Name: 3 Days Discovering Japan’s Seto Inland Sea
Uploaded: 2025-11-10T18:05:14.000Z
Duration: 14 min 55 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

I've always been a fan of slow travel off the beaten path compared to trips in the big cities.

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And when I heard that I'll be coming back to Japan's Inland Sea, well, you can say that I jumped on the Shinkansen faster than you can say Shinkansen.

The last time, I explored cute coastal towns on foot and by bicycle.

But this time, I'll be letting the ferries and buses do their work as I hop between the islands.

As a big transport fan, I'm really excited.

So let's get into three days discovering Japan's Seto Inland Sea.

First things first, a simple overview of my trip in the Setouchi region.

On day one, I'll be stopping at Himeji for the day because I just can't miss Japan's best castle.

Before moving on to Okayama and staying there the next day, I'll take the ferry to Shodoshima, the second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea.

Then on the last day, I'll spend half the day there, then go to Okijima, an island of Takamatsu.

If you're wondering which rail pass could work for you, the Setouchi Area Pass covers the bullet train and most local buses and ferries.

On this route, you get seven consecutive days of unlimited travel in the Setouchi region.

We have a video about this pass, so check that out for more details.

I hope it gives some inspiration for what you can do in the area on a longer trip.

With the pass, we will soon make a great stop at Himeji.

That over there is Himeji Castle, and she's beautiful even from here.

I don't think I'll get lost as long as I keep my eyes on the castle.

Himeji is best known for its castle and mountain temple complex, and

It's Japan's best surviving castle from the feudal period, and

it's also known as White Heron Castle for its elegant white appearance, like a bird spreading its wings.

These are called shaji, and they're typically found on the roofs of castles.

Now, these two over here, the actual size replicas of the ones that you can see on Himeji Castle behind me.

As we get closer to the castle, you can start to see why it's one of Japan's most famous.

The main keep complex isn't just one tower, like many castles in Japan, but

actually one main keep and three smaller keeps.

Also, all of its secondary walls still remain, adding to its incredibly complex and beautiful appear inside the main keep.

And did you know feudal lords did not typically live inside these keeps, but

So what was the purpose of building such a tower if not to live in?

Well, castle keeps were meant to be symbols of power.

And the last line of defense next to the main keep is the Kesho Yagura that was built for the princess of the castle and her ladies in waiting.

And inside you can see some rooms and displays related to her.

The other major sightseeing attraction in Himeji is Shoshazan Engyoji, a mountain temple complex outside the city centre.

You can hike up the mountain, but most people take the ropeway.

Pilgrims and visitors alike have been going to Engyoji since it was founded over a thousand years ago.

It takes about a couple of hours to explore the grounds of the mountain temple, and

I would recommend wearing good walking shoes.

This information board says that you can see Himeji Castle, where I was this morning.

From here, it's dead center where I'm pointing, but

you probably need a zoom lens camera to see it better.

The Money Den is the main worship building in Engyoji.

The original building was here for almost a thousand years before it was destroyed in a fire.

And doesn't it remind you of the Kiyomizu Dera temple in Kyoto?

Another highlight at Engyoji is the set of three massive halls about five minutes from the Money Den.

They're known as the Mitsunodo, and they're where the monks trained and lived.

If you've watched the movie the Last Samurai, then the Mitsunodo may look familiar to you because it was one of the filming locations in the movie.

Now let me be Reina Tom Cruise on and give you an extended director's cut of that scene.

And now I follow my journey towards the setting sun and head to Okayama.

Cassie spent some time in Okayama the last time she was here, and

you can check out her video in the link below for some travel inspiration in and around the city.

As for me, I'll be off to explore some islands from tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to today as I get to take a ferry in Japan.

Now, aside from the short ferry between Hiroshima and Miyajima a bit further west of here, how often does a traveler get to take one?

Now, to get to the ferry terminal, I'll be taking a bus from Okayama Station So I'll see you on the boat.

It's possible to explore Shodoshima by public bus, but

since I only have a day or so, I've gone with a rental car to maximize my time on the island.

Shildoshima's climate is similar to the Mediterranean, which makes it good for growing olives.

Here at the spacious olive park, you can see and experience all things olive related and feel like you're not in Japan.

This olive tree over here was planted over a century ago.

its successive growing olives, of course, not without trial and error, made Shodoshima the birthplace of growing olives in Japan.

The island is also the top producer of olives in the country.

Shodoshima was the filming location for the live action movie version of Kiki's Delivery Service.

An olive park is a popular location where visitors can recreate scenes from the movie by the sea and in this case, the Seto Inland Sea.

To help jog everyone's memory, I've got tried my best to look the part.

I've borrowed a broomstick and I'm gonna recreate a flying scene.

I'm back in the car, and this time let's go on a scenic drive on the Shonoshima skyline.

A 10km stretch of road that traverses close to the islands.

Kankake Gorge is located roughly in the middle of Shodoshima, and

it's one of the three most unique rocky sceneries in Japan.

The other two are Yabake Valley in Oita and Mount Myogi in Gunma.

There are a few ways you can explore the gorge.

You can hike or take a ropeway to the upper section, or those with a car like me can also drive to the top of the gorge.

While the foliage is nice and green in the warmer months come fall, Kankake becomes an excellent autumn color viewing spot in the Sete Uchi region.

There are a few spots on the island to see the sunset, and

my accommodation for tonight is one of them.

I'm feeling classy today with my glass of sparkling wine by the lounge.

One scenic view on Shodoshima is the terraced rice fields in the island's interior.

The literal translation of Nakayama Sen Maeda means interior mountain, thousand rice fields.

But in reality There are about 800 rice fields of varying sizes.

You get to hear the sound of the water, the insects, as well as smell the air which is filled with the sweet fragrance of rice.

I'll be heading back to the ferry terminal in a couple of hours, but

before that, there's still time to check out one more sightseeing spot.

This sandbar that I just walked across connects the mainland to this island and its known as Angel Road because it only appears when the tide is low.

From Shodoshima, I get on a ferry and head to Ogijima.

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3 Days Discovering Japan’s Seto Inland Sea

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