ARUKU - I WALK
Annually, between 150,000 to 200,000 travelers visit Shikoku Island to complete the 88 Temple Pilgrimage (Shikoku Henro). For more than nine centuries, they have walked a route of approximately 1200 kilometres linking 88 temples and following in the footsteps of master Kūkai, the monk who shaped Japanese Buddhism.
In this meditative documentary, filmmaker Shiho Kataoka captures the stories of four contemporary pilgrims, each burdened, in different ways, by exhaustion, solitude, or quiet disillusionment. Beautifully filmed in the serene landscapes and temples of Shikoku, ARUKU is an intimate view into their spiritual journeys and personal motives. As the road stretches through serene landscapes and moments of unexpected human connection, walking itself becomes a form of listening: to others, to the self, and to the possibility of living more fully.
Special Guest: Shiho Kataoka, Director
Shiho Kataoka is the film’s director, producer, camera person and editor. She was born in a small village near Kyoto, to a family with deep roots in Shikoku. As a child, she was not given many toys, but instead played with homemade dolls, wrote her own comic books and acted in school plays. These experiences inspired her to work in a creative field, and she moved to New York City in 1993, to study filmmaking at the School of Visual Arts. After graduation, Kataoka began producing television programs for various Asian television networks such as NHK, FCI and CCTV. In 2005, she established her own TV/Film production company, Some Days Films (formerly Cucumber Productions) and began working on her own projects while continuing her work for television. In 2009, Kataoka won two Telly awards for her NHK documentaries, “Hospital Radio Station” and “Fun Science After-School”.
ARUKU 歩く(CJ 2025)
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