Extract: Shikoku, Japan’s outdoorsy pilgrimage island that champions zero-waste living
, 2022-11-20 15:27:00,
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Search out the secluded Oku Iya Ni-jū Kazura-bashi vine bridges, hanging side by side over the Iya Valley.
Shikoku seldom makes it onto most international visitors’ travel itineraries of Japan, even though the island has much to offer. Major events such as Tokushima city’s annual Awa Odori Matsuri, Japan’s equivalent of the Rio Carnival, bring in local crowds in August.
Matsuyama’s venerable Dōgo Onsen is a magnet for hot spring fans. And every three years Shikoku’s Kagawa Prefecture co-hosts the Setouchi Triennale, a superb contemporary arts festival covering nearby islands such as Naoshima and Shōdo-shima.
But beyond the headline attractions there are also many under-the-radar experiences and destinations. Search out the sustainability projects in the zero-waste village of Kamikatsu. Head to the remote Iya Valley to stay in an 18th-century thatched farmhouse and to raft the upper reaches of the Yoshino River. Hike part, or all, of the island’s 88 temple pilgrimage route. Or join surfers along the rugged southern Pacific coast, between the two spectacular capes of Muroto-misaki and Ashizuri-misaki.
This is Japan far from the madding crowds.
READ MORE:
* Takamatsu, Japan: A tour with Udon Taxis takes noodle lovers to the hottest spots
* Japan’s Shikoku Island pilgrimage: The Japanese equivalent of Spain’s Camino de Santiago
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