That is why the top of the staff is designed like a Buddhist grave post. In fact, the white suit itself was and still is nothing but death garments. If the temple has a bell a bell tower, one is expected to strike the bell announcing one's arrival to the temple divinities and Kobo Daishi. The multi-storied pagodas are derived from Buddha's tombs containing holy pieces of his bones. One may drop a coin into the grate-covered offering boxes placed in front of the halls.
Pilgrims offer their osamefuda paper name card at each hall.
White osamefuda are used by those on their first to ninth pilgrimage, red for the tenth to nineteenth, silver for the twentieth to twenty-ninth and gold for the thirtieth and more. In this area there are maps showing how to get to the nearest temples. There are also minshuku, Kokumin Shukusha, Youth Hostels or pilgrims' inns available near almost all the 88 temples. In former days begging was an important part of the Shikoku Pilgrimage as ascetic practice. Even the rich of high rank had to beg from time to time.