Fresh bread was baked every day at Sen Guest House and was available to buy with butter and jam for just 200 yen. With it being so freshly baked I decided not to toast it, so delicious!
After breakfast we jumped on the bikes and made our way around the bay stopping at this soy sauce factory.
Right next to it was a shop selling a vast range of soy sauces and ice creams.
Not just any ice cream though, here they served soy sauce ice cream. It might be hard to imagine but this was the best ice cream flavour I've ever tried! Just think about how salted caramel works if you're struggling to imagine how it tastes.
Matt at the guesthouse had told us about part of a pilgrimage route just beyond the soy sauce factories. It stretched up into the mountains and down to Sakata Bay passing a number of temples on the way. Finding the first temple seemed quite straightforward using a local map.
Trying to find where the route continued was slightly more challenging though so we stopped for a rest to study the map in more detail. The perfect time to enjoy some edamame beans and an egg from 7-Eleven. The boiled eggs were so creamy with a deep orange yolk, the best eggs on the planet!
Fuelled by the wonderful eggs we hiked up the mountain in the sweltering heat and made it to the the next temple which offered stunning views across the bay.
This temple was built into the rocks, the air inside was really cool which was a huge relief.
We followed the path to the next temple, it had been quite a challenging hike up to this point but finally we were at the top.
This temple was far bigger than the last one but was also built into the rocks.
The final temple we explored appeared to be derelict. Lots of buildings within the grounds had doors which could be opened leading to kitchens, toilets and prayer rooms. They looked like they hadn't been used in a very long time though.
This viewing platform was nestled high up on the mountainside, we took in the views before searching for the final temple. Sadly we didn't manage to find it though and ended up back in Sakata port.
One of the reasons we were visiting Shodoshima and the surrounding islands was to look at some of the exhibits that were part of the 2019 Setouchi Triennale Art Festival. Star Anger by Kenji Yanobe was one of the exhibits that could be found in Sakata Port.
There didn't seem to be much to look at in Sakata Port so we walked back around the bay road in search of our bikes.
Something stopped us in our tracks though, Hotel Kankakeiso. An Icelandic guy at the guesthouse we met last night had talked about an abandoned hotel nearby and this was it! The front door was slightly open so we squeezed through the gap and stepped inside.
The hotel reception where we discovered brochures dating back to the year 2000. Why this hotel had been left with all it's contents nearly 20 years ago was a mystery though?
I've since goggled "Hotel Kanakeiso Shodoshima" but there is nothing about it anywhere online.
Empty glasses and bottles strewn across the hotel bar.
The hotel safe lay opened in a corridor outside the lifts surrounded in cardboard boxes.
In the corner of the reception area was a small souvenir shop with these plastic display cakes still on the shelf.
Hotel Kankakeiso was a pretty big place and as we walked away from it I was so curious about why it had been abandoned. I also wondered if we should have further explored it.
Reunited with our bikes we cycled to 7-Eleven for some food and beer before returning to the guesthouse where we relaxed on the beach. A can of Sapporo, a meat, fish and rice bento and the sound of the waves lapping onto the beach was a wonderful combination. This birds were singing in the background and an occasional fishing boat would pass us, this place was paradise!
I didn't really need to eat anything else but how could I resist trying a blueberry and cream cheese sandwich! This combination works so well and later in the trip I spotted these made using a pink bread.
I strolled across the beach whilst Ella sketched beside the hammocks. Sen Guesthouse can be seen with the green roof up on the hill, directly below is it's private beach area.
Back at the guesthouse we discussed visiting the abandoned Hotel Kankakeiso. Matt told us about some properties behind the guesthouse which had also been abandoned. With an hour or so of daylight left we went in search of them right away. We followed some steps up the hill and eventually came to an overgrown road that had pieces of carpet laying everywhere. The carpet had perhaps been laid there to prevent things growing but nature had definitely taken over! We didn't have to walk very far at all before we spotted this abandoned building which had started to drop slightly down the hillside.
Not far away was this house, getting to it through the over growth was slightly challenging though. We found the front door and discovered it opened so we went inside.
The entire contents of the house still remained covered in dust. It felt quite eerie inside but we slowly explored every room in the house.
The TV sat in the corner of the main living room.
As we shone our phone torches around the room we'd occasionally see an insect scuttle past on the wall.
The crockery lay piled neatly inside the kitchen cupboards.
Clothes still hung in the wardrobe.
We couldn't understand why everything had been left inside the house?
Batteries lay on the shelf and a pair of torches were left on the kitchen table.
Back at the guesthouse Matt told us there were hundreds of abandoned properties on Shodoshima. The possible reason so many had been abandoned was that they were bought during the financial boom in the 90's and used as holiday lets. Then during the financial crash less people rented them and the private roads leading to them became overgrown and unpassable. Once mother nature took hold the access to the properties became blocked and the houses were left abandoned.
I sat on the balcony and pondered over the abandoned situation in Shodoshima with a can of lemon strong zero.
The balcony was the perfect spot to watch the beautiful sunset!
Tonight we decided to eat at the guesthouse where you could cook your own food in the kitchen. There was also a selection of noodle, curry and ramen kits available to buy so we decided to try the vegan ramen.
Easy to make and the broth was delicious!
For dessert some locally made biscuits.
Click here for Day 13
Tonosho Port
keep up the amazing content... looks awesome
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