Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [366]
During the Buddhist festival of O-bon (13 to 16 August), traditional Shiraishi-odori dances take place on the beach.
There are eight boats a day from Kasaoka with Sanyō Kisen (¥650 to ¥1130, 20 to 35 minutes, 7.25am to 5.50pm), plus four car ferries run by the Shiraishi Ferry company, a 15-minute walk left along the coast from the Sanyō Ferry terminal.
Manabe-shima
0865 / pop 300
This tranquil, slow-paced island in the middle of the Inland Sea is little more than an hour by boat from the mainland, but in terms of atmosphere it’s a thousand miles – and a hundred years – from the bustle of the big cities. The island’s one small town is home to more cats than people, and is an atmospheric maze of old wooden houses, a solitary village shop that has been in business since the Meiji period (and looks it) and an old-fashioned school with just 14 pupils. As with everywhere in this part of Japan, Kōbō Daishi got here first – the great man spent time at the Enpukuji () temple.
The beachside Santora Youth Hostel (; 68-3515; fax 68-3516; 2224 Manabe-shima; per person with 2 meals ¥5770) offers comfortable accommodation in private tatami rooms. The ryokan on the same premises offers more-upmarket rooms with meals from ¥10,500 per person. Reservations are required at Ryōka (; 68-3519; courses from ¥5000; 11am-6pm), a restaurant on the waterfront (where the ferry arrives) – the fisherman-turned-restaurateur owner serves up some dauntingly fresh seafood. There’s no menu; you get whatever the day’s catch has turned up. If you’re not comfortable with the idea of food that wriggles in your chopsticks, Nagisa (; 68-3771), uphill from the school, serves good okonomiyaki (¥600) and has views out to sea.
There are eight boats a day from Kasaoka (¥760 to ¥1360, 44 minutes to one hour and 10 minutes, 7.25am to 5.50pm). On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday there’s a ferry to Sanagi-jima (¥250, 15 minutes, 3.05pm), where transfer is available to Tadotsu on Shikoku (¥780, 50 minutes).
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SETO-UCHI SHIMANAMI KAIDŌ
Opened in May 1999, the Shimanami Kaidō is a chain of bridges linking Onomichi in Hiroshima-ken with Imabari in Ehime-ken on Shikoku via six islands, three of which are featured in this section. Separate bicycle lanes are provided on all the bridges, making it possible to cover the 70km distance between Honshū and Shikoku entirely on bike, travelling through some impressive scenery. Bikes (which can be dropped off anywhere along the route) can be rented near the ferry terminal in Onomichi, in Imabari, and at least one location on each of the islands. Rates are ¥500 per day plus a ¥1000 deposit, which you get back if you return the bike to the same place where you rented it, but not if you drop the bike off at another of the rental places along the route.
Tourist information offices on the islands have maps and information. If you don’t feel like biking the whole way, a good option is to take a ferry to Setoda on Ikuchi-jima and bike from there to Ō—, where there are regular boats and buses to Imabari on Shikoku.
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INNO-SHIMA
0845 / pop 27,000
Famed for its flowers and fruit, Inno-shima is connected by bridge to Mukai-shima (facing Ono-michi) to the east and Ikuchi-jima to the west. During the Middle Ages, the island was the base of one of the three Murakami pirate clans, who, between them, controlled shipping throughout the Inland Sea until the beginning of the Edo period. The island’s past is commemorated at the pirate castle (; 24-0936; 3228-2 Nakanosho; admission ¥310; 9.30am-5pm, closed