Sights in Shōdo Shima
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Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village
Just north of Sakate is the turn-off to the picturesque fishing village of Tanoura (田ノ浦), site of the village school that featured in the film Twenty-Four Eyes. The film was based on a novel by local writer Tsuboi Sakae and was a huge hit in postwar Japan. The set used in the 1980s remake of the original 1954 B&W film is now open to the public as this movie village, where busloads of tourists gather to wallow in nostalgia.
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Shōdo-shima Olive Park
This park is where the island's olive- growing activities are celebrated with several whitewashed buildings, some fake Grecian ruins, a museum, and opportunities to buy olive-themed souvenirs. It's worth tolerating the kitsch for the Sun Olive Onsen, where you can enjoy fabulous views of the Japanese Aegean from a variety of herbal baths.
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Nakayama Rice Fields
About 4km inland from the Ikeda ferry terminal are Nakayama's 'thousand rice fields'. The terraces are pretty in any season but are especially picturesque after rice planting in late April or early May, when the water-filled fields become a hillside of mirrors.
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Misaki Branch School
Also worth seeing in Tanoura is this perfectly preserved 1902 school, setting for the Twenty-Four Eyes story and the 1954 film. It's a short walk from the movie village on the road back to Sakate.
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Marukin Soy Sauce Historical Museum
Shōdo-shima's first olives were planted in 1908, but the island was famous for its soy beans long before that, and several old soy-sauce companies are still in business here (as frequent whiffs around the island will remind you). Marukin is situated in an old black-and-white building on the main road between Kusakabe and Sakate. There are good English explanations, and souvenirs available include soy sauce–flavoured ice cream.
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Chōshi-kei Valley Monkey
Large troupes of monkeys will come right up to you here as they squabble for food. For a less intense monkey encounter, look out for them on the way up to the park area, where they're sometimes found lazing on the road.
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