A little of each town’s story

Kusunokura Observatory

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

Walking toward the Kusunokura lookout hut

A handmade lookout that the islanders built together on the rise above the great camphor tree. The window of the wooden hut frames the sea like a picture, and you can sit on the bench inside and take it in. To the north lie the Kasaoka Islands, to the east Takamijima and the Great Seto Bridge, and to the south the mountains of Shikoku.

Sources: mitoyo-kanko.com nippon.com jb-honshi.co.jp

This moment in the journey

Breakfast at the Kusunokura lookout

Beyond the trees, a hut came into view: the Kusunokura Observatory, built by hand by local people. A single wooden hut stands on a slope of white flowers. Inside are a round table and benches, and through the window cut into the wall, the Seto Inland Sea spreads out.

I untied the furoshiki and had my niku mosso breakfast, eating slowly as I gazed at the sea. A small island watched over by a great tree that has lived through an eternity of time. It was a place overflowing with the warmth of the islanders.

Watch this scene on YouTube5:37

Read this scene in the full journey