Scenic Wooden Dock on Tranquil Mountain Lake, Japan
Serene wooden dock on a tranquil mountain lake framed by lush green peaks in Japan.

Manabe-shima: Florian Chavouet’s Island

Manabe-shima, an original little island in the heart of Seto Inland Sea, is also known for its gangs of cats!

The small island of Manabe-shima (真 鍋 島) is the southernmost of the Kaseoka islands in Seto Inland Sea. It is administered by the city of Kaseoka in Okayama prefecture. There were almost 1,000 islanders in the 1970s, compared with just over 200 at present.

Manabe-shima
Manabe-shima

Legend has it that a Fujiwara clan member established a naval base there towards the end of the Heian era (7941185). The new clan, the Manabe, would in its prime have dominated the nearby Kaseoka islands. The ruins of Manabe castle are on a hill overlooking the sea, and other historical traces of the military past are scattered around the island.

During the Meiji era (18681912) the island prospered through fishing and villages were established. Manabe-shima was recently designated a “Furusato [homeland] village” by Okayama prefecture for the conservation of its picturesque ambiance. It’s also sometimes used as a location for filmshoots in search of yesteryear Japan.

Manabe-shima
Manabe-shima

There are two fishing villages on the island, Hon-ura 本 浦 and Iwatsubo 岩 坪. Both are known for their vibe of narrow alleys and old wooden buildings (more and more of them abandoned).

Manabe-shima
Manabe-shima

The island is also famed as one of dozens of Japanese “Cat Islands”. Generally there’s very little traffic, and the ever-present sea offers up quantities of fishy catfood.

Manabe-shima
Manabe-shima

The popularity of the island, especially among the French, is down to Florent Chavouet’s graphic novel Manabeshima Island Japan, illustrating his daily life there.

Manabeshima Junior High School (笠岡市立真鍋中学校 / Kasaoka Shiritsu Manabe Chugakko)

The wooden building dating from 1949 is supposedly still open, but has become a tourist special attraction for its nostalgic atmosphere.

Manabe-shima
Manabe-shima

A wide corridor with windows on one side and rooms on the other, typical architecture of Japanese school buildings of the time. It was also used as a set for the 1984 film MacArthur’s Children, a WW2 drama about the occupation of General MacArthur and his troops.

Manabe-shima
Manabe-shima

Manabe residence

he Manabes were one of the most influential families on the island in the late Heian era. The family mansion has been designated a national cultural property. The wooden homestead, dating from Meiji times, was built in the Shoin-zukuri style typical of aristocratic mansions.

Manabe-shima
Manabe-shima

Right next to the house is an Elaeocarpus sylvestris tree over 250 years old. In Japanese it’s mistakenly called Horuto-no-ki (literally “tree of Portugal”) because the olive-shaped fruit was believed to have originated there.

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Who Am I

Jordy Meow
This is me!

I am Jordy Meow, a French photographer based in Tokyo. I explore offbeat places in Japan.

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Orange drum resounds, Shadows dance on glass and wood, Old meets new at dusk.  オレンジの太鼓、 ガラスと木に影が踊る、 夕暮れに古と新が出会う。  #KanazawaStation #TsuzumiMon #urbanjapan #architecturelovers #offbeatjapan #japan #modernmeetstraditional
Blue haze softly glows, Stone paths bind past with future— Time whispers in night.青い霞が優しく輝く、 石畳が過去と未来を結ぶ— 時間は夜に囁く。#roji #nocturnalscene #japanlovers #urbanharmony #serenemoments #offbeatjapan #japan
Moss-clad gate whispers, Where sunlit streams softly dance, Nature’s shrine unfolds.苔むす門、 木漏れ日の小川、 自然の社。#sacredjapan #mossymagic #toriiwanderings #serenityinthetrees #hiddenretreat #spiritualjourney #offbeatjapan #japan
Modern white and blue, Reflects on ancient timber, Past meets the future.モダンな白と青が、 古い木材に映り込む、 過去が未来に出会う。#architecturalcontrast #traditionmeetstechnology #modernjapan #culturalblend #reflectivebeauty #offbeatjapan #japan
Golden walls whisper, Among emerald whispers; Where sky meets old dreams. ---黄金の壁、 エメラルドの囁き; 空が古き夢に触れる。 ---#offbeatjapan #japan #mysticalplaces #hiddenjapan #serenesetting #mountainscape #villagelife
Gray sky, rain-kissed tiles, Orange roofs glow through the mist— Green life clings to rail. ---灰色の空 雨が降る屋根の上 オレンジの輝き 緑の生命が手すりを掴む---#offbeatjapan #japan #coastalvibes #tropicalrain #stormyskies #hiddenjapan #urbanexploration
White snow whispers past, Gray corridors hold secrets, Number three stands still. ---白雪がささやく、 灰色の回廊は秘密を抱く、 数字の三が静かに佇む。 ---#HokkaidoMystery #SnowboundSecrets #WinterDecay #HiddenHokkaido #OffbeatJapan #Japan #AbandonedBeauty
Emerald hills call, Beneath the boundless blue skies, A lone horse wanders. エメラルドの丘が呼ぶ 果てしない青い空の下 一頭の馬が歩く #serenejapan #ruralbeauty #countryside #peacefulvibes #offbeatjapan #japan #hiddenparadise