A long journey of exalted purpose is one of the dictionary definitions of pilgrimage. One makes such a demanding endeavor for personal or, if you will, spiritual purposes. One goes to Mecca or to Canterbury.
In Japan, one famously went to Shikoku, where the journey is long indeed, some 88 temples to visit, scattered over a route more than 1,000 km long.
You retraced the steps of Kobo Daishi and put up with some trials that he did not. These included, says one authority, the companionship of criminals, lepers and beggars, all of whom frequented this circuit.