A Day Trip to Shodoshima

First published: 25 Jul 2012

The beautiful Angel Road on Shodoshima.

Golden Week is a period in Japan's Spring time where a series of public holidays fall consecutively back to back, starting at the end of April and running through to early May. The holidays include a Constitution Memorial Day, a Greenery Day (celebrating unity with nature), and a Children's Day. Most people typically have the full week off, though for me and my fellow Kagawa JETs, two days of school lay nestled in the centre. However, a replacement day at school on Saturday instead of midweek, plus one day of nenkyu (paid leave) meant I was faced with the wonderful proposition of a full week off from work; time to kick back and chill. While many of my fellow JETs ran off to far-flung places like Thailand and Vietnam, I opted for a relaxing time at home and around the local area instead.

...well, that's not entirely true. The truth was that I was broke, as was my frequent travel companion Rainer Wessels. We had initially planned to go to China for this week, another Eastern country which fascinated me and I was determined to see. Unfortunately, neither of us had the funds to pull it off, and so this did not come to pass. Rather than mope, I decided that the best way forward was just to chill and enjoy the local attractions.

Golden Week got off to an eventful start with the arrival on Saturday of Kirsten, a Tokushima JET and fellow critical thinker. Kirsten had asked to come and visit Takamatsu, and I'd volunteered to show her around the local area. After finishing work a fair bit later than I had intended to, I met up with Kirsten at the train station. Our plan was to do a whistlestop tour of Takamatsu over three days, but unfortunately the weather was a tad poor and it was difficult to fit it all in. While we managed highlights such as Ritsurin Koen, a dance event and a small trip to Naoshima (where a return trip to the Chichu and a stop at the James Bond Museum were spectacular), unfortunately we didn't manage to tick off every item on the list. Regardless, it was a fun couple of days. Kirsten was fantastic company and a great laugh (she also made me breakfast, so she wins bonus Gav-points). The lack of completeness of this trip simply means there's all the more reason for a return visit.

I unfortunately didn't take a great deal of photographs on these days (!). Uncharacteristic, for sure. Regardless, here's two that offer a quick summary.

This is a fairly accurate representation of those three days.

Moving forward, the rest of the week was spent both relaxing and meeting up with the friends still in the area who hadn't run off far and wide. After an afternoon of coffee with Rainer, the two of us settled on a new travel destination: not quite as grand as a trip to China, but certainly a fun day out for the two of us. We decided to pop over to one of the islands in the Seito Inland Sea. Our original plan had been to try Teshima, but due to the difficulty of buying tickets (due to a huge Golden Week demand), we settled on heading over to Shodoshima.

Rainer gets set for a day of island adventuring.

I've mentioned Shodoshima on this blog a couple of times before. It's one of the biggest islands in the Seito Inland Sea, only an hour's ferry ride from the coast of Takamatsu, and is the largest of them all. However, I've never quite gone into detail about the island, something which I'm keen to rectify. It is a sprawling area, with plenty to see and do across it's vast expanse. On both of my previous trips to the island, I had visited the island's famous and iconic Olive Gardens and sampled a few of their surprising concoctions (including olive ice cream and olive chocolate). It's a fantastic place to visit, but this time, Rainer and I decided to try some new venues.

Let's Shodoshima!

 

The Olive Line ferry to Shodoshima. 

Arriving just before midday other the sunny afternoon, we wolfed down a quick udon lunch before jumping onto a bus. Now, neither Rainer or I could read the kanji of the bus timetables, but Rainer made an educated guess with the intention of taking us to to the central area, with an aim of visiting the island's famous cable car ride or the monkey park.

However, Rainer was... Incorrect.

 Cheers bud. Where the hell are we?

Realising we were actually travelling up the remote West coast to the back of the island, we got off the bus. We walked briefly around the coastal area we had found, and while it was certainly pretty, we were way off course, and faced the prospect of a lengthy walk back where we had come if the bus didn't come back sharpish. Luckily, the bus that had brought us in was the same bus that brought us back - only moments later, the driver returned after turning further up the road, as we had gotten off at the last stop. A good spot of luck. We travelled back towards the pier where we had come in, an hour of our trip having disappeared, but I can't complain: it was a funny anecdote.

Just as well.

 

Pretty.

Stopping a little distance away from where we had first taken the bus, we explored the town area and make our way to the grand local temple; a beautiful structure with a grand red archway and an enclosed courtyard. At the top of a flight of winding stairs that let up a small hill, we discovered some beautiful architecture with a fascinating view of the towns of the local town.

Plenty to see at the top of the hill.

The most striking feature at the top of this area was the stone Buddha statue, of what I *think* is Buddha. Staring out with a friendly face towards the hills, it was a welcoming presence and an excellent visual. Being able to get right up and close with the statue was magnificent.

Buddha banter!

We strolled out of the temple towards a strangely European structure by the coast, seemingly a part of the Shodoshima Kokusai Hotel. A crowd of people were standing around for some unknown reason, whom we followed to the edge of the water...

 Distinctly un-Japanese archiecture.

We saw, to out left, a beautiful expanse of sand stretching across the water, connecting a set of rocky, grassy mounds sitting in the middle of the sea. A roadbetween the shores. Of course, this stretch had been on our to-do list for the day: this was none other than the famous Angel Road.

 Beautiful.

Rainer admires the view.

 

People flock en masse to make the most of the seasonal weather.

 Angel Road is a beautiful sandbar that connects three small islands to Shodoshima. The road appears twice a day as the tide rolls out, and is a breathtaking example of Shodoshima's natural beauty. Local legend has it that couples who cross the sandbar whilst holding their hands will see their relationship flourish and be blessed with happiness. As such, many couples make pilgrimages here to declare their love and make wishes on small wooden blocks shaped like hearts that they hang on bushes and trees.

 

 

Couples flock to declare their love on the trees.

 

Declarations of affection. Heartwarming... :3

The road was filled with couples of all ages, as well as children and families, all here to make the most of the beautiful weather, while a large bell atop a vantage point was chimed by countless visitors as they all moved upwards to admire the spectacular view.

  

Spectacular views overlooking Angel Road.

The bell, in a rare moment of not ringing.

Not knowing the romantic connotations, Rainer and I made a jolly jaunt across the sand, unaware that we may have been being interpreted as same-sex relationship ambassadors. Luckily, realisation that many couples were here on a romantic pilgrimage soon dawned. We began exploring the many nooks and crannies, separating as we moved to see all the different places and spaces. There was plenty to see. I stopped every few feet for photographs, while Rainer moved to find a good spot to try and take a 360 degree panoramic photograph for his father (including wading into shallow waters to reach a hidden alcove).

Dedication.

Meta-photography! I love it.

Exploring the nooks and crannies.

A woman and a small girl do... something, with a basket.

Many people sat around the coast working away intently,

but I'm afraid I honestly have no idea what they were doing!

We had been in touch with Richard Kinsella throughout the day, who had manage to make his way comfortably from Naoshima to Teshima with little fuss. We had originally planned for the three of us to meet on Teshima, though of course things hadn't gone to plan due to Rainer and I being unable to pick up tickets. Having explored the island a little, he had made his way to Shodoshima, and arrived to meet Rainer and I on the famous sandbar.

Richard!

Of course, by this time, Rainer and I had already walked along the expanse, and thus our planned day trip as a set of three amigos was unable to take place. Regardless, we stayed a little longer on the beach, happily posing for a rather odd Japanese family that seemed fascinated with us and insisted on taking our photographs for their own collection.

Foreigners: just like Poke'mon. Gotta photo 'em all!

Enjoying the sun with Richard Kinsella and Rainer Wessels. 

So many names.

A woman and her daughter walk along the coast.

We headed back towards the Tonosho ferry port, which proved much more difficult that we anticipated. The three of us lost ourselves amongst the rural surroundings, our iPhones inaccurately leading us astray as we failed to navigate effectively. After winding around a few streets for what felt like an hour, we finally arrived at the ferry terminal where we'd started. Grabbing a delicious Olive ice cream (one of Shodoshima's greatest treats), we stopped for another bowl of udon (twice in one day!) before heading back home.

Fruity ferry.

A statue commemorating the character of a local teacher and her class,
from a novel set during WWII. A movie was filmed on the island,
where the set can still be visited today.

Of course, we'd lost some of our time purely because of our meandering up the wrong side of the island, but once again the majority of Shodoshima went unseen by these eyes. It's such a vast place with so many sights to see that, even having been there three times already, I wonder how I'll ever get the time to get around them all. The Great Kannon statue, the Monkey Park, the movie village and the cable car through Kankakei Gorge... No one day could ever squeeze it all in. Needless to say, I'll be back.

Luckily, this day at one of the islands most famous sights had exceeded all of my expectations.

 A great day.

Mum & Dad visit Takamatsu!

First published: 29 Jan 2012

November time, and one of the highlights of my time in Japan thus far. My parents decided to pay me a visit at my new home in Takamatsu!

My parents... in Japan! Meet my mother (Anne) and father (Alistair).

The timing might seem a little bit strange; after all, I was going to be going home for Christmas anyway - for three weeks, in fact! - so why the rush to come in November? Well, in actuality, I hadn't decided I would be coming home for Christmas until after my family had already booked this holiday. So, of course, I ended up with a pretty good back-to-back set of reunions! Not bad, eh?

Konnichi-wa!

So, for ten days, I had my parents back! Which was a wonderful feeling. I've always had a very close relationship with them, and as they'd never visited Japan (or Asia!) before in their lives, I was thrilled at the opportunity to give them an impression of the place.

We made a decision early on that for this trip, we'd stick almost exclusively to Takamatsu and the surrounding area, so that they could get a feel for my new home. Interestingly enough, while I'd noticed it getting colder in Japan since I'd arrived, my parent's found it incredibly warm!

Somewhat ironically, Scotland was meant to have had the hottest November on record while they were here. Oh dear.

My parents drinking matcha in Ritsurin-Koen (garden)...

...unfortunately, it didn't go down so well.

A couple of teething problems; (1) My parents don't speak any Japanese whatsover, and (2) My parents can't use chopsticks.

All all.

I knew this was going to be difficult... and I wasn't wrong!

Things actually got off to a slightly disappointing start; on the day my parents arrived, my school insisted I visit the hospital as I was feeling very under the weather. I visited the school nurse to attempt to procure paracetamol, but; alas! I was rushed off to the local hospital instead (my first visit to a Japanese hospital!).

I was diagnosed with influenza, given a set of unusual Japanese tablets the like of which I'd never seen before. Immediately upon leaving, I headed into town to see my parents for the first time in months. Arriving perfectly on time (!), the first they saw of me was with one of the infamous white masks seen all over Asia. For the next couple of days, I struggled with a high fever and the symptoms of influenza (including having to take a full sick day off of work!), which slightly got in the way of our reunion. Luckily, by mid-week I was much, much healthier, and we still managed to make the most of the time we did have on those first few days.

Dad enjoys the island views of the Seito Inland Sea.

First up was a trip to Ritsurin Koen (garden!). People who've read my earlier posts will remember that I've already visited this garden, and being one of my favourite places in Takamatsu, it was a prime first-stop for my parents. They were absolutely blown away by what they saw. A beautiful stroll and a spot of R&R at the tea house. Unfortunately, my parents weren't the biggest fans of any of the green tea they tried in Japan.

 Mum surverys the bonsai display in Ritsurin Garden.

The next day was a bit of a flop, due to my illness worsening. We attempted to head to Mt. Yashima by cable car but were stunned to discover the service was no longer in operation - having been shut down years ago! Dismayed, we heading back to Takamatsu and spent the evening shopping in the areas around Kawaramachi-station and the Shotengai, but as I started to feel incredibly tired we called it a night for some rest.

This should have been our first clue that

the cable car was no longer in service...

I ended up spending the next day completely bed-ridden, but thankfully my parents popped round to make sure I was okay - even bringing me a weeks supply of shopping from my local supermarket! Honestly, when I was feeling so badly, I was incredibly grateful to have my parents around to support me.

My parents take in the atmosphere of Ritsurin Koen.

I think this is one of the most beautiful places in Takamatsu.

Feeding the Ritsurin koi.

A successful trip!

I was working all week in addition to the parents being around (having saved my holiday time for Christmas), but I'd pre-arranged to take Wednesday as a day-off (and of course, spent Monday as a sick day). I don't want to go into too much detail regarding our day-to-day itinerary (we'd be here a while if I did that!), but one of most notable events was the fantastic dinner we had with my fellow JETs.

 

 

 Dinner with the JETs! My parents ate Nabe and Sashimi...

and they actually enjoyed them! Hated sitting on their knees, though.

Heading into town on Wednesday evening, my parents had a chance to meet some of my fellow friends on the JET program and lay to rest any concerns regarding me being isolated in Japan. On the recommendation of Gary Wilkinson, we headed to a Nabe restaurant - my first time! Nabe is like a big Winter's broth; absolutely delicious, and great at warming you up in the cold Japanese Winter...

I'm pleased to report that my parent's actually enjoyed the food (!). and more importantly, they thoroughly enjoyed the company too. My friends have earned my parent's approval - always a good thing.

A view from Shodoshima.

We also headed into Shodoshima, to take a look at the beautiful olive gardens. Shodoshima is one of the islands in the Seito Inland Sea - only a short ferry ride from Sunport, Takamatsu. While maybe not as famous as the nearby Naoshima, it's a beautiful place with a great history - as well as a cable car ride (!) and a lovely Dutch windmill, completely separate from the rest of Japan in appearance. I treated my parent's to olive ice cream (delicious!) - though sadly, we ate it so fast that I forgot to take any pictures (this simply means a return visit for more is in order).

We were also treated to dinner by my friend Hiroko Tomozawa and her family. Despite having never met my family before, Hiroko invited us into her home with her friends and served us a beautiful dinner which included home-made takoyaki and kimchi. Hiroko also treated us to a performance on her Koto - a traditional Japanese instrument characterised by it's immense sound and distinctive oriental sound. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip; the generosity of Hiroko and her family was truly heartwarming.

Hiroko Tomozawa shows off her Koto abilities.

This huge, beautiful instrument was awe-inspiring to see.

On the weekend before my parents left Takamatsu, I was asked to work an extra day on Saturday - for only a couple of hours in the afternoon, to teach a demonstration class to the student's parents. The aim was to show the parents how we ran our English classes. In order to keep my parents' involved and to spend even more time with them, I invited them along to the class with Seki-sensei. Seki-sensei was so keen to have my parents involved, that he offered them a chance to participate in the class, with the students asking my parents questions! After a brief meeting with my Kocho-sensei (school principal), my parents were greeted warmly by the students. Enjoying the class immensely, I felt very priviliged to have had a rare opportunity to show my parents an insight to my 9-5.

Seki-sensei was incredibly grateful to have my parents involved, and so, on the last day before my parents left for Scotland, Seki-sensei offered to drive us to the summit of Mt. Yashima - where we had been unable to reach before.

We accepted, and it was fantastic.

My parents and Seki-Sensei explore Mt. Yashima.

A stunning example of traditional Japanese architecture,

from the peak of Mt. Yashima. Also; a tanuki on the right!

I mentioned that I'd been to Mt. Yashima before, though the last time had been with the JETs and, sadly, sunset had prevented us from getting to really look around the shrines and temples at the peak of the mountain. This time, Seki-sensei offered us a chance to get to the top without walking (!). It was thrilling to see these beautiful, historical buildings in radiant sunshine, and to really show my parents some of the heart and culture from Japan's history.

Mum discovers a new instrument, made by chiming rocks.

It's exactly like a xylophone - with rocks!

We were incredibly lucky - whilst stopping for a coffee, we stumbled upon a Japanese Biwa performance! The Japanese Biwa is another classic Japanese instrument, with a very sad but distinctive sound. We stayed for all of the performance, absolutely stunned at both our luck and the unique, iconic sounds.

A beautiful Biwa performance on

the peak of Mt. Yashima.

After our trip around the mountain, Seki-sensei treated us to some classic Sanuki-Udon (and was staggered by my parent's inability to use chopsticks), and presented my parents with their own chopsticks afterwards as a souvenir of their trip. My parents were extremely grateful to Seki-sensei for his generosity throughout the day, and parted with a desire to return the favour if he and his family ever have a chance to visit Scotland. They have since exchanged letters over the Christmas period, and I'm very pleased that my parent's have had a chance to make such connections the way I have.

Of course, the time had come for my parents to return to Scotland. It was bittersweet, yet not too sad as - of course - I would be returning home for Christmas only a few short weeks after them! I took my opportunity to ask my parents what they found the most striking characteristic of Japan and the Japanese people during their visit. Their response; the kindness. My parents were struck at just how gentle, generous, helpful, and genuinely well-meaning the Japanese people they met were towards them. They had been given an insight into a unique and vastly different culture they'd never experienced before, and were leaving feeling both positive and looking forward to their return.

(Of course, I also asked them what they found the least agreeable aspect of the country. Their response? Using chopsticks!)

My parents have their caricatures taken...

I swear this man is the Japanese John Lennon!

My parents and their caricatures. See any resemblance?

And so, my parents left.

Of course, I returned home myself only a few weeks later, before returning to Japan and bidding them farewell for even longer. However, I'm happy to be able to keep contact through regular Skype-calls and e-mails. My parents will never be far from my thoughts here in Japan, and I'm glad to have had all of their support and love throughout my experiences leading up to and on coming over to Japan. I know I certainly couldn't have made it this far without them.

Happy (and hopefully proud) parents.
I shall miss them dearly.

As I mentioned, my parent's are planning their next visit later this year.

Let's hope it's not too far away!