National Geographic Traveller (UK)
The best island escapes
Japan’s 6 ,852 islands offer everything from salmon-f illed rivers in the far north to world-class diving in the south. The four main islands — H okkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku — a re home to the vast majority of the nation’s population, but away fro
SHIMANAMI KAIDO
Linking Honshu and Shikoku, the Shimanami Kaidō is a 48-mile road and bridge network that stepping-stones its way over the Seto Island Sea. Most people choose to drive or take the train across this impressive feat of engineering, but those looking for more adventure and a considerable amount of legwork can cycle instead. Several bike hire companies offer oneway options for anyone undertaking the route, while each of the seven islands along the way has accommodation and dining options.
GUNKANJIMA
Fans of 007 will instantly recognise abandoned Hashima Island. Of course, it was never originally built to be a supervillain’s lair but it did the job admirably in the 2012 film Skyfall. A genuinely spooky place, it was once a hive of activity — as a seabed coal mining facility, it was home to over 5,000 miners and their families — until being abandoned in 1974. Today, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and makes for a fascinating day trip, a rocky, halfhour boat ride from the city of Nagasaki, on the island of Kyushu.
TESHIMA
A dozen islands in the Seto Island Sea host the Setouchi Triennale art festival. While some stage temporary exhibitions, a few also have permanent art installations and exhibitions. The latter include the Teshima Art Museum. Resembling a droplet of water, the oneroom concrete space has been designed for contemplation and meditation. Be sure to save at least half a day for a visit, perhaps after seeing the more traditional artworks on permanent display on the neighbouring island town of Naoshima.
OKINAWA
Visiting the sun-soaked, divers’ paradise that is Okinawa today, it’s hard to believe it was the site of some of the Second World
War’s most ferocious fighting. Comprising more than 150 islands in the East China Sea between Taiwan and Japan’s mainland, it was once its own separate kingdom. Today, it’s often compared to Hawaii, with a similarly laid-back, ocean-focused vibe. From its super-early cherry blossom to its fixation with pork, everything is just a little bit different down on Japan’s southernmost territory.
YAKUSHIMA
The legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki was inspired to create his 1997 classic Princess Mononoke — a cautionary tale of man versus nature — after visiting Yakushima. Many of the island’s trees were felled during the timber-hungry Edo period. Today, however, the island is carpeted with forests, which can be explored via a network of misty trails dotted with giant, moss-covered trunks. These are yakusugi — the island’s most ancient cedars (by definition over 1,000 years old).
The oldest and largest is Jōmon Sugi.