Hotels on Shodoshima, Japan

Transport wasn't ideal at this time of year but if you timed the buses right you could see a lot of Shodoshima island in a few days. It was great being surrounded by olive and orange groves. It had a very Mediterranean feel to it. From my resort I only had to cross the road to Olive Park and it's many attractions. A lovely coffee shop, aptly called Dilly Dally, was only a few doors away. I visited the site of the movie "24 eyes", Angel Road, Olive Park and strolled along various beaches. A lovely place to wind down after Tokyo. I mainly cooked for myself but found a coffee shop that did lovely gluten free muffins near Angel Road.

The area is great for cycling, kayaking, hiking or art hunting. Be prepared to deal with racist, xenophobic locals. The ferry ticket counter and information people look at you with disgust and hate, even if you can speak Japanese. They just plain hate you and don't want you there. Despite Bennesse's efforts to run those Triennales art festivals, the locals either don't get along with this foundation (I've heard from museum employees that they're underpaid and overworked, and the benefit packages are laughable) or they just plain don't like outsiders. Some hotels where you will be treated like a human being, despite your gaijin statu,s are Ohkido and L&M Pension in Tonosho. The rest, even some luxury hotels, can be really hit and miss. This time they were sold out, so I stayed at Yo Ko Resthouse in Tonosho, which was terrible. The owner bad mouthed her Taiwanese and American guests and constantly complained that there were "too many guests" and she's tired of them. She lied about luggage storage and assistance with receiving & sending luggage with Yamato delivery services. Her resthouse has a high score because she lies to guests and portrays herself as this poor, overworked auntie who just needs your sympathy. Then, as soon as her Taiwanese and Singaporean female guests went up to their room, she'd turn to the people at the bar and start gossiping about them: who had a fight with her boyfriend, who's a gold-digger, etc. It was uncomfortable and nasty, and I got the feeling that she needs the money, but she's envious and resentful of her customers.

Nice visit to the soya sauce production. We also visited the olive tree park. In all places we visited people were very welcoming. We could have visited other areas of the island. People are kind and helpful (even when they hardly speak English). Transportation is reliable and connection well planned between buses and boats. Highly recommended!