Alone at Dōgo Onsen: The Empty Bathhouse
One of Japan's oldest baths, in Matsuyama, with its Spirited Away looks. I got to stand inside the Dōgo Onsen Honkan alone during COVID, photographing a bath with no bathers.
Ogijima, the Crooked Island
Ogijima, a tiny Seto Inland Sea island off Takamatsu: a steep village clinging to the slope, sovereign cats, Setouchi Triennale art and an 1895 granite lighthouse.
Megijima: The Demons Have Retired
Megijima, the oni island of the Seto Inland Sea: a beach, an ageing village, stone walls and a startling retro American cinema, 20 minutes by ferry from Takamatsu.
Nostalgic
Sotodomari Ishigaki-no-sato: Village of Outsiders
A scenic coastal village nestled in a lush landscape, home to outsiders and rich in character.
Off the map
New Muroto Sky Rest: Abandoned at the Summit
Découvrez le mystère captivant du Skyrest New Muroto, un restaurant panoramique abandonné au Japon, entre ambitions déchues et folklore hanté.
Off the map
Château Sampo: A Medieval Castle in Japan ?
This mysterious Spanish-insired medieval castle is thought to be haunted ...
Easy walk
The Village of Yokaichi
The charming village of Yokaichi, in the countryside of Shikoku island, takes you back to the Meiji era. Its beautiful wooden houses are worth a lingering look.
Some hiking
Shishijima: Island of the Goat (or of the 19 Residents)
It’s early. I call on my host: couldn’t you recommend an island around here for my morning constitutional? Of course, he told me. So join my mate on his boat down there. He’ll take you to his place! On Goat Island! You’ve a deal there, I miaow readily, whiskers quivering with excitement.
Melancholic
Nagoro: Village of Dolls
For those who enjoy driving and don’t find cliffsides and mountain switchbacks too scary, the Iya Valley offers magnificent landscapes and dozens of remote villages, each one more picturesque than the last.
