Shodoshima

Shōdo Island (小豆島 / Shōdo-shima) is an island in Kagawa, Japan. It is the second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea.

Understand
The name Shōdoshima literally means "island of small beans". There are 2 towns on the island: Tonoshō (土庄) and Shodoshima Town. Along with Teshima, the island comprises Shozu District in Kagawa.

Shōdoshima is famous as the setting for the 1954 antiwar movie Twenty-Four Eyes (二十四の瞳 / Nijūshi no Hitomi). The movie is based on a book written in 1952 by Sakae Tsuboi (1899-1967), who was born on Shōdoshima.

In 1908, the island became the first in Japan to successfully cultivate olives. Olive trees proliferate on the island and olive-related merchandise is quite popular with tourists.

Shōdoshima is also known for its soy sauce, wild monkeys, and beaches.

Shinto legend
According to Shinto legend, Shōdoshima was one of the first islands created by the gods.

Tourist Information Site
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site with integrated Google Translate.

By boat
Shōdoshima can be reached by boat from Uno Port in Tamano (90 minutes, ¥1,230), Shin-Okayama Port near Okayama (70 minutes, ¥1,050), Kobe (3.5 hours, ¥1,990), Himeji (100 minutes, ¥1,520), or Takamatsu on the island of Shikoku (60 minutes, ¥690 for ferry or 30 minutes, ¥1,170 for a speed boat).

List of ferries to Shodoshima is available online (Japanese).

By bus
Shidoshima Olive Bus operates various routes around the island.

By bicycle
There are many places that offer bicycle rental. A list is available online (Japanese).

By car
The Shodoshima Skyline Road runs for 10 km along the mountains in the interior of the island. It begins at a gorge near the monkey park and leads to the Kankakei Gorge. The road offers great views of the island and the Seto Inland Sea.

See
Dobuchi Strait is a straight between Maejima Island (location of Tonsho Port) and Shodoshima Island. It is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the narrowest straight in the world, at only 10m wide at its narrowest point, making it look like a canal.



Shodoshima 88 Temple Pilgrimage
Like the island of Shikoku, there is a pilgrimage route that will take you to 88 temples. The route begins near Sakate Port and runs clockwise around the island. It takes around 2 weeks to complete the pilgrimage on foot.

Buy
There are 6 convenience stores on the island that have ATMs.

Go next

 * Tamano
 * Okayama
 * Kobe
 * Himeji
 * Takamatsu