10-day self-guided trip in Shikoku – stayed at Shodoshima International Hotel on the 8th night

Spent the whole day exploring Shodoshima.
Since we had a dinner reservation at 6:30 PM at Shodoshima International Hotel, we wrapped up our day with a visit to Dofuchi Strait, known as the narrowest strait in the world. After that, we returned to the hotel, dropped off our luggage, and headed to the restaurant for dinner.

On the 1st floor, we noticed quite a few art pieces on display for guests to view. When we went back to our room on the 5th floor, the hallway was still bright with natural light — in summer, it’s still not dark by 6:30 PM.

Our room was a Japanese-Western style room with two single beds and a tatami mat area that could sleep two more people. The window beside the beds offered a sea view. From the window, we could see Angel Road, but it was currently submerged due to high tide.

The room was just the right size for 3–4 people. Storage space was quite good, and the cabinet contained a kettle, cups, slippers, and yukata (casual kimono). We were staying in one of the ten rooms on the 5th floor.

After dropping off our luggage, we went downstairs for dinner. The table was already set with kaiseki cuisine, which included an aperitif, seasonal tofu, and a platter of sashimi.

The main dish was teppanyaki-style grilled beef, accompanied by grilled vegetables. We grilled the ingredients ourselves and dipped them in the hotel’s specialty soy sauce, which is famous on the island.

There was also corn rice, and for dessert, house-made soy sauce pudding with fruit — made with premium Marushima soy sauce. Though the dishes were interesting and incorporated local specialties like soy sauce and island-grown fruit, the portions felt a bit light. After dinner, we returned to our room to get ready for a soak in the onsen (hot spring). After bathing and washing up, we went to bed.

The next morning, we opened the window and saw the beach of Angel Road appearing as the tide receded. After waking up, we headed to breakfast.Breakfast was a buffet with both Western and Japanese selections — much more filling than dinner. There were plenty of choices, so we ate more than the night before.

My family had items like salad, rice balls, and even shirasu (baby sardines) — something we hadn’t had in a long time back in Taiwan. It was a pleasant surprise to find shirasu served at breakfast in Shodoshima International Hotel.

After breakfast, we took a walk by the seaside. The hotel has a beautiful outdoor pool by the sea. Although we had brought swimsuits, we didn’t really have the time or mood to swim. Instead, we went for a walk along Angel Road. Since most people were still eating breakfast, the area was pretty empty — perfect for taking photos of the scenic views.

We also browsed the souvenir shop in the 1st floor lobby. Because a typhoon was approaching, a whiteboard had been placed in the lobby showing handwritten updates on the ferry schedule — clearly, typhoons have a big impact on Shodoshima’s transportation.

After packing our things and checking out, we took some photos of the gorgeous view from the lobby windows. At the parking lot, we loaded our luggage into our rental car and took a few photos of the hotel exterior — we had arrived in such a rush the day before that we didn’t get a chance.