Shodo Island ~ 28th March 2010

12:32 AM

Early in the morning check out from hotel @ Takamatsu. Just in time to have the cup noodle that I bought on the 26th night and it was disappointing. I had this kind of misconception that instant noodle in Japan must taste good. The vermicelli was so slimy and it's weird to chew on. The funny things was that it has wanton inside it and it wasn't bad at all. :D

Today we will be leaving to Himeji. But before that, we are going to Shodo Island.

From hotel, we walked to Kawaramachi station and took Kotoden Line to Takamatsuchikko Station for 180 Yen. Then from there walk about 10 min to the ferry port. Thought we were going to be late but still managed to take the earliest Uchinomi ferry to Kusakabe Port @ Shodo Island (1140 Yen).

After 1 hour of ferry ride, we reached Kusakabe Port. Our plan was to store our hang luggage at the port and rent bicycles to go to the Olive Park!

It was rather cheap to just put our luggage at their office @ Port, just for 100 yen only. But the bicycle rental is quite pricey at 1000 yen for 4 hours because that day a Sunday and we were being charged extra 200 yen.

There we go all the way to Olive Park! The distance is about 3.2km and we rode along the shores of Shodo Island with cold breezing air welcoming us all the way and also the nice scenery, the experience was just fantastic, never been so fun and enjoyable just riding bicycles.

Then came the tough part. I didn't know that park is actually on top a hill omg. After half an hour of enjoyment, it's time for some hard work to push the bicycle up the hill. =.=""""""""""""""

~Olive Park~

"Shodo Island is in the Seto Inland Sea with oddly-shaped rocks, formed over the years by rain and wind erosion. It is the second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea.

The cultivation of citrus fruits and olives is very popular on the island, and the island is especially known as the place where people succeeded in the cultivation of olives in 1908 for the first time in Japan."

I saw many people were looking for olives, searching up and down around the trees. I too joined the fun, but couldn't find any olive at all! Were they picking leaves or the olive? I have no idea but failing to pick up any olives there, I went to the other side of the park where orange trees were planted there. While I was snapping photos of one of the oranges, the orange feel into my palm. I guess that is the nature's gift. I wasn't sure whether is it legal to pick up the fruit but since nobody was watching, I took it. :P