7 Days on Japan's Smallest Main Island | Shikoku

Hello world, I'm in Shikoku, which is the

smallest

of the four

main

island

s of Japan. I am starting my journey in Kochi, right on the Nyota River. Something that really captivates me about this place is that you can experience a wide variety of geography and activities. in such a compact area, for example, kayaking on a sunny day, the waters are a color they call nyodo blue, but despite the fog, the area was beautiful, however, at night we did a kind of version camping, they were in air-conditioned wooden container houses. heating water and electricity hello and since it is Japan they also had a barbecue for rent so we had a barbecue despite the rain in the morning, we woke up to a view of the Nyota River fed by the mountains around us.

My son Shin and I decided to explore a unique feature of the area - a submersible bridge. Bridges are designed without side railings to minimize the chance of them being washed away during floods. It was such a literal and figurative breath of fresh air to be able to play in nature like not having to be cautious in traffic, not having to worry about bothering other people, it was also a fun opportunity to practice my drone's tracking skills. What I find about much of the nature in Japan is that it is very accessible and interesting places are very close. together as an example on the way to our next stop, Yes Gorge, we came across this small shrine built on a large rock, while the most popular season in Japan is when the cherry trees bloom in spring, koyo, our autumn leaves probably won't they stay behind.

It's easy to understand why, as I mentioned, there are many recommended tourist places to visit that are really beautiful, but they also attract crowds like in Nicobuchi, so while it may seem quite tempting to just jump into the water and swim, it is prohibited. . However, if you walk a little off the beaten path, like I did with my family a couple of summers ago, you can avoid the crowds. The only caveat is that you generally need your own vehicle, as while public transport is still pretty good even in rural areas, it can be infrequent and will take you where most people go, which, while in Sometimes it's okay, it's generally not conducive to taking it to isolated areas, another thing you'll find in these mountainous areas, which is most of Japan, are dams if you drive.

In the surrounding areas you are almost guaranteed to find them and they usually have small parks or interpretation centers, so another day, another breakfast, another beautiful hike this time in Nakatsu Gorge, although I remember talking to my Japanese teacher about hiking and it seems that There is a bit of a terminological difference between Canada and Japan in Canada. I think we'd call this a hike since pretty much everything is paved and has stairs, whereas in Japan it's a hike. What we call hiking in Canada could be considered hiking in Japan in any case. The important thing is that the scenery along the hike was fascinating, but something you won't see in Canada are these tea fields like this experimental and part and parcel of everything that is so close in Japan is that you get all the amenities like great . food at local stalls What is slowly disappearing in Japan are traditional crafts such as paper making.

Kochi is known as the second largest producer of traditional Japanese paper because of its clean water and the kozo, which is the paper mulberry tree, however, because the traditional way of making paper is time. The expensive and consuming kozo is not widely grown today, so the family of this paper maker has begun planting its own kozo. Wait, I feel like I'm joking. I'm getting out of the temples that hard, so it's kind, it'll be some kind of training. when you do this exercise, exercise, then this is what you want, do it, you can do it, but without investing much in the plan, while people like me can do their own and there are artists who come to take more immersive workshops, a lot of from work.

Here it is for high-end uses, such as wallpaper for posh hotels. Kochi in general is known for its wood, so it is not surprising that architect Kengo Kangokuma encountered traditional wood-making techniques in the city of Yusuhara and was inspired to create modern architecture using those techniques. traditional techniques, the entire city is filled with examples of his work, such as the local community center and the library. As I walked around, I thought the only thing missing from this beautiful library is a coffee shop, but lo and behold, there was one hidden in the corner. Imagine the crowds, if this place was located in Tokyo City Hall, they would participate in the kengo kuma action, just like the city roadside stop.

What surprised me was that the place even had rooms where you could stay in what will probably be the most recognizable kengo kuma. The building is located in Tokyo, as his firm designed the national stadium of Japan in the morning, after eating at the hotel designed by kangokuma, we left the city of Yusuhara, but not before capturing an aerial view of the library community center and the stop on the road, we ended up eating. I had lunch at Oboke and met an eccentric owner who taught me that slow and steady is the way to work your green team.

She also had a couple of unnamed dolls, so my travel buddy from Australia, Lucy, gave her some suggestions, so yeah, if you want. you're an oboke don't be surprised to see a couple of greg and lucy dolls and then while you're at it we traveled through the city of nagoro which had more scarecrows than humans in

japan

ese they are called kakashi and at last count there were 300 of them . For the re

main

ing 27 humans, remember that I mentioned that Japanese hikes were more like Canadian hikes. Well, if you can't handle the well-maintained trails, you can always ride up the mountain like I did on the Okuya monorail, albeit at speed.

It was, I think I could have walked as fast as night was falling, which came pretty early in the mountains. We had one last stop, which was the twin vine bridges of Okuya Kazurabashi. Turns out it was the perfect time to visit as we had the place to ourselves, do you like bouncing, bouncing up and down? whoa, okay, okay, let it go, thank you. Wow, that was some great service for the night. We had the privilege of staying at Akominka, which is a traditional Japanese thatched farmhouse, although it is over a hundred years old. old, they have been renovated with all the modern amenities you would expect, that didn't stop us from smoking in the house using the irori, while there was no restaurant in the kominka, there was room service with a luxurious multi-course meal waiting for us, what there's in the box, yes, the next morning on the way to our next destination we passed a lonely suspension bridge, so I asked the driver, yes we had a driver, that's how I got the drone shots of the van to turn around and check. and this is exactly what I mean when I say that wherever you go in Shikoku there are fascinating things to do.

This is a suspension bridge that can be crossed freely and without anyone around. We were in the city of Kotahira to climb the most famous one. shrine throughout

shikoku

, but first we needed these koi to recharge our energy, so hambagu was lunch, it was necessary since there was a climb of 785 steps ahead, I don't think it's going to be that bad, did they count right, yes , so it's like extended? Since I had a guide who made sure the trip went smoothly, I thought I would try out his filming skills. I walk with you fine, but it doesn't lean correctly.

I can only see your legs, oh yeah, great, I feel like such an annoying vlogger. Slower, slower, slower. Okay, okay, I might knock it down a bit because you're going to hit the wall for the most part, although that was just me putting the camera down, walking away, and then coming back to get it, joking aside, the steps weren't that bad. And I quite enjoyed the pilgrimage, so if you look in the distance you can see the bridges crossing the Seto Inland Sea, which is where we headed next and, as I always say, there is no better way to end the day. in Japan than onsen, so we find ourselves on the

island

of Shoroshima, where apparently the octopuses are very, very fresh.

You're swinging, aren't you? A nice feature of the inn we were staying at was the electric bikes, so to the top of It was a Buddhist temple. You are going to be the featured cyclist. Yes, it turns out I'm terrible at ringing bells, but that's how it should look. Okay, turns out breakfast wasn't octopus, but since the island is famous for olives, we ate a lot. of olive infused dishes for meals, we even had the experience of harvesting olives ourselves, judging by the amount I picked in 30 minutes, I'm pretty sure I would have been fired from the olive picking job, so if I just You crush this it will be oily. oh, I have oil in my oh wow, very slowly, okay, continuing with the food theme, we visited a traditional soy sauce factory that uses wooden barrels, some of which are more than a century old, from time to time when they have to mix them together, which is very satisfying to witness.

Currently only one percent of Japanese soy sauce is made this way and for decades after World War II these barrels were not manufactured, so the fifth generation owner of this soy sauce factory began building the barrels on his own and even began teaching others how to make them. Also apparently 100 year old barrels don't last forever so this is their new wing, by the way the soy sauce tastes amazing and if you put some ice cream on it it actually tastes like salted caramel so another day and it was another ferry. This time to an even smaller island called Megijima, where pirates are said to have once lived.

The legendary momotaro, also known as Peach Boy, is depicted fighting demons in the main cave. What caught my attention is that all the artworks are created and maintained by students from schools in the nearby city of Takamatsu. It was also interesting because this entire cave was excavated by people and even the scratches on the ceiling were made specifically, Although the cave is artificial, the rock formations in front of it are not from the top. We're supposed to have an amazing view, but today the clouds kept us away, in case you were wondering, these giant walls are designed to protect houses from salt water breezes.

The last stop on the trip was Ogijima, another small island known for its outdoor art installations. For example, this is a giant octopus trap, but what really made me smile were the friendly cats, one friendly feline even acted as a tour guide to the local sanctuary. Come here. It's nice that there is actually a local cat association and one person even runs a cafe, unlike the cat cafes you can find in Tokyo, this is free for cats to come and go as they please. Wow, with an amazing view of the ocean and the sunset. I couldn't imagine anything better. way to end the trip thanks for seeing us until next time peace