In Chiburijima, there is a custom called Odaishi Mairi. Akin to the Shikoku Pilgrimage, it is held every year on the death anniversary of Kukai (Kōbō-Daishi), which is somewhere between the end of April and the beginning of May. The pilgrimage travels through all seven districts of the island in counterclockwise order from Kōri, Ōe, Nibu, Urumi, Kurī, Usuge, and Tataku. In each district, the mothers of the neighborhood gather and prepare food for the visitors, there are some who do the pilgrimage simply to partake in the food.

As the Odaishi Mairi happens in the beginning of spring, it presents a perfect chance for island locals to show newcomers around. Most of the newcomers eat so much at the first shrine, that they are full by the time they get to the second and third shrines.

And that is the custom of Odaishi Mairi. While each shrine in the area has its own statue of a Buddha and thus serves as a temple, it serves as a meeting hall as well, each equipped with a kitchen.

There is another custom other than Odaishi Mairi, called “Jamaki.” We will describe this in more detail at Ōe Shrine.