The Shikoku Tennis Club meets every Sunday on a beat-up old court at the Pension Shishikui, a magnificent Japanese homestay where every need is provided for. The pension is on the southeast coast of the large but seldom visited island of Shikoku, which is made up of small fishing villages and an aging population. It’s also the country’s spiritual home—the island is dotted with pilgrims visiting any of the 88 temples dedicated to Kūkai, the monk responsible for founding the Buddhist school known as “True Word.”