Hidden Treasures of Shikoku
- The smallest of Japan's main islands -
In September 2022 I took a day off at work and headed to Shikoku for a three-day-weekend. Shikoku is the smallest of the Japanese four main islandsand even though it is not the first place you think of when visiting Japan, it had many hidden trasures, especially for nature lovers.
Shikoku translates as "four countries" and it consists of four prefectures - Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime and Kochi. I missed out on Kochi this time but would definetily want to come back and explore it another time.
Besides the exquisite views of the mountains and the sea I enjoyed a stay at two traditional ryokans with rivate hot springs. And I got to drive around a lot finally getting good use of my drivings license.
Kotohira Kadan
Kotohira Kadan is a ryokan you can find at the foot of the sacred mountain Kopira and it prides itself with ore than 400 years oof history . The rooms and the whole complex are beautiful and reallz make you feel as if if you are in the movie Spirited Away. I enjoyed the stay a bit too much and forgot to take more photos, but the onsen on the patio was truly great.
The peeing boy
If you have ever visited Brussels in Belguim, you might have seen a sight very similar to this one. Except that statue of a boy was not peeing down a 200 meter deep valley. They say that the kids used to test out their courage like this in the past and the statue is the memorial of this naive courage.
Sunriver Oboke
You can find Hotel Sunriver Oboke in the Oboke Valley, which is together with its sibling Koboke Valley a popular place for rafting. The onsen outside the room was once again amazing, but the curfew did make it feel like there might be something dangerous out there :D (Probably bears..)
Takaya Shrine
The Takaya Shrine is one of the most poplar "power spots" in the Kagawa prefecture. From the torii gate at the top of the hill zou can see a great view of the city below and the Seto sea. That is in case you are lucky and the clouds are all clear during your trip :D
Iya Valley
Iya Valley has been on my bucket list for quite some time now.
But the real adventure began when the car navigation system decided to take us into the middle of nothing. Yes, it was suspicious that there were no cars around even though tit was supposed to be a sightseeing spot...and that the road was totally unkeptand overgrown with the forrest it was going through. But it only became completely clear when the "You have reached your destination" notification went off in the middle of nowhere.
Feeding the birds
After testing our courage by walking over the vine bridge, we had to sit down in a nearby cafe to stop our legs from shaking. The cozy little place offered great pancakes with homemade honey and a bonus - you could feed the local little birds by hand in the cafe porch.
Shimonada Station
I found Shimonada station purely by an accident when I was looking at Shikoku on Google maps.
It is a tiny station on the Yosan line and only local trains stop here - about one every hour.
But it does have a very special title as it is the station closet to the sea!