00:00:01
Speaker 1: Now destination anywhere with Melanie Olive,
00:00:07
Speaker 1: Konichiwa, welcome to another destination anywhere where we go, traveling around the world. I'm Melanie Olivero for Cne 938, allow me to transport you to what is considered an unspoiled region of Japan where you can see castles, whirlpools, tea houses, and also a region,
00:00:31
Speaker 1: an island that studded with many Buddhist temples, beautiful ones. I'm referring to the island of Shikoku, Japan's fourth largest island southwest of its main island. Honshu Shikoku Island
00:00:45
Speaker 1: has lots of mountainous terrains that you can just take so many endless pictures of with a generous amount of hiking trails. And along the way, you'll see rivers with white water rapids, pristine rivers. I might add also old mountain routes and lush valleys and so much more walking tour organizer walk.
00:01:06
Speaker 1: Japan is now offering a seven day fully guided walking tour called the Shikoku Kochi and Ehime Discovery. It's said to be suitable for anyone who leads a reasonably active lifestyle. So let's get Paul Christie to walk us through this tour. Paul is the CEO of walk Japan.
00:01:27
Speaker 1: Hey, Paul, always good to talk with you. Good to have you back, Paul as we all know, 2024 started with that powerful earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day. Very sadly, killing some people and destroying buildings as well. So that's central Japan. Today, we're going to talk about Shikoku which lies in the southwester part of Japan. But that said how much is Shikoku Island prone to perhaps earthquakes or tsunamis?
00:01:57
Speaker 2: Hello, Melanie. It's great to be back on your show. Thank you very much for the invite. Uh Yeah, it's a bit of a shocking start to the year in Japan here. This obviously the earthquake
00:02:06
Speaker 2: um which has been very damaging. Um and quite a few people lost their lives unfortunately. And then of course, there's also the
00:02:13
Speaker 2: near major disaster at uh Haneda Airport in Tokyo as well. So it's not a very good start to the year, but Shikoku is somewhat uh distant from both areas. In fact, both from Tokyo and from Ishikawa where the earthquake was. Um And I suppose that sort of tells you what the the place is like. It is very remote relative to most parts of Japan. It, it like most parts of Japan. It's also prone to earthquakes. Having said that
00:02:43
Speaker 2: in my 36 years or so, I've been associated with Japan. I don't recall any big earthquake in the area. Uh during that time doesn't mean to say there won't be one at some point, but maybe there will, it's just part of life, life rich tapestry in Japan. Um Who knows where the next one's going to going to happen?
00:03:03
Speaker 1: Yes, indeed. Uh And, and it's always good to be prepared. So I'll ask you a question related to that, Paul in just a while.
00:03:11
Speaker 1: But let's talk about Shikoku, one of the four main islands that make up Japan. What distinguishes it from the other Japanese regions? I want to know, but I know that it's less densely populated for one. So that's good news for Singaporeans.
00:03:29
Speaker 2: Yes. Uh Certainly less densely populated than Singapore is um it, it, your, your introduction was pretty spot on, I thought uh describing the island. It, it is Japan's fourth largest island and it's bordered uh uh in its northern area by the set inland sea which is very picturesque, uh placid uh uh uh uh sea area and then to the south, of course, the Pacific Ocean, which of course is the biggest ocean in the world.
00:03:56
Speaker 2: Um But it's very famed for its, its 1200 kilometer long uh 88 temple pilgrimage which is over 1000 years old. Um And of course, it was designed really for monks originally who were going to do their religious aesthetics. So they're, they, they,
00:04:13
Speaker 2: I torture isn't quite the right word, but they've put through their body and their mind through quite uh difficult experiences for religious. Uh I don't know, enlightenment and the like, like that. And that's why they chose this area because it was so remote even then 1000 years ago. And, and, oh, that's a bit more uh um accessible these days and it's still remote by most Japanese standards. Yes,
00:04:37
Speaker 1: I see. Ok. So we'll talk about the, those, even though it's remote, there are those tricks and mountain paths we can explore as well that you've chosen. You and your team have chosen for those who want to go on this adventure with you and your team. So, let's talk about that seven day tour of Kochi and him. Two prefectures of Western Shikoku. Where does the walking tour start? And what will tourists typically see during the first two days when they're on foot?
00:05:08
Speaker 2: All right. Yeah, it's certainly, um Shikoku's made up of four prefectures. There's Tokushima and Takam, uh not Takamatsu. Uh uh uh I've forgotten the name of the, it will come back to me but there's four prefectures. But I, him and Kochi in the west are probably the least visited, but they're exquisite places.
00:05:26
Speaker 2: Um Probably not least because they haven't been visited very much. There's a lot to still discover. And our first day's tour is actually our first day of the tour. Walking is actually an old salt road. So these are roads that not, not just in this part of
00:05:42
Speaker 2: but through and roads that would follow, uh go from the coast up into the mountains to the people. And the reason for this was um salt course is is a preservative of food and this would be required in the mountains. So it was an idea, they would take salt from the sea, they would have salt pans on the coast,
00:06:00
Speaker 2: generate the salt and then carry them off to the mountains. Of course, they were sort of taking fish up there and also bringing back produce from the mountains to the coastal areas as well. It was, it wasn't just a one way street, it was a two way street. So that was very important, not just in this part of Japan, but throughout the area, we also visit Kchi City, which is the biggest city in that area. Um
00:06:24
Speaker 2: uh which is to say it's, well, it's big, it's not large by world standards at all. It's nothing like the metropolis of Tokyo, for example, it's more like um I guess a AAA British city town, a small, small size city town.
00:06:39
Speaker 2: Um But it's still r relatively remote in psychological terms if you like and it's easier to fly in these days. But um the people that are quite distinctive in the way they go about their lives and how they uh uh enjoy themselves together. They're well known as big drinkers that includes the ladies as well.
00:06:58
Speaker 2: And I wouldn't get involved with the drinking competition, which they're liable to uh uh challenge you to uh because it's nonstop and you're bound to lose, they always win those competitions. So I would go there um, we don't normally introduce people with that sort of thing. It can be a bit much but it's, uh, if you're going there on your own you might like to try it out. Um, it's the,
00:07:20
Speaker 2: yeah, it just has this,
00:07:23
Speaker 2: I don't know, otherworldly, uh, in a sense of older worldly, sort of pace of life. Even the big cities such as Kochi, they're still, still have that sort of placid sort of day to day life. Uh, Tokyo or Osaka, maybe
00:07:39
Speaker 2: there are still busy. People, people running around there go from, I don't know, uh uh work to the, to the bar to go home. But in, in these areas people are much more like a live and let live sort of idea. And so we try and wrap that up into the sort that feeling into tours as much as possible.
00:07:57
Speaker 1: Sounds so peaceful. But those people you were talking about who like to have more than their fair share of tipple. Would it be sake that they, they like drinking sake? That's unique to Shikoku.
00:08:11
Speaker 2: Uh Yeah, I think they'll drink anything that has alcohol in it experience. But, but um, this area interestingly, uh sake tends to be from colder areas of Japan. Now, Shikoku, especially around, near the coast or in the lower land areas, um tends to be more uh uh clement climate through much of the air except for the summer. So it's more Mediterranean and
00:08:35
Speaker 2: perhaps until the summer when it's more like Singapore, hot and humid, but the rest of the Europe can be very, very pleasant. So this time of the year, a lot of Japanese might go there. I mean, it would be as comfortable to say, Okinawa in the far south, for example of Miyazaki and Kagoshima in the south of Kyushu. Uh These are places where people tend to go to, to maybe escape the cold, especially in the far north, which can be very, very cold at times.
00:08:59
Speaker 2: So it has that sort of, I guess that's, that also affects the people's character, makes them more. Uh um Laissez Faire is not quite the word but more relaxed about the day to day life than people up north where if you don't work hard, you don't live hard in a sense you might not survive traditionally. I mean, it's obviously very different in the modern world, but in the past that, that certainly affects their, their sensibilities for sure.
00:09:22
Speaker 1: That's very interesting.
00:09:24
Speaker 1: And I understand that daily walking ranges from 9 to 13 kilometers. So people who want to sign up for this walking tour do have to take that into consideration. And what I also found quite fascinating that when you were talking about that old mountain route that was once used to transport sea salt. So that means we can go on this route and can we buy some sea salt or even scoop up some of our own if that's possible.
00:09:53
Speaker 2: You could probably scoop that. So it takes a while to, to make the salt. Basically. It's, it's, the water goes into pans and then it's evaporated by the sun. It's a very, I guess, sustainable way of making salt. So you would have to be there quite a fa while before you'd actually created your own source. You can certainly buy it. So, I, I would let that, I let the locals make it for you and just purchase some to take home. That would be the, the best uh solution there, I think. Um
00:10:21
Speaker 2: Yeah,
00:10:22
Speaker 1: and there's a castle town as well called Ozu.
00:10:25
Speaker 2: Ozu. Yes, it's exquisite. This is in the neighboring prefecture of Bee and it's exquisite. I first went there maybe 15 years ago and I was just astounded that I didn't really know anything about it until that point. And it was very unknown at the time. Things are certainly changing now, not least because
00:10:43
Speaker 2: the town which was never bombed in a war. So it was uh it has a lot of older structures, uh many of which were falling into disrepair and the local council and others are now renovating them. So they're bringing life back to these old structures and the town has this really, really pleasant atmosphere about it. And within that,
00:11:04
Speaker 2: this castle, which um is a replica of the castle that used to be there. And they have uh uh created it using traditional techniques that is built from wood, for example, and mud, the walls of mud, et cetera, et cetera. It's not a concrete version which do occur around Japan for maybe the seventies and uh sixties. And so
00:11:26
Speaker 2: in the past I see.
00:11:29
Speaker 1: So the, the orig the original castle couldn't, couldn't stand the test of time because it was made of wood. Um
00:11:35
Speaker 2: It's less the test of time. It's more the castles around Japan were symbolic of the edl period. So this is when the shogun, the Toka shogun were in power. They were in power for about 260 odd years. And so they became despised symbols of that uh period of Japanese history.
00:11:55
Speaker 2: So when they had the what they call the major restoration, so they moved from a feudal society to a more modern society. This is in the uh late 18 sixties. Um These symbols of that period were uh less cared for or pulled down. They got rid of a lot of them because of just because of that. Now
00:12:14
Speaker 2: as time wore on, they thought, oh, we lost something there. So they're now, I guess over the last 4050 years trying to bring them back and the ones that did remain, um, they've looked after greatly. So for example, the one in him, which is probably the most famous one or max mortal, um, are good existing examples of those castles.
00:12:35
Speaker 1: Ok. All right. That's very interesting. Thanks so much Paul for giving us that nn historical nugget of information.
00:12:42
Speaker 1: Let's talk about local culinary delicacies unique to Shikoku Island that we can expect to try.
00:12:48
Speaker 2: Absolutely. I know. I know people in Singapore particularly, uh, like their gastronomy and, and like anywhere in Japan there's lovely local dishes. Um, and in this part of Japan, the probably the most prominent one is Kato, which is Seared Bonito or otherwise known as Skipjack tuna. Um, and it is exquisite. It is fantastic. You can get tuna in other parts of Japan. But here it's something else. It, it's, uh,
00:13:15
Speaker 2: it's, it's just different. I don't know why it's so different, but it is the only problem you have is that you might find, you have it for breakfast and dinner. Um, and it might even turn up for lunch if you're not careful. So it can get to a point where you think. No, that's enough of that. But there's plenty of other dishes, uh, obviously sea seafood. Um, and then
00:13:35
Speaker 2: the, uh, vegetables and fruit of the region and that region is a great deal of citrus, fruit, of all sorts of varieties which are included in all sorts of ways. From savory dishes through to sweet dishes.
00:13:49
Speaker 1: Hey, Paul, let's say we're on a walk on one of your walk, Japan tours and we feel the earth move. Ah, not quite the song that we hear, but we feel the earth move which points to a possible possible earthquake or tremor what do we do? Do we just look to the guide or, or if we're on one of our self guided tours, where do we run to for safety?
00:14:16
Speaker 2: Well, if, if you have, uh, a walk to Van Guide with you and I've actually experienced this, um, you just listen to what the guy is telling you. And I remember I was to a school trip, this was when the great earthquake happened in Tohoku. Back in 2011, we were in Nagoya and the the ground shook there. And I was on a school trip and I just said to the school students who are from Hong Kong, so they're not used to the earthquakes.
00:14:39
Speaker 2: Listen to me do exactly as I tell you what to do, you will not run outside. We had to be in a hotel at the time. We were in the reception area. You will not run outside and that's the main thing, do not go outside because it's a major earthquake, all sorts of glass and all sorts of things might be falling down into the, into the road below and maybe uh uh telegraph poles are falling and maybe I think there's other problems. So you stay in a what is hopefully a very robust structure
00:15:05
Speaker 2: and most of Japanese structures, modern ones are very robust. They'll, they'll withstand some of the biggest shocks that the world can offer.
00:15:14
Speaker 1: Ok. Thanks for that tip as well. Paul now moving back to this Shikoku Island trek and of course, walking tour, what should we pack with us? Walking poles are hiking equipment like a proper hiking backpack.
00:15:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, certainly walking poles. They, they're great help. I use them frequently. Two of them is, is best. Some people are happy with one, but I think two helps. Um, you'll just need a day pack. So, a small, um, maybe even 10 L pack, something that's just holds enough, you know, maybe a, a waterproof, you know, a water bottle, uh maybe a little bit of extra clothing just in case,
00:15:53
Speaker 2: you know, if the weather changes, you know, it becomes a bit cooler or it becomes hotter, you can put uh strip off a bit and put it into your day pack a little bit of food, maybe a sweet or something like that and and of course your, your purse and your passport, which you need to carry in Japan all the time.
00:16:09
Speaker 2: So that's about it because your main luggage is sent on each day and it will turn up at the accommodation each day as uh when we will be there waiting for our arrival. So you just need a pack or maybe a camera. But these days, a mobile phone usually takes pictures as good as any of these days. So um maybe even the packs could go a bit smaller than they used to be a few years ago when people carry um SLR cameras bigger cameras with them.
00:16:33
Speaker 1: Yeah,
00:16:33
Speaker 1: and ok. So accommodation, they will be guided to the accommodation at the end of each day. And then people will ask do many of these places have Onsen
00:16:44
Speaker 2: and this part of Japan, they're few and far between. Um That may be why there's less earthquakes there. I'm not sure, at least as far as I'm aware, there seems to be less uh less earthquakes there uh on seng tend to be associated with volcanic activity, for example. Um And then that area is no volcanoes that I'm aware of and, and certainly no Onsen. But at the very last day of the tour, we do go to Matsuyama,
00:17:09
Speaker 2: a place called Doggo Onsen, which is very famous place, very well known for its hot springs.
00:17:15
Speaker 1: Very nice. Paul, thank you so much once again for having this chat with me. Always lots to learn from you. So thank you,
00:17:23
Speaker 2: my pleasure. Thank you very much.
00:17:25
Speaker 1: That was Paul Christie Ceo of walk Japan providers of the, of the beaten track walking tours in Japan. Find them at Walk japan.com or on your socials. This has been destination anywhere. And I'm Melanie Olivero for CN A 938.
Speaker 1: Now destination anywhere with Melanie Olive,
00:00:07
Speaker 1: Konichiwa, welcome to another destination anywhere where we go, traveling around the world. I'm Melanie Olivero for Cne 938, allow me to transport you to what is considered an unspoiled region of Japan where you can see castles, whirlpools, tea houses, and also a region,
00:00:31
Speaker 1: an island that studded with many Buddhist temples, beautiful ones. I'm referring to the island of Shikoku, Japan's fourth largest island southwest of its main island. Honshu Shikoku Island
00:00:45
Speaker 1: has lots of mountainous terrains that you can just take so many endless pictures of with a generous amount of hiking trails. And along the way, you'll see rivers with white water rapids, pristine rivers. I might add also old mountain routes and lush valleys and so much more walking tour organizer walk.
00:01:06
Speaker 1: Japan is now offering a seven day fully guided walking tour called the Shikoku Kochi and Ehime Discovery. It's said to be suitable for anyone who leads a reasonably active lifestyle. So let's get Paul Christie to walk us through this tour. Paul is the CEO of walk Japan.
00:01:27
Speaker 1: Hey, Paul, always good to talk with you. Good to have you back, Paul as we all know, 2024 started with that powerful earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day. Very sadly, killing some people and destroying buildings as well. So that's central Japan. Today, we're going to talk about Shikoku which lies in the southwester part of Japan. But that said how much is Shikoku Island prone to perhaps earthquakes or tsunamis?
00:01:57
Speaker 2: Hello, Melanie. It's great to be back on your show. Thank you very much for the invite. Uh Yeah, it's a bit of a shocking start to the year in Japan here. This obviously the earthquake
00:02:06
Speaker 2: um which has been very damaging. Um and quite a few people lost their lives unfortunately. And then of course, there's also the
00:02:13
Speaker 2: near major disaster at uh Haneda Airport in Tokyo as well. So it's not a very good start to the year, but Shikoku is somewhat uh distant from both areas. In fact, both from Tokyo and from Ishikawa where the earthquake was. Um And I suppose that sort of tells you what the the place is like. It is very remote relative to most parts of Japan. It, it like most parts of Japan. It's also prone to earthquakes. Having said that
00:02:43
Speaker 2: in my 36 years or so, I've been associated with Japan. I don't recall any big earthquake in the area. Uh during that time doesn't mean to say there won't be one at some point, but maybe there will, it's just part of life, life rich tapestry in Japan. Um Who knows where the next one's going to going to happen?
00:03:03
Speaker 1: Yes, indeed. Uh And, and it's always good to be prepared. So I'll ask you a question related to that, Paul in just a while.
00:03:11
Speaker 1: But let's talk about Shikoku, one of the four main islands that make up Japan. What distinguishes it from the other Japanese regions? I want to know, but I know that it's less densely populated for one. So that's good news for Singaporeans.
00:03:29
Speaker 2: Yes. Uh Certainly less densely populated than Singapore is um it, it, your, your introduction was pretty spot on, I thought uh describing the island. It, it is Japan's fourth largest island and it's bordered uh uh in its northern area by the set inland sea which is very picturesque, uh placid uh uh uh uh sea area and then to the south, of course, the Pacific Ocean, which of course is the biggest ocean in the world.
00:03:56
Speaker 2: Um But it's very famed for its, its 1200 kilometer long uh 88 temple pilgrimage which is over 1000 years old. Um And of course, it was designed really for monks originally who were going to do their religious aesthetics. So they're, they, they,
00:04:13
Speaker 2: I torture isn't quite the right word, but they've put through their body and their mind through quite uh difficult experiences for religious. Uh I don't know, enlightenment and the like, like that. And that's why they chose this area because it was so remote even then 1000 years ago. And, and, oh, that's a bit more uh um accessible these days and it's still remote by most Japanese standards. Yes,
00:04:37
Speaker 1: I see. Ok. So we'll talk about the, those, even though it's remote, there are those tricks and mountain paths we can explore as well that you've chosen. You and your team have chosen for those who want to go on this adventure with you and your team. So, let's talk about that seven day tour of Kochi and him. Two prefectures of Western Shikoku. Where does the walking tour start? And what will tourists typically see during the first two days when they're on foot?
00:05:08
Speaker 2: All right. Yeah, it's certainly, um Shikoku's made up of four prefectures. There's Tokushima and Takam, uh not Takamatsu. Uh uh uh I've forgotten the name of the, it will come back to me but there's four prefectures. But I, him and Kochi in the west are probably the least visited, but they're exquisite places.
00:05:26
Speaker 2: Um Probably not least because they haven't been visited very much. There's a lot to still discover. And our first day's tour is actually our first day of the tour. Walking is actually an old salt road. So these are roads that not, not just in this part of
00:05:42
Speaker 2: but through and roads that would follow, uh go from the coast up into the mountains to the people. And the reason for this was um salt course is is a preservative of food and this would be required in the mountains. So it was an idea, they would take salt from the sea, they would have salt pans on the coast,
00:06:00
Speaker 2: generate the salt and then carry them off to the mountains. Of course, they were sort of taking fish up there and also bringing back produce from the mountains to the coastal areas as well. It was, it wasn't just a one way street, it was a two way street. So that was very important, not just in this part of Japan, but throughout the area, we also visit Kchi City, which is the biggest city in that area. Um
00:06:24
Speaker 2: uh which is to say it's, well, it's big, it's not large by world standards at all. It's nothing like the metropolis of Tokyo, for example, it's more like um I guess a AAA British city town, a small, small size city town.
00:06:39
Speaker 2: Um But it's still r relatively remote in psychological terms if you like and it's easier to fly in these days. But um the people that are quite distinctive in the way they go about their lives and how they uh uh enjoy themselves together. They're well known as big drinkers that includes the ladies as well.
00:06:58
Speaker 2: And I wouldn't get involved with the drinking competition, which they're liable to uh uh challenge you to uh because it's nonstop and you're bound to lose, they always win those competitions. So I would go there um, we don't normally introduce people with that sort of thing. It can be a bit much but it's, uh, if you're going there on your own you might like to try it out. Um, it's the,
00:07:20
Speaker 2: yeah, it just has this,
00:07:23
Speaker 2: I don't know, otherworldly, uh, in a sense of older worldly, sort of pace of life. Even the big cities such as Kochi, they're still, still have that sort of placid sort of day to day life. Uh, Tokyo or Osaka, maybe
00:07:39
Speaker 2: there are still busy. People, people running around there go from, I don't know, uh uh work to the, to the bar to go home. But in, in these areas people are much more like a live and let live sort of idea. And so we try and wrap that up into the sort that feeling into tours as much as possible.
00:07:57
Speaker 1: Sounds so peaceful. But those people you were talking about who like to have more than their fair share of tipple. Would it be sake that they, they like drinking sake? That's unique to Shikoku.
00:08:11
Speaker 2: Uh Yeah, I think they'll drink anything that has alcohol in it experience. But, but um, this area interestingly, uh sake tends to be from colder areas of Japan. Now, Shikoku, especially around, near the coast or in the lower land areas, um tends to be more uh uh clement climate through much of the air except for the summer. So it's more Mediterranean and
00:08:35
Speaker 2: perhaps until the summer when it's more like Singapore, hot and humid, but the rest of the Europe can be very, very pleasant. So this time of the year, a lot of Japanese might go there. I mean, it would be as comfortable to say, Okinawa in the far south, for example of Miyazaki and Kagoshima in the south of Kyushu. Uh These are places where people tend to go to, to maybe escape the cold, especially in the far north, which can be very, very cold at times.
00:08:59
Speaker 2: So it has that sort of, I guess that's, that also affects the people's character, makes them more. Uh um Laissez Faire is not quite the word but more relaxed about the day to day life than people up north where if you don't work hard, you don't live hard in a sense you might not survive traditionally. I mean, it's obviously very different in the modern world, but in the past that, that certainly affects their, their sensibilities for sure.
00:09:22
Speaker 1: That's very interesting.
00:09:24
Speaker 1: And I understand that daily walking ranges from 9 to 13 kilometers. So people who want to sign up for this walking tour do have to take that into consideration. And what I also found quite fascinating that when you were talking about that old mountain route that was once used to transport sea salt. So that means we can go on this route and can we buy some sea salt or even scoop up some of our own if that's possible.
00:09:53
Speaker 2: You could probably scoop that. So it takes a while to, to make the salt. Basically. It's, it's, the water goes into pans and then it's evaporated by the sun. It's a very, I guess, sustainable way of making salt. So you would have to be there quite a fa while before you'd actually created your own source. You can certainly buy it. So, I, I would let that, I let the locals make it for you and just purchase some to take home. That would be the, the best uh solution there, I think. Um
00:10:21
Speaker 2: Yeah,
00:10:22
Speaker 1: and there's a castle town as well called Ozu.
00:10:25
Speaker 2: Ozu. Yes, it's exquisite. This is in the neighboring prefecture of Bee and it's exquisite. I first went there maybe 15 years ago and I was just astounded that I didn't really know anything about it until that point. And it was very unknown at the time. Things are certainly changing now, not least because
00:10:43
Speaker 2: the town which was never bombed in a war. So it was uh it has a lot of older structures, uh many of which were falling into disrepair and the local council and others are now renovating them. So they're bringing life back to these old structures and the town has this really, really pleasant atmosphere about it. And within that,
00:11:04
Speaker 2: this castle, which um is a replica of the castle that used to be there. And they have uh uh created it using traditional techniques that is built from wood, for example, and mud, the walls of mud, et cetera, et cetera. It's not a concrete version which do occur around Japan for maybe the seventies and uh sixties. And so
00:11:26
Speaker 2: in the past I see.
00:11:29
Speaker 1: So the, the orig the original castle couldn't, couldn't stand the test of time because it was made of wood. Um
00:11:35
Speaker 2: It's less the test of time. It's more the castles around Japan were symbolic of the edl period. So this is when the shogun, the Toka shogun were in power. They were in power for about 260 odd years. And so they became despised symbols of that uh period of Japanese history.
00:11:55
Speaker 2: So when they had the what they call the major restoration, so they moved from a feudal society to a more modern society. This is in the uh late 18 sixties. Um These symbols of that period were uh less cared for or pulled down. They got rid of a lot of them because of just because of that. Now
00:12:14
Speaker 2: as time wore on, they thought, oh, we lost something there. So they're now, I guess over the last 4050 years trying to bring them back and the ones that did remain, um, they've looked after greatly. So for example, the one in him, which is probably the most famous one or max mortal, um, are good existing examples of those castles.
00:12:35
Speaker 1: Ok. All right. That's very interesting. Thanks so much Paul for giving us that nn historical nugget of information.
00:12:42
Speaker 1: Let's talk about local culinary delicacies unique to Shikoku Island that we can expect to try.
00:12:48
Speaker 2: Absolutely. I know. I know people in Singapore particularly, uh, like their gastronomy and, and like anywhere in Japan there's lovely local dishes. Um, and in this part of Japan, the probably the most prominent one is Kato, which is Seared Bonito or otherwise known as Skipjack tuna. Um, and it is exquisite. It is fantastic. You can get tuna in other parts of Japan. But here it's something else. It, it's, uh,
00:13:15
Speaker 2: it's, it's just different. I don't know why it's so different, but it is the only problem you have is that you might find, you have it for breakfast and dinner. Um, and it might even turn up for lunch if you're not careful. So it can get to a point where you think. No, that's enough of that. But there's plenty of other dishes, uh, obviously sea seafood. Um, and then
00:13:35
Speaker 2: the, uh, vegetables and fruit of the region and that region is a great deal of citrus, fruit, of all sorts of varieties which are included in all sorts of ways. From savory dishes through to sweet dishes.
00:13:49
Speaker 1: Hey, Paul, let's say we're on a walk on one of your walk, Japan tours and we feel the earth move. Ah, not quite the song that we hear, but we feel the earth move which points to a possible possible earthquake or tremor what do we do? Do we just look to the guide or, or if we're on one of our self guided tours, where do we run to for safety?
00:14:16
Speaker 2: Well, if, if you have, uh, a walk to Van Guide with you and I've actually experienced this, um, you just listen to what the guy is telling you. And I remember I was to a school trip, this was when the great earthquake happened in Tohoku. Back in 2011, we were in Nagoya and the the ground shook there. And I was on a school trip and I just said to the school students who are from Hong Kong, so they're not used to the earthquakes.
00:14:39
Speaker 2: Listen to me do exactly as I tell you what to do, you will not run outside. We had to be in a hotel at the time. We were in the reception area. You will not run outside and that's the main thing, do not go outside because it's a major earthquake, all sorts of glass and all sorts of things might be falling down into the, into the road below and maybe uh uh telegraph poles are falling and maybe I think there's other problems. So you stay in a what is hopefully a very robust structure
00:15:05
Speaker 2: and most of Japanese structures, modern ones are very robust. They'll, they'll withstand some of the biggest shocks that the world can offer.
00:15:14
Speaker 1: Ok. Thanks for that tip as well. Paul now moving back to this Shikoku Island trek and of course, walking tour, what should we pack with us? Walking poles are hiking equipment like a proper hiking backpack.
00:15:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, certainly walking poles. They, they're great help. I use them frequently. Two of them is, is best. Some people are happy with one, but I think two helps. Um, you'll just need a day pack. So, a small, um, maybe even 10 L pack, something that's just holds enough, you know, maybe a, a waterproof, you know, a water bottle, uh maybe a little bit of extra clothing just in case,
00:15:53
Speaker 2: you know, if the weather changes, you know, it becomes a bit cooler or it becomes hotter, you can put uh strip off a bit and put it into your day pack a little bit of food, maybe a sweet or something like that and and of course your, your purse and your passport, which you need to carry in Japan all the time.
00:16:09
Speaker 2: So that's about it because your main luggage is sent on each day and it will turn up at the accommodation each day as uh when we will be there waiting for our arrival. So you just need a pack or maybe a camera. But these days, a mobile phone usually takes pictures as good as any of these days. So um maybe even the packs could go a bit smaller than they used to be a few years ago when people carry um SLR cameras bigger cameras with them.
00:16:33
Speaker 1: Yeah,
00:16:33
Speaker 1: and ok. So accommodation, they will be guided to the accommodation at the end of each day. And then people will ask do many of these places have Onsen
00:16:44
Speaker 2: and this part of Japan, they're few and far between. Um That may be why there's less earthquakes there. I'm not sure, at least as far as I'm aware, there seems to be less uh less earthquakes there uh on seng tend to be associated with volcanic activity, for example. Um And then that area is no volcanoes that I'm aware of and, and certainly no Onsen. But at the very last day of the tour, we do go to Matsuyama,
00:17:09
Speaker 2: a place called Doggo Onsen, which is very famous place, very well known for its hot springs.
00:17:15
Speaker 1: Very nice. Paul, thank you so much once again for having this chat with me. Always lots to learn from you. So thank you,
00:17:23
Speaker 2: my pleasure. Thank you very much.
00:17:25
Speaker 1: That was Paul Christie Ceo of walk Japan providers of the, of the beaten track walking tours in Japan. Find them at Walk japan.com or on your socials. This has been destination anywhere. And I'm Melanie Olivero for CN A 938.
