sign saying you can’t stay there).
4. Not advised – no water or toilet.
5. Not advised – busy area.
6. Not advised – too noisy. (Some huts are near busy roads.)