4 Charming Japanese Islands That You Didn’t Know Existed
Japan is an incredible country that has to offer much more than you can imagine. Next, we will describe four Japanese islands with a lot of charm. Islands that, however, do not usually appear on the tourist lists. Would you like to discover them with us?
Miyajima, one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country
Itsukushima Shrine was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The special thing about this sanctuary is that both the temple and the entrance to it are built on the coast, over the water. Therefore, when there is high tide it seems that they float on the waters that surround the island. An impressive landscape that will leave you speechless.
When the tide is out, we can go up to the great red door (a color that is believed to keep evil spirits away) and admire it up close. The island is located in Hiroshima Bay. The tides at Itsukushima will have to be taken into account in order to plan the trip properly. If you get hungry, dare to try Miyajima’s specialty: oysters.
Naoshima, the island of giant pumpkins
Naoshima is a tiny island in southern Japan, halfway between Hiroshima and Osaka. It has less than 4,000 inhabitants who, until about two decades ago, lived from fishing and a metallurgical refinery. However, thanks to the efforts of a businessman and collector of Japanese art, the island has become a huge open-air museum.
For the Japanese, Naoshima is known as the island of modern art and architecture. It brings together the minimalist style of the acclaimed architect Tadao Ando and works by such prestigious artists as Monet or Jason Pollock.
Many of the works are in underground galleries and others in the docks, the coast, in the mountains … In short, you can find a work of art in any corner. It should be noted the large pumpkin found in the port, it is a work of a Chinese artist and is the symbol of the island of Naoshima.
Shikoku, the island with the most famous pilgrimage route in Japan
This is the smallest of the main islands that make up the archipelago of Japan. In it is one of the most important pilgrimage routes in the world, although not many know about it. It is the path of the route of the 88 temples of Shikoku or Shikoku Henro, in Japanese.
The route follows in the footsteps of the founding monk of Shingon Buddhism, Daishi Kobo, who lived between the 8th and 11th centuries. It stretches for 1400 kilometers, bordering the island.
According to tradition, the first 23 temples are located in Tokushima prefecture, near the city of Naruto and the wonderful Iya Gorges. Temple 1, Ryozen-ji, is one of the most impressive. Temple number 75, Zetntsuji, is the largest of all temples and is where Daishi Kobo was born.
Aoshima, one of the most amazing Japanese islands
Aoshima is an island that is part of Ehime Prefecture, near Shikoku Island. It is one of several Japanese islands that has a larger cat population than humans.
It is said that it all started when a group of cats was introduced to the island to kill the mouse plagues. Since then, the cats have continued to reproduce and now their number rises to more than 100. The number of tourists arriving on the island is increasing, which surprises its barely twenty inhabitants.
These have been just a few examples of Japanese islands, curious and surprising, that you surely did not know existed. Keep them in mind if you ever visit Japan and want to discover a slightly less conventional destination.
