Shodoshima Island

Shodoshima Island is a great one-stop island to have a first-hand experience of a rural Japanese lifestyle. Shodoshima has one of the most famous volcanic gorges in Japan (Kankakei Gorge) for its dynamic rocky landscape covered in Japanese maple trees. Shodoshima is also a good place to experience one of Japan’s “Senmaida” (one-thousand-rice-terraces), a rice terrace area which is a truly beautiful rural mountain scene. Shodoshima is also known for its olives (it is the origin of olive cultivation in Japan), soy sauce, wild monkeys (Japanese Macaques), and beautiful beaches. There are also typical fisherman villages and Seto-island-sea cultural places to learn about the island’s history and the laid-back island life.
For those who are interested in delicious local island food, there is an interesting cafe called Komame Cafe (Komame Shokudo) in a renovated old wooden house. They also run sea-kayaking tours.