Shodo Island Olive Onsen

Shodo Island Olive Onsen in Shozu, Kagawa prefecture, draws chloride-rich thermal waters on Seto Inland Sea's Shodo Island — Japan's first olive cultivation island, where the Meiji government planted Mediterranean olive trees in 1909 creating Japan's only substantial olive grove, and where the Tonosho village's monkeys and donkeys have become beloved local mascots alongside the dramatic Kankakei gorge's spectacular autumn foliage. The island's unique combination of Japan's only olive groves (whose harvest festival each October involves traditional Japanese ceremonies alongside Mediterranean-style pressing), the extreme tidal-flat terrain of the Seto Inland Sea visible from the island's highland passes, and the Setouchi Triennale contemporary art installations make Shodo Island one of the most culturally distinctive islands in the Inland Sea. The thermal bathing with olive oil skincare traditions — combining the Inland Sea's mineral-rich chloride spring water with the locally produced olive oil in therapeutic treatments — creates a uniquely Shodo Island wellness experience that could exist nowhere else in Japan.