Journeys in photographs and words.

A little of each town’s story

Mitoyo, Kagawa

The boat between Awashima and Shishijima

From: A great camphor tree and a garden in the sky: island life in the Seto Inland Sea

The boat's route sign: Awashima, Kamishinden, Shishijima, Miyanoshita
The boat's route sign: Awashima, Kamishinden, Shishijima, Miyanoshita

Awashima Kisen runs passenger boats between Suda and Miyanoshita ports on the mainland and Awashima, Kamishinden and Shishijima. No road reaches the port on Shishijima, so vehicles cannot be carried. Miyanoshita to Shishijima takes about 20 minutes. In the spring flower season the boats have a passenger limit, and the Mitoyo tourism office also suggests the route from Suda via Awashima or a sea taxi.

Sources: ja.wikipedia.org mitoyo-kanko.com

This moment in the journey

By small boat to the next island

Morning haze hung over the harbor, where small boats drifted slowly by. On the side of the boat waiting at the pier were the names of its stops: Awashima, Kamishinden, Shishijima, Miyanoshita. A little passenger boat linking Awashima and Shishijima with Miyanoshita port on the mainland.

I stood on the deck and watched the harbor fall away, enjoying the Seto Inland Sea from the ferry. The white of the wake dissolved into the water, and hazy islands floated all around. Soon a seawall with a red torii gate and a small shrine came into view.

Watch this scene on YouTube2:19

Read this scene in the full journey

A small boat in the misty morning harbor
A small boat in the misty morning harbor
Walking to the pier where the boat is moored
Walking to the pier where the boat is moored
A white boat leaving the harbor
A white boat leaving the harbor
Standing on deck, watching the harbor recede
Standing on deck, watching the harbor recede
Looking out at the islands from the boat
Looking out at the islands from the boat
The boat's wake and hazy islands
The boat's wake and hazy islands
The port and village of Shishijima seen from the sea
The port and village of Shishijima seen from the sea