Shōdoshima, Kagawa

Soy sauce production, which flourished through the early 20th century, remains a major industry. Other industries include sōmen noodles, tsukudani (made with soy sauce), fishing and agriculture. In Japan, olives were first successfully cultivated here in the 1910s and olive oil production resurged in the late 20th century.

Tourism is also economically important. Shodoshima participates in the Setouchi Triennale, a regional art festival, and the mountainous interior is home to Kankakei Gorge. The book and film Twenty-Four Eyes was set on the island, and a movie studio park and museum attracts visitors.

Geography

Notable locations

The town of Shōdoshima was created in 2006 by merging the former towns of Ikeda and Uchinomi, both from Shōzu District. The total area is 95.59 km², and covers the entire eastern half of the island of Shōdoshima. Notable communities and locations include:

• Kankakei Gorge
• Kusakabe, a port and community, with soy sauce production concentrated to the east
• Olive Park/Olive Garden, olive orchards and tourist sites
• Sakate, a port in the southeast
• Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Studio, a tourist site for the book and film Twenty-Four Eyes

Climate

Shōdoshima has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers, and cool winters. Some rain falls throughout the year, but the months from May to September have the heaviest rain. The average annual temperature in Shōdoshima is 16.0 °C (60.8 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,161.3 mm (45.72 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.4 °C (81.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around 5.6 °C (42.1 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Shōdoshima was 38.4 °C (101.1 °F) on 21 August 2000; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −6.6 °C (20.1 °F) on 26 February 1981.