Ohenro Information Portal Site for Foreigners 'OHENRO.ONLINE' Released! (Newsletter)
Three companies launched 'OHENRO.ONLINE' on April 15, a portal site targeting foreign tourists interested in the Shikoku Pilgrimage. It uses AI video translation to deliver cultural insights, manners, and practical advice in 8 languages.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 16, 2026 at 00:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 15:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 10:17 (90h 45m after Collected)
The 'Disseminating the Appeal of Ohenro to the World Project Committee,' consisting of three companies: Shinwa Agency Co., Ltd. (Osaka City, President: Koichi Ojin), Kokoro Ryokosha Co., Ltd. (Kuma Kogen-cho, Kamiukena-gun, Ehime Prefecture, President: Kaemon Suzumura), and Konnichi Hello Co., Ltd. (Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director & CEO: Seigo Hayami), launched the Ohenro information portal site for foreigners, 'OHENRO.ONLINE,' on April 15. On this site, the charm and spirituality of the Ohenro culture will be disseminated through videos aimed at foreign travelers considering the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage and those who have experienced the pilgrimage.
[Homepage of 'OHENRO.ONLINE']
The Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage is a journey of about 1,200 km around 88 temples associated with Kobo Daishi Kukai, scattered across the four prefectures of Shikoku (Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kochi). Regardless of nationality, religion, or sect, anyone can make the pilgrimage as an 'Ohenro-san' tracing the footsteps of Kobo Daishi, and pilgrimages continue in various places today. In recent years, the number of foreign pilgrims, mainly from Europe and the United States, has increased, and international interest is growing as it is introduced in overseas media and travel guides.
On the other hand, there were challenges for foreign pilgrims, such as 'pilgrimage information being mainly in Japanese,' 'backgrounds of culture and manners being difficult to understand,' and 'how to interact with local communities being unclear.'
Therefore, we created a portal site that uses AI and human video translation to disseminate pilgrimage information centered on videos in 8 languages, targeting foreign travelers considering the Shikoku pilgrimage and those with pilgrimage experience. On this site, the voices of temple chief priests and local residents are turned into multilingual videos and posted along with photos and text to introduce the charm and spirituality of the Ohenro culture. Furthermore, by planning pilgrimage and travel tours in the future, we aim to attract tourists for the purpose of Ohenro and lead to regional revitalization.
In addition, this site will release special content following the "LAST WALK" of Mr. Don Weiss, a leading figure among foreign pilgrims who has continued walking the Shikoku Pilgrimage for many years. Video content recording his journey and thoughts on the pilgrimage will be released sequentially from mid-April.
■ Site Overview
Site Name: 'OHENRO.ONLINE'
Content: A multilingual portal site introducing the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage to the world.
Supported Languages: Japanese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional).
Site URL: https://ohenro.online/
Content to be Released:
[Introduction videos of the 88 temples of Shikoku]
Introduces the history of each temple and the meaning of the pilgrimage through video and narration.
[Interviews with chief priests and local people]
Introduces the spirit of Ohenro culture and the feelings of the local area through the voices of temple priests and local residents.
[Practical information for foreign pilgrims]
Explains pilgrimage equipment, how to walk, and local manners via video.
[Special content on Mr. Don Weiss]
Special content following the "LAST WALK" of Mr. Don Weiss, a pioneer among foreign pilgrims, recording his journey and thoughts.
Portal site introduction video: https://youtu.be/-ZeGBBT8ykI
■ What is the 'Disseminating the Appeal of Ohenro to the World Project'?
This is a project to communicate the charm of Ohenro to the world using multilingual videos. By correctly conveying not only the cultural knowledge behind Ohenro but also manners and practical knowledge through videos, we will promote creating an environment where people can travel safely and securely. Through this project, we aim to create a 'New Ohenro Tourism' accompanied by understanding and empathy for the region and culture, rather than merely promoting inbound tourism.
■ Participating companies of the 'Disseminating the Appeal of Ohenro to the World Project Committee'
- Shinwa Agency Co., Ltd.
Location: Daiwa Building 7F, 1-5-16 Awaza, Nishi-ku, Osaka City
Develops travel and advertising businesses as a group company of Daiwa House Industry.
- Kokoro Ryokosha Co., Ltd.
Location: 348 Kuma, Kuma Kogen-cho, Kamiukena-gun, Ehime Prefecture
Operates the former accommodation 'Old Omogo Ryokan' where you can experience pilgrimage and local culture.
- Konnichi Hello Co., Ltd.
Location: 3-2-10-1106 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Develops a multilingual video translation business utilizing AI.
End
[Homepage of 'OHENRO.ONLINE']
The Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage is a journey of about 1,200 km around 88 temples associated with Kobo Daishi Kukai, scattered across the four prefectures of Shikoku (Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kochi). Regardless of nationality, religion, or sect, anyone can make the pilgrimage as an 'Ohenro-san' tracing the footsteps of Kobo Daishi, and pilgrimages continue in various places today. In recent years, the number of foreign pilgrims, mainly from Europe and the United States, has increased, and international interest is growing as it is introduced in overseas media and travel guides.
On the other hand, there were challenges for foreign pilgrims, such as 'pilgrimage information being mainly in Japanese,' 'backgrounds of culture and manners being difficult to understand,' and 'how to interact with local communities being unclear.'
Therefore, we created a portal site that uses AI and human video translation to disseminate pilgrimage information centered on videos in 8 languages, targeting foreign travelers considering the Shikoku pilgrimage and those with pilgrimage experience. On this site, the voices of temple chief priests and local residents are turned into multilingual videos and posted along with photos and text to introduce the charm and spirituality of the Ohenro culture. Furthermore, by planning pilgrimage and travel tours in the future, we aim to attract tourists for the purpose of Ohenro and lead to regional revitalization.
In addition, this site will release special content following the "LAST WALK" of Mr. Don Weiss, a leading figure among foreign pilgrims who has continued walking the Shikoku Pilgrimage for many years. Video content recording his journey and thoughts on the pilgrimage will be released sequentially from mid-April.
■ Site Overview
Site Name: 'OHENRO.ONLINE'
Content: A multilingual portal site introducing the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage to the world.
Supported Languages: Japanese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional).
Site URL: https://ohenro.online/
Content to be Released:
[Introduction videos of the 88 temples of Shikoku]
Introduces the history of each temple and the meaning of the pilgrimage through video and narration.
[Interviews with chief priests and local people]
Introduces the spirit of Ohenro culture and the feelings of the local area through the voices of temple priests and local residents.
[Practical information for foreign pilgrims]
Explains pilgrimage equipment, how to walk, and local manners via video.
[Special content on Mr. Don Weiss]
Special content following the "LAST WALK" of Mr. Don Weiss, a pioneer among foreign pilgrims, recording his journey and thoughts.
Portal site introduction video: https://youtu.be/-ZeGBBT8ykI
■ What is the 'Disseminating the Appeal of Ohenro to the World Project'?
This is a project to communicate the charm of Ohenro to the world using multilingual videos. By correctly conveying not only the cultural knowledge behind Ohenro but also manners and practical knowledge through videos, we will promote creating an environment where people can travel safely and securely. Through this project, we aim to create a 'New Ohenro Tourism' accompanied by understanding and empathy for the region and culture, rather than merely promoting inbound tourism.
■ Participating companies of the 'Disseminating the Appeal of Ohenro to the World Project Committee'
- Shinwa Agency Co., Ltd.
Location: Daiwa Building 7F, 1-5-16 Awaza, Nishi-ku, Osaka City
Develops travel and advertising businesses as a group company of Daiwa House Industry.
- Kokoro Ryokosha Co., Ltd.
Location: 348 Kuma, Kuma Kogen-cho, Kamiukena-gun, Ehime Prefecture
Operates the former accommodation 'Old Omogo Ryokan' where you can experience pilgrimage and local culture.
- Konnichi Hello Co., Ltd.
Location: 3-2-10-1106 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Develops a multilingual video translation business utilizing AI.
End