^{“OH, ISLAND IN THE SUN” … Is it because I was born on Australia’s island state of Tasmania that I have a special thing for islands. I’ve lived on the North Island of New Zealand, and travelled the NZ South Island many times. I have cruised the Pacific, visiting idyllic islands such as Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. And don’t get me started on my passion for the Greek Islands – those Mediterranean gems. Such a lucky duck I am, enjoying some wonderful idyllic days there.}

^{What I never imagined was finding bewitching tiny island magic in Japan. But there I was last November, on a beautiful autumn morning, sailing out on a Seto Inland sea ferry from Shikoku, Japan’s smallest main island off Honshu.}

^{I find it remarkable that so many Japan visitors aren’t aware of Shikoku, or the three thousand tiny islands beyond it in the Seto Inland sea – some settled, some not, most waiting to be explored!}

^{And yes – I did say 3,000 island gems in an area that was, in times past, very much pirate territory – lots of tricky tides and hiding spots in little bays and coves! Obviously, I wasn’t touring all 3,000 – though wouldn’t that be great!}

^{From the old castle town of Takamatsu on Shikoku, many islands are easily accessible by ferries. And what a sweet little city that is – I found it to be great base to explore both Shikoku and the nearby tiny islands!}

^{Ferries leave from Takamatsu port regularly – super cute ferries that put you immediately into the holiday mood. They are larger than I expected and reasonably cheap. The port and ticketing offices are about five minutes walking distance from Takamatsu’s main railway station, and for us, about the same distance to our hotel.}

^{I was travelling with MJ as usual, and a friend from home, Sandy, who was accompanying us on our November Japan trip. We decided to restrict ourselves to a morning visit to one island as we had other places to visit on Shikoku. We chose Ogijima, a small island about a 40 minute sea journey from Takamatsu.  The island measures just 1.34 km2.}

^{Its only village huddles around the port and spreads up steep hills – wooden houses and narrow lanes that entice you to explore. A seemingly unplanned maze, with interesting discoveries at every turn. Like many small places in Japan, it population was dwindling, but in recent years young people have been settling there resulting in schools, a library and more eateries opening.}

^{Ogijima is one of the venues for Japan’s famous Setouchi Triennale art festival, held every three years over 100 days on islands in the Seto Inland sea. The Festival is split into spring, summer and autumn sessions and it attracts about one million visitors. Good news for anyone heading there soon – 2025 is a Festival year – but you’ll probably need to be quick to get tickets.}

^{There were no festival crowds when we set out on an early morning ferry to Ogijima – a lovely time to be on the water. The ferry seemed to be carrying a small mix of locals, people servicing the islands and some visitors like ourselves.}

^{En route we passed a bigger island, Megajima – only 20 minutes out from Takamatsu. We pulled into its port briefly to let some passengers off. It seemed like most were amateur fishers from Takamatsu. They quickly moved to a groin and had their fishing gear out before we resumed our journey to Ogijima.}

^{At first sight, I thought Megajima had a lot of very orderly seagulls! But on closer inspection, I found there were all little sculptures lining harbour walls and buildings At least your fish and chips would be safe from them!}

^{These two islands could, and probably should, be combined on a day trip from Takamatsu, and reflecting, I wish we had done that as our magical day would have been even more so!}

^{We took the earliest ferry of the day, planning to breakfast on Ogijima – bad move. We arrived far too early. Nothing was open, apart from a very fancy reception building staffed by some polite ladies who did not speak English. It’s mainly a covered waiting area for the ferry. It does have good, clean public toilets!}

^{The building was designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. Its white roof imagines a seashell, but when you examine it closely, the ceiling is formed by numerous alphabets in eight languages.}

^{We set off to explore – wandering back and forth along the picturesque shoreline and up and down streets, lined with mainly wooden homes topped with clay tiled rooves. Some buildings with a patchwork covering of tin. In the harbour, a few professional fishermen were tending their nets.}

^{At one side of the harbour was the village graveyard – all those souls still with their sea view!}

^{Some homes were abandoned and overrun by their gardens, others well maintained – and yet others that looked like more modern constructions. Most were built on huge stone or concete walls, a form of protection from winds. And, at some turns on narrow paths, you surprisingly came across modern artwork that hinted at the thriving, creative community that is the heart of Ogijima.}

^{Locally grown persimmons hung drying from balconies, flowers bloomed and rooves were being mended ahead of winter. No graffiti, no loud music, and not a roaring jet ski in sight – an idyllic and peaceful place.}

^{The village was like a treasure trove. Endless steps, steep inclines, nooks and crannies. Seek and find riches! I doubt these villagers need a gym for a workout!}

^{Apparently, a little higher than where we went, was a shrine for the safe delivery of babies. Having already well passed my child bearing years, I wisely decided I didn’t need to keep climbing to pray there. There was a lighthouse too, where you could get another commanding view of the Seto Island sea.}

^{What I did regret was missing out on seeing one of the island’s famous artworks – the walking ark – a sculpture that looks like a boat with legs. If I return, I will find it!}

^{MJ noted from google maps that a coffee place was opening soon – but it was quite high up on the hill. Well, I was ready for a coffee and hopefully food, so despite my knee problem, we began climbing to find it, finally coming upon what appeared to be a little house with a pebble stone path leading into a small courtyard and a pergola area. Beyond was the most magnificent view of the harbour.}

^{A lovely, very gracious man ran the cafe. He only seemed to serve percolated coffee and tea served in cat mugs, and Kakigori -a traditional Japanese dessert made from finely shaved ice and typically flavoured with a variety of sweet syrups.}

^{No latte or breakfast pastry in sight LOL! I changed my mind about the need for coffee, and went for what turned out to be a delicious strawberry kakigori for breakfast! Unusual – but what can I tell you – I had overheated with the haul up the hill, and the bowl of flavoured ice shavings was very cooling. Plus – confession here – I am not a cat person and I couldn’t bring myself to savour my first coffee of the day in a cat mug! MJ and Sandy assured me their drinks were excellent!}

^{The ambience of the tiny cafe was the best treat. It felt like we were being hosted in a villager’s home.}

^{The owner spoke little english, but – google translate to the rescue – and we discovered that he was the cat man of Ogijima who cares for the 70 plus roaming cats on the island. Which explains why some of his small offering of souvenirs were all cat related! He’d originally lived in Osaka, and had moved to Ogijima for the quiet life. What a life! What a choice! Lucky man.}

^{While we sat back, enjoying the view, a local dad and his two primary school young daughters arrived. One of the youngsters had a surprising command of english, learnt at school – so we had quite a chat. Her dad beamed with pride as she navigated a simple english conversation with us. She was also pretty quick to consult google translate!}

^{As we descended the hill back to the harbour, we came across a bakery preparing to open – the aroma from it was wonderful. We noticed a few other interesting restaurants opening later too. We had got the timing of our visit wrong. We shouldn’t have arrived so early.}

^{At the harbour, an octopus vendor had begun his day’s business from a van. I was in an adventurous mood – and hungry – so I decided to try some, presuming that it would be fresh, locally caught octopus. Disappointment – tasted like rubber! Probably frozen, defrosted and over cooked.}

^{Don’t fails make the wins so much more joyful!}

^{MJ and Sandy decided to race back up the hill for some of those bakery treats, arriving back just in time for our ferry to take us back to Takamatsu. The treats – freshly baked muffins – were winners. Oishi. Delicious!}

^{En route back to Takamatsu, our ferry stopped in again at Megajima where an astounding sight awaited us. Scores of people dressed in animal costumes at the wharf waving enthusiastically. I felt a little confused at the sight – a bit like Alice down the rabbit hole. Was there a good dose of sake in those ice shavings?}

^{Afterwards, I ascertained they belonged to the Furry Fandom – a subculture movement of people who enjoy animal characters with human characteristics. All a bit of fun, like Star Wars fans who love to dress up. The furry fandom had been obviously on the island for a gathering. Apparently, they exist around the world, including Australia.}

^{I, for one, will never forget their welcome and farewell for our ferry – part of our magic wonderful Seto Inland Sea day!}

^{Our island visit was so short – not really enough time to sit back and enjoy. This is not a bells and whistles sort of visit – but a chance to experience the simplicity and joy of island life in Japan.}

^{The ferries are fairly cheap and many, like the one we took, are vehicle ferries. Apparently there’s some nice home stay style accommodation on Megajima. And on other islands too. If there’s a next time for me, I’d like to choose an island and stay awhile to really appreciate take in life there. A comfy chair, good food, and an outlook to the sea. Bliss.}

^{The ferry we took operates every few hours between Takamatsu and the two islands during the day. And it’s very cheap – around $10 Australian return – cheaper if you are only going to the bigger island.}

^{I highly recommend!}