The views from Ushimado: Japanese Aegean Sea

Ushimado, Setouchi City, Okayama prefecture, is a nice and quiet small coastal community of the Seto Inland Sea with lots of olive trees and sailboats.  Yacht harbor is the biggest scale in western Japan.  Olive is extensively cultivated at this reagion utilizing the mild climate of the Inland Sea like the Aegean.  Shodo-shima Island is known as "olive island".

Go up to the olive garden, and you’ll have the fine view of the sea with numerous islands and the mountains of Shikoku.  

On a sunny day, the color of the Inland Sea is azure.   The Sea was shimmering in the lighter color on that day.  The small white dots are yachts.

This place is close to Shimanami Kaido (island-wave-highway,　しまなみ海道), which connects Honshu (main land, the largest island of Japan) with Shikoku by bridges via several islands of the Inland Sea.  The islands are known for their breathtaking scenery, beaches, and olive or citrus cultivation.  Some people enjoy pedalling from island to island feeling the wind.

On our way, we stopped by an orchard close to the olive garden.   These are not strange fruits.

These are small paper bags to protect peaches to ripen to perfection.  It's peach season: they are picked between late July and early august. 

White Peach is one of the specialty products of Okayama.  It is well known for its juicy and sweet flavor. The soft lusciousness is exquisite. 

Fukushima prefecture has produced the most peaches in Japan, however, we can't expect so much on them from Fukushima this year. 



Back to Ushimado, I was satisfied thoroughly for the picturesque surroundings and landscapes as a traveler, nature lover, and amateur photographer. Still more if you are a sailor, I think.

In a couple of dyas, I'll become inactive in blogging and commenting.  Stay cool and have happy summer days, Friends.  Have a nice obon holiday, Japanese Friends.  See you two weeks later.

Yoko

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