Previously, I would travel during the New Year’s holidays, but I spent New Year’s Day at home. Lately, I’ve been making the most of the affordable three-day holiday following the New Year’s celebrations. In 2024, I took a 2-night, 3-day trip to Shodoshima and Konpira-san during the weekend after New Year’s.

January 6th (Sat)
JAL Flight 477 departed from Haneda Airport at 09:40 and arrived at Takamatsu Airport at 11:05. Subsequently, I took a bus to Takamatsu Port. Following lunch at the Itarian restrant at the port, I boarded a ferry to Shodoshima Tonosho Port, reaching Shodoshima in roughly an hour. My stay was at the Shodoshima International Hotel, which offers a view of Angel Road from every room.

The hotel boasts a natural hot spring, characterized as an alkaline tonic low-temperature spring, complete with an open-air bath. The cuisine was delightful, featuring an abundance of seafood from the Seto Inland Sea and mountain delicacies from Shodoshima.

January 7th (Sun)
To make the 12:20 ferry from Tonosho Port, we opted for a sightseeing taxi (3.5 hours, 20,300 yen) for an expedited tour of the island. Our first stop was the Daikanbo Observatory, offering a 360-degree panoramic view. From there, the Kankakei Ropeway’s Summit Station is visible in the distance.

Next, go to the Summit station of the Kankakei Ropeway.

After buying exclusive sweets at the summit station, proceed to take the ropeway down to the base station.

Next, go to Marukin Soy Sauce Memorial Museum.

The soy sauce soft serve ice cream here is delicious. Next is Shodoshima Olive Park.

After a stroll in the park, we made our way to Tonosho Port to catch the ferry. For lunch, we enjoyed Sanuki udon available at the ferry’s shop. Taking the Kotoden Railway from Takamatsu Chikko to Kotoden Kotohira offers a view of Takamatsu Castle’s moat right from the Chikko platform.

The inn located in Kotohira is known as Yumoto Konpira Onsen Hananoyu Koubaitei, which, true to its name, features a natural hot spring. The cuisine was exceptional, leaving me thoroughly pleased. The breakfast buffet surpassed all others I’ve experienced to date.

January 8th (Mon)
On our final day, we visited Konpira-san Shrine in the morning. Climbing the 785 steps to the main shrine was manageable in my 30s, but at 66, it seemed daunting. Concerned, I inquired at the inn’s front desk about a shortcut. They advised that taking a taxi to Shiseido Parlor Kamitsubaki would allow us to easily ascend the steps to the shrine. Following their suggestion, I arranged a taxi for ¥2,070. From there, only 285 steps remained, and I was able to reach the main shrine once again this year.

The view from the main Shrine is also great.

The descent was manageable, so I walked the entire 785 steps, enjoyed Kagawa’s signature bone-in chicken for lunch, and afterward, caught a bus to Takamatsu Airport. I boarded JAL flight 482, which left Takamatsu Airport at 15:50 and arrived at Haneda Airport at 17:00.

Had we had more time, we might have spent an additional night on Shodoshima to more fully enjoy the sights; however, it was a brief yet fulfilling trip.