After the war, Shishijima thrived on growing pyrethrum and flowers; at its peak more than a hundred farms raised chrysanthemums, stock, marguerites, calendula and more for Buddhist altars, and it was called the "flower island." The farms all closed, but since 2015 a woman who once ran a flower farm and her son and his wife have cleared the hillside, sown seeds and tended some fifteen kinds of flowers, including moss phlox, calendula and nemophila. The best season is late March to May. About a 15-minute walk from the port.
This moment in the journey
The flower garden in the sky
Past the great tree, I came to flower fields on the slope. Shishijima was once known as the "flower island," with flower fields covering the whole island. To bring that scenery back, the islanders still tend the flowers today. Pink moss phlox and white blossoms filled the hillside, and nemophila spread blue at my feet.
Farther along, an islander was working the rows of soil, with the Seto Inland Sea and its islands beyond. This is the "flower garden in the sky," filled with those feelings. In one corner hung a small bell beside a wooden sign reading "Bell of Happiness."
Watch this scene on YouTube4:53
More notes from this journey
Mitoyo, Kagawa
Niku mosso
A beef version of mossou-meshi, a traditional dish of Mitoyo.
From: A great camphor tree and a garden in the sky: island life in the Seto Inland Sea
Mitoyo, Kagawa
Awashima
One of the Shiwaku Islands, about 4.5 km northwest of Takuma port in Mitoyo.
From: A great camphor tree and a garden in the sky: island life in the Seto Inland Sea
Mitoyo, Kagawa
The boat between Awashima and Shishijima
Awashima Kisen runs passenger boats between Suda and Miyanoshita ports on the mainland and Awashima, Kamishinden and Shishijima.
From: A great camphor tree and a garden in the sky: island life in the Seto Inland Sea
Mitoyo, Kagawa
Shishijima
A small island in the Shiwaku group, part of Mitoyo (formerly Takuma town), about 0.74 square kilometers.
From: A great camphor tree and a garden in the sky: island life in the Seto Inland Sea
Mitoyo, Kagawa
The Great Camphor Tree of Shishijima
A giant camphor tree on the hillside on the north side of the island.
From: A great camphor tree and a garden in the sky: island life in the Seto Inland Sea
Mitoyo, Kagawa
Kusunokura Observatory
A handmade lookout that the islanders built together on the rise above the great camphor tree.
From: A great camphor tree and a garden in the sky: island life in the Seto Inland Sea
More notes from Chugoku & Shikoku
Onomichi, Hiroshima
Onomichi-yaki
Onomichi's okonomiyaki is called Onomichi-yaki.
From: Onomichi ramen and homemade okonomiyaki
Onomichi, Hiroshima
Octopus rice (tako-meshi)
A regional dish of Hiroshima handed down in Mihara, Onomichi and Fukuyama.
From: Through the Cat Alley to our house in Onomichi
Tadotsu, Kagawa
Shippoku udon
A winter dish found throughout Kagawa.
From: Drawn by the sea breeze and the cats to Sanagi Island
Matsuyama, Ehime
Mackerel sandwich with Setouchi lemon
Breakfast in a fishing village on the Seto Inland Sea, made with the region's Setouchi lemon and eaten on the beach in front of the inn.
From: Shimanami Kaido: sea-bream rice and a salty breeze
Matsuyama, Ehime
Jako-ten, prawns and Ehime wagyu on a charcoal grill
Jako-ten is a deep-fried fish-paste cake from the Nanyo region of southern Ehime.
From: Shimanami Kaido: sea-bream rice and a salty breeze
Matsuyama, Ehime
Tai-meshi, sashimi-bowl style
Ehime has two kinds of tai-meshi.
From: Shimanami Kaido: sea-bream rice and a salty breeze