Shodoshima, Japan's second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, has cultivated olives since 1908 and today supplies the majority of Japan's domestic olive oil, lending the island a distinctly Mediterranean atmosphere amid the Japanese landscape. The Olive Park features a replica Greek windmill and costumed rental cycles, while the Kankakei Gorge — one of Japan's three great gorges — blazes with crimson maple in autumn and is accessible by ropeway. The island is also the setting for Isako Higuchi's beloved 1954 film '24 Eyes' (Nijushi no Hitomi), and a small museum and preserved schoolhouse commemorate its production.
- Type
- Experience
- Category
- Nature
- Season
- Autumn
- Month
- October–November (olive harvest); Spring for gorge blossoms
- Region
- Shikoku
- Prefecture
- Kagawa
- City
- Shodoshima
Highlights
- ◆Japan's olive-growing heartland since 1908 — pick olives in October
- ◆Kankakei Gorge ropeway through one of Japan's three great gorges
- ◆Greek windmill, Aegean-style olive park and product tasting
- ◆Filming location for the classic 1954 film '24 Eyes'
- ◆Soy sauce and sōmen noodle factory tours on the island