Olive Park
Shodoshima is the birth place of olive cultivation in Japan. The island's Mediterranean climate made it an ideal place for growing olives, which was first succeeded in 1908. Since then the island has been a top producer of Japanese olives and olive oil, and has earned Shodoshima the nickname "Olive Island".
Today the olives are most of all a tourist attraction, and can be best experienced at the Shodoshima Olive Park (小豆島オリーブ公園, Shōdoshima Olive Kōen), a working olive grove on the site where the first olives were successfully cultivated a century ago. The park offers attractive walking paths through the hillside, as well as a replica of a Greek windmill.
There is also a small museum that teaches visitors about the history of olive cultivation on Shodoshima, as well as a restaurant, cafe and shops where you can sample and buy the various olive-related products, such as olive oil, olive candy, olive cosmetics, olive noodles and olive ice cream.
The complex also includes a public bathhouse named Sun Olive, which is fed by hot spring water pumped up from a depth of 1.6 kilometers. The bath is gender separated and offers eight different bath tubs, including some with nice views over the island and onto the sea.
Getting there and around
By bus
The Olive Park is located along the main bus line between Tonosho and Kusakabe Ports. The closest bus stop is Olive ga Oka (オリーブヶ丘), just a few steps from the Olive Park.
From Tonosho Port take a bus bound for Sakate (坂手), Fukuda Port (福田港) or Eigamura (映画村). The one way trip takes 25 minutes, costs 300 yen, and there are 1-2 buses per hour.
From Kusakabe Port take a bus bound for Tonosho Port (土庄港). The one way trip takes five minutes, costs 150 yen, and there are 1-2 buses per hour.
From Fukuda Port take a bus bound for Tonosho Port (土庄港) along the island's southern coast (南廻り福田線). The one way trip takes 40 minutes, costs 300 yen, and there is a bus every two hours.
By car or taxi
The Olive Park is accessible by rental car or taxi in about 20 minutes from Tonosho Port (about 4000 yen by taxi) or in about five minutes from Kusakabe Port (about 1200 yen by taxi).
How to get to and around Shodoshima
Hours and Fees
Olive Museum and Shops
Hours
Closed
Admission
Sun Olive Bath House
Hours
Closed
Admission
Questions? Ask in our forum.
Links and Resources
English
Japanese
