Islands · Kagawa
Shodoshima
小豆島しょうどしまShōdoshimaOlives, soy sauce and a mountain gorge in the Inland Sea
Shodoshima is the second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, off Takamatsu in Kagawa Prefecture. It is known as the home of Japan's first successful olive groves, for its traditional soy-sauce and sōmen industries, and for the rugged Kankakei gorge in its mountainous interior.
Overview
Shodoshima lies in the eastern Seto Inland Sea, about an hour by ferry north-east of Takamatsu. After Awajishima it is the largest island in the Inland Sea, with a coastline of bays and headlands and a mountainous core rising to more than 800 metres. The island is divided between the towns of Tonoshō in the west and Shōdoshima in the east.
Its mild, dry climate – often compared with the Mediterranean – made it the one place where olives introduced by the government in 1908 took hold, and olive groves are now the island's emblem. Soy sauce has been brewed here since the Edo period, and the storehouses of Hishio no Sato still produce it in wooden barrels, alongside hand-stretched sōmen noodles and tsukudani preserves.
The island also has a place in literature and film as the setting of Tsuboi Sakae's novel 'Twenty-Four Eyes' (Nijūshi no Hitomi), and it is one of the venues of the Setouchi Triennale contemporary art festival.
Landscape and formation
The island's interior is built of granite overlain by volcanic rocks, eroded into cliffs and pinnacles in the Kankakei gorge, one of the most dramatic landscapes of the Inland Sea. Granite from the island was quarried for the walls of Osaka Castle in the early 17th century, and abandoned stones can still be seen at old quarries. The coast is deeply indented, and at Tonoshō the island is separated from the islet of Maejima by the Dofuchi Strait, only about ten metres wide.
Highlights
Kankakei
寒霞渓KankakeiGorge of volcanic cliffs and pinnacles in the island's centre, a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty; a ropeway crosses it.
Angel Road
エンジェルロードEnjeru RōdoSandbar at Tonoshō that emerges at low tide to link small islets to the shore.
Olive Park
道の駅小豆島オリーブ公園Michi-no-eki Shōdoshima Orību KōenOlive groves on a hillside above the sea with a Greek-style windmill.
Hishio no Sato
醤の郷Hishio no SatoDistrict of soy-sauce breweries and tsukudani makers in Uchinomi, with black-walled storehouses.
Dofuchi Strait
土渕海峡Dofuchi KaikyōChannel in Tonoshō about ten metres wide, recognised as the world's narrowest strait.
Ecology
The island's mountains carry mixed forest with maples that make Kankakei one of western Japan's best-known autumn colour sites. The mild climate supports olives, citrus and terraced rice fields such as the Nakayama senmaida.
Flora
Olive
オリーブorībuFirst planted experimentally in 1908; the island remains Japan's best-known olive-growing area.
Kankakei maples
Maples and other deciduous trees among the cliffs colour in November.
Fauna
Japanese macaque
Wild monkeys live in the mountains; a monkey park near Chōshikei feeds troops that come down from the forest.
Culture
A pilgrimage of 88 temples and halls modelled on the Shikoku pilgrimage circles the island. 'Twenty-Four Eyes', Tsuboi Sakae's 1952 novel about a young teacher and her pupils before and during the Pacific War, is set on the island; the open-air set of its film adaptation is preserved. Farmers' kabuki is performed on rural stages in spring and autumn.
Shōdoshima Pilgrimage
小豆島八十八ヶ所霊場Shōdoshima Hachijūhakkasho ReijōCircuit of 88 sacred sites around the island, many in mountain caves and cliffs.
Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village
二十四の瞳映画村Nijūshi no Hitomi EigamuraPreserved film set and the old Tanoura branch school on the southern peninsula.
Nōson kabuki
農村歌舞伎nōson kabukiVillage kabuki staged by locals at the thatched stages of Nakayama and Hitoyama.
History
early 17th century
Granite is quarried on the island for the rebuilding of Osaka Castle.
Edo period
Soy-sauce brewing and sōmen making develop as the island's main industries.
1908
Olive trees are planted on a trial basis; they take hold only on Shodoshima.
1934
The island becomes part of Setonaikai National Park, one of Japan's first three national parks.
1952
Tsuboi Sakae publishes 'Twenty-Four Eyes', set on the island.
2010
Shodoshima becomes a venue of the first Setouchi Triennale.
Through the seasons
Spring
Cherry blossom and village kabuki at Nakayama.
Summer
Beaches on the south coast; green terraced paddies at Nakayama.
Autumn
Olive harvest and Kankakei's autumn colour in November.
Winter
Mild and quiet; clear views across the Inland Sea.
Routes and trails
Kankakei ropeway and trails
Ropeway through the gorge, with walking trails (Omote-jūnikei and Ura-hakkei) past the rock formations.
Island circuit
Coastal road of roughly 120 km, usually covered by car or scooter over one or two days.
Practical notes
- Ferries and high-speed boats link Takamatsu with Tonoshō, Ikeda and Kusakabe; other routes run from Okayama (Shin-Okayama), Himeji and Kobe.
- Buses cover the main sights, but a rental car or scooter gives more freedom.
- Check tide times for Angel Road, which is only walkable around low tide.
Frequently asked questions
Why are there olives on Shodoshima?
In 1908 the government planted olive trees on a trial basis in several regions; only on Shodoshima, with its mild and dry climate, did they flourish.
How do you get to Shodoshima?
By ferry or high-speed boat from Takamatsu in about 30 to 60 minutes, or by ferry from Okayama, Himeji or Kobe.
What is Angel Road?
A sandbar at Tonoshō that appears at low tide and joins small islands to the shore.
When is the best time for Kankakei?
In November, when the maples among the rock pinnacles turn red.
Related
Sources
- 1.全国都道府県市区町村別面積調（島面積） (opens in a new tab) — 国土地理院
- 2.瀬戸内海国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
- 3.小豆島町 (opens in a new tab) — 小豆島町
- 4.土庄町 (opens in a new tab) — 土庄町