Everything about Shikoku totally explained
is the smallest (225km long and between 50km and 150km wide) and least populous (4,141,955 as of 2005) of the four main islands of
Japan, located south of
Honshū and east of
Kyūshū island. Its ancient names include
Iyo-no-futana-shima,
Iyo-shima, and
Futana-shima . The current name refers to the four former
provinces which made up the island:
Awa,
Tosa,
Sanuki, and
Iyo.
Geography
The Shikoku region, comprising Shikoku and its surrounding islets, covers about and consists of four
prefectures:
Ehime,
Kagawa,
Kochi, and
Tokushima. Across the
Inland Sea lie
Wakayama,
Osaka,
Hyōgo,
Okayama,
Hiroshima, and
Yamaguchi Prefectures on
Honshū. To the west lie
Ōita and
Miyazaki Prefectures on
Kyūshū.
The 50th largest
island by area, Shikoku is smaller than
Sardinia and
Bananal, but larger than
Halmahera and
Seram.
By population, it ranks 23rd, having fewer inhabitants than
Sicily or
Pulau Ujong, but more than
Puerto Rico or
Negros.
Mountains running east and west divide Shikoku into a narrow northern subregion, fronting on the Inland Sea, and a southern part facing the
Pacific Ocean. Most of the 4.5 million inhabitants live in the north, and all but one of the island's few larger cites are located there.
Mount Ishizuchi in Ehime at is the highest mountain on the island. Industry is moderately well developed and includes the processing of ores from the important
Besshi copper mine. Land is used intensively. Wide alluvial areas, especially in the eastern part of the zone, are planted with rice and subsequently are double cropped with winter wheat and barley. Fruit is grown throughout the northern area in great variety, including citrus fruits, persimmons, peaches, and grapes. Because of wheat production
Sanuki udon became an important part of the diet in Kagawa Prefecture (former Sanuki Province) in the
Edo period.
The larger southern area of Shikoku is mountainous and sparsely populated. The only significant lowland is a small alluvial plain at
Kochi, the prefectural capital. The area's mild winters stimulated some truck farming, specializing in growing out-of-season vegetables under plastic covering. Two crops of rice can be cultivated annually in the southern area. The pulp and paper industry took advantage of the abundant forests and hydroelectric power.
Shikoku has four important capes. Gamōda in
Anan, Tokushima is the easternmost point on the island, and Sada in
Ikata, Ehime the westernmost. Muroto in
Muroto, Kochi and Ashizuri, the southern extreme of Shikoku, in
Tosashimizu, Kochi, jut into the Pacific Ocean. The island's northernmost point is in
Takamatsu, Kagawa.
Transportation
Shikoku is connected to
Honshū by three
expressways.
The eastern gateway to Shikoku,
Naruto City in
Tokushima Prefecture has been linked to the
Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway since 1998. This line connects Shikoku to the
Kansai area which has a large population, including the large conurbations of
Osaka,
Kyoto and
Kobe. Therefore, the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway carries a large traffic volume. Many highway buses are operated between
Kansai and
Tokushima Prefecture.
The central part of Shikoku is connected to
Honshū by ferry, air and since
1988, by the
Great Seto Bridge network. Until completion of the bridges, the region was isolated from the rest of Japan. The freer movement between Honshū and Shikoku was expected to promote economic development on both sides of the bridges, which hasn't materialized yet.
Within the island, a web of
national highways connects the major population centers. These include
Routes 11,
32,
33,
55, and
56.
The
Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) serves the island. JR lines include:
Yosan Line
Dosan Line
Kōtoku Line
Tokushima Line
Mugi Line
Naruto Line
Uchiko Line
Yodo Line
Honshi Bisan Line
Seto Ōhashi Line
Private railway lines operate in each of the four prefectures on Shikoku.
Shikoku lacks a full international airport but has 4 regional airports (Tokushima, Takamatsu, Kochi-Ryoma and Matsuyama Airport). All of these airports have flights to Tokyo and other major Japanese cities such as Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, and Fukuoka. International flights to Seoul, South Korea are serviced by Asiana Airlines from Matsuyama and Takamatsu. There are periodic international charter flights as well.
Ferries link Shikoku to destinations including Kyūshū and islands around Shikoku.
Movements
Pioneering organic farmer Masanobu Fukuoka, author of The One-Straw Revolution, developed his methods here on his family's farm.
Traditions
Shikoku is also famous for its 88-temple pilgrimage of temples associated with the priest Kūkai. Most modern day pilgrims travel by bus, rarely choosing the old-fashioned method of going by foot. They are seen wearing white jackets emblazoned with the characters reading dōgyō ninin meaning "two traveling together".
Tokushima Prefecture also has its annual Awa Odori running in August at the time of the Obon festival, which attracts thousands of tourists each year from all over Japan and from abroad.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Shikoku'.
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