Waking to a bright morning and good sunshine we have an upbeat mood, as today we will be taking the ferry to Shodoshima.
At the main dining room Keyaki we have a nice Japanese-style breakfast, before checking out and then drive to Port of Takamatsu 高松港, to take the ferry to Tonosho 土庄 in Shodoshima.
While you can buy the ticket at the port, I recommend making reservation beforehand, especially in peak seasons. There is also a high-speed ferry available, taking 35 minutes, but it is for passenger only and no car is allowed.
The return ticket for a normal vehicle (less than 5m) is 12,660 yen, with each passenger paying an additional 700 yen.
The journey takes 60 minutes, and it is a smooth ride, with the typhoon not affecting the sailing fortunately.
Arriving at Shodoshima we proceed to have lunch first. Originally intending to go to an udon restaurant, somehow we cannot find it, and ends up going to a small izakaya instead.
We order two Okonomiyaki, a type of savoury pancake prepared on teppan. With cabbage, seafood, and a nice sauce on the topping, plenty of aonori and mayonnaise, it is actually quite tasty. Very economical as well, with the whole meal, together with drinks, costing only 2,800 yen.
Shodoshima is famous for its olives, and we go to the Olive Park at the Shodoshima Road Station. Here you can taste the olive-flavored ice-cream, and also visit the olive gardens.
Everyone will also make a short walk to the famous windmill. Facing the sea, visitors can borrow a sweeper at the park to pose as witches flying in front of the windmill, recreating one famous scene in an anime movie.
We then drive to Morikuni 小豆島酒造, the only sake brewery on the island. The owner came to Shodoshima, aiming to revive the local sake. They aim to live to the traditional method, without using activated charcoal to filter the sake, so in fact it is more yellow in colour. At the same time, using the local rice variety also results in a stronger umami note.
Apart from being a shop selling sake, the brewery also has a tasting bar where customers can sit down to enjoy sake and food, and it is fully packed with customers. I end up buying a bottle of their signature sake, 小豆島の輝 純米大吟醸 at 5,830 yen.
Continuing on to our next stop is Marukane Soy Sauce Museum. The place is renovated from one of the factories of 丸金醤油, in commemoration of their 80th anniversary. There is an entry fee of 400 yen per person.
Inside we get to learn how the soy sauce is made in the Meiji Era, with models and some of the equipment on display. Each visitor has also got a bottle of soba sauce as a souvenir.
Outside the museum there is a small shop selling other products of the company, as well as the special soy sauce soft ice-cream. I also purchase a bottle of the traditional flavour soy sauce (700 yen) home after tasting the different varieties.
Originally, we plan to go next to Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Studio 二十四の瞳映画村, but since it is very hot and we are effectively drenched in sweat, decide to skip and go direct to our ryokan on the night, Shimayado Mari 島宿真里. It is a bit difficult to find and need to turn into a narrow road to access.
There are only 8 rooms in the ryokan, with each room having hot spring. We have booked the VIP room おの間, a separate two-story special room with the largest area. The daily rate, including breakfast and dinner for two, is 114,400 yen.
On the ground floor there is a Japanese-style living room, with a traditional table having recess so it is easier for people to put their legs under. It can be lowered down and the space will then accommodate another two people on Japanese futon beds.
On the other side of this floor, after walking a few steps, is another neat Western-style living room, with chairs and a sofa looking out to the courtyard. It is a space great to spend time with your companion to enjoy some coffee or tea.
Walking up the steps to the second floor is the bedroom. Apart from the two beds, there is a study table on the side as well as a sofa.
Sliding open the glass door from the bedroom leads to a terrace, looking out to some olive trees and the houses in the neighbourhood, with the Seto Inland Sea further in the background.
The make-up room is not that big in
comparison with the size of the house, leading into bathroom with a big bathtub
and shower area. The hot spring is directly pumped from the source 里枝温泉, the ryokan’s private hot spring.
The ryokan also has two private baths on a first-come-first-serve arrangement. After enjoying the indoor stone bath, the outdoor bath in the garden allows you to enjoy a relaxing moment in the midst of the garden.
Before dinner we walk around the ryokan. There is a heath where the guests can relax after the bath and enjoy some seasonal, homemade fruit wine.
There is also a gallery offering specialty products of the island, like soy sauce, as well as some really beautiful pottery, including the antique utensils and other crafts used in the ryokan.
Dinner is served at the main building, built in the early Showa Era 昭和初期, now a registered tangible cultural property of the country, with nostalgic and wonderful atmosphere, dimly lit lighting, old wooden fittings and antique furniture.
Dinner is a special soy sauce kaiseki, made with soy sauce and local ingredients. Starting with 庭の山桃コーデイアル, with the aperitif made from the yamamomo grown in the ryokan’s garden.
The starter is いぎす 麹酢みそ which is a type of grouper in which the chef has deep-fried, and then paired with some koji vinegar miso. The other one is 揚げじゃが芋 諸味田楽, the deep-fried taro prepared in the dengaku style.
The 葉月の皿盛り 前菜五点 includes にし貝黄身酢掛け, 米イカの塩湯がき, 南蛮漬 いりこドレッシング, 瀬戸 の蛸 染煮, and 中海老の塩湯がき.
Next is 生仕上げ嶋そうぬん 諸味つゆ. The udon noodles are very finely cut, paired with a very delicious dipping sauce.
Then it is 長芋おろし汁, pouring a special mashed yam and radish paste on top of grilled local fish, really delicious.
Coming to the highlight of the meal in my opinion, it is 盛夏の造り盛鉢 島野菜 木桶醤油 味くらべ. Getting the dripped soy sauce right in front of us, we can taste how the different types of soy sauce affects the flavours of the sashimi, which is a fantastic experience to showcase the varieties and difference this seasoning can contribute to the food.
Then it is オリーブ牛 オリーブ茶葉の燻し焼き. The cow has been raised by feeding them with olives, and its beef smoked with olive leaves and marinate with a special sauce. Very good.
The 讃岐さーもん 潮おくら汁 is a soup-based dish using salmon from the region, which are raised by eating fragrant herbs. The soup has the flavours of the sea permeating throughout.
Next is 鱧の唐揚げ 玉蜀黍の三杯酢, the pike conger is caught in the calm waters of the island, and then deep-fried, paired with a tasty corn sauce.
Nearing the end of the course, we have 土鍋の胡麻ごはん すまし汁. The rice is very fragrant, with plenty of sesame oil and ginger. The clear soup is also fantastic, with wonderful finesse and umami notes.
Dessert is すもものシャーベット, including a raspberry sorbet and a yogurt pudding with pipa puree. A very delicious and satisfying dinner.
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