We visited Shodoshima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea. Shodoshima is the heart of Setonaikai National Park and the 19th largest island in Japan, with an area of about 170 km² including more than 20 small islets. It is famous for Angel Road, olive oil, soy sauce and udon noodles.
Top Sights on Shodoshima
1. Angel Road
At low tide, a sandy path appears across the sea and connects small islands. This is Angel Road, a popular spot for couples and families.
2. Olive Park
The white Greek-style windmill here appears in the live-action film of Kiki’s Delivery Service. You can even borrow a broom and take a “flying witch” photo.
Day 1: Angel Road
We had cake and coffee at a cafe before taking the ferry to the island.
Our hotel was right in front of Angel Road. After checking in, we walked down to the beach. The tide was low, and a long sandbar stretched out to the small green islands. The calm sea and blue sky made it a very peaceful place to walk.
In the evening we watched the sunset from our room overlooking the sea.
Day 2: Olives and Soy Sauce
On the second day we explored the island’s two famous products, olive oil and soy sauce. Shodoshima was one of the first places in Japan to grow olives. At Olive Park we saw the white windmill and a giant book monument, and tried olive soft-serve ice cream.
Shodoshima has a long history of soy sauce brewing. At a traditional brewery we saw huge old wooden barrels where the soy sauce mash (moromi) slowly ferments. We tasted local snacks, grilled mochi rice cakes and enjoyed rice with raw egg and different kinds of local soy sauce.
We also saw a waterfall in the mountains and the beautiful Nakayama terraced rice fields, one of Japan’s top 100 rice terraces.
Udon in Kagawa and the Naruto Whirlpools
Kagawa Prefecture is famous for Sanuki udon, thick and chewy wheat noodles. We had udon set meals with tempura and big bowls of noodles.
On the way home we stopped at the Naruto Strait, where you can look straight down at the powerful whirlpools through a glass floor.
