Summer Holiday in Shodoshima for One Day 小豆島 (day 6 - 18th August 2011)

Left the guest house at 5.30 am to catch the 6.50am ferry to go to Shodoshima 小豆島. We reached the island quite early, so all the attractions were not opened yet. So, we visited the olive garden first. This was the first time I saw an olive tree, not quite as I have imagined. We waited until the Olive Museum opened at 8.30am. The olive museum had information about how the olive plantation started in that Japan and all other miscellaneous information.

Olive

olive tree

the Greek style windmill

Olive ice cream

After that, we went to a restaurant to get a famous bento 野の花. However, to our disappointment, all the bento had finished by order the days before. So, we went to 24 eyes movie studio 二十四の瞳映画村 instead and planned to just grab anything to eat along the way. 24 eyes was an anti-war movie, it told of the story of a teacher with her students during the war time. I never saw this movie. However, I read the synopsis, not bad, I think. The weather was very hot. So, walking around the movie sets were very  tiring. First, all of us just walked separately, but finally we all met each other at a shop that sold iced drinks. 

shodoshima loop bus

the teacher and the students

Next, we went to a Marukin Ketchup Museum マルキン醤油記念館. The entrance fee was 210 yen, but we got one small bottle of ketchup, very worth it. There were histories about how the ketchup was made and all the old equipments used in the old days. There was a factory next to the museum. We can enter, however, all was heavy machinery with a thick glass. Next, we had our lunch.

Ketchup museum

the equipments to make ketchup

the advertisements

ketchup ice cream

Then, we went to Kankasumi Keizan Hill top 寒霞渓山頂. Since we were with car, so it was really no point. We just reached the hill top and snapped photos and left, nothing special. If we were cycling or walking up to this point, then it would be meaningful. Next, we went to a temple with a very big GuanYing statue. I prayed there. After this, we wished to see the Kabuki 歌舞伎, recommendation from the Mazda car GPS system. However, we were misled. The Kabuki was performed once per year during a ceremony only. So, we just visited the performance theatre. Since the day was still early, we wanted to see how the somen 素麺 was made. So, we went to this the place found from internet. However, we were too late, the last show for the day had ended. There was a art museum next to it, so, we decided to pay a visit. So boring! There was a video something about radiation and 2 people. I cannot understand at all. We laughed after watch that.

very big guan ying statue

first time touch the real "paddy" after eating rice for 27 years

exhibition about radiation or something like that in a museum, totally do not understand

the world tiniest strait

Then, we checked into the guest house. This guest house was a restaurant. It was horrible. That night, toilet smell accompanied us to sleep. This guest house was actually a restaurant. There were 2 rooms on the ground floor, just next to the tables, one for gals and the other one for guys. Luckily for us gals, our room was not next to the toilet, so the smell subsides a little. The toilet was not dirty actually, but the pumping system was quite weird, actually it was the first time I saw toilet like that, the toilet bowl had a plate to hold your urine or shit first, and the handle to pump water is not located next to the water tank but on the lower toilet bowl area and you have to use your leg to push it. After you push, the plate will open out and drop all the stuff inside the waste tank. The thing was only small amount of water is used to flush. So, the smell lingered. I thought only me who cannot release that day, but after that only I knew that some of my friend cannot do it either. Anyway, at least this time there were air conditioners.

Back to the trip, after checked in, we went to a beach, the name was beautiful, Angel's path 天使の散歩道. During high tide, a small line of the beach will become hidden and it was beautiful according to the brochure. However, when we went there, it was still low tide, and we were not patience enough to wait. So, we left to eat dinner at a Izakaya near there. 

angle's path

Day 1: Matsue
Day 2: Sakaiminato
Day 3: Tottori
Day 4: Okayama
Day 5: Tokushima (Shikoku)
Day 6: Shodoshima (Shikoku)
Day 7: Oboke & Kochi (Shikoku)
Day 8: Ehime
Day 9: Onomichi