ON THE TRIP Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) has partnered with Shodoshima Ferry Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture) to release the audio guide "Takamatsu-Shodoshima Ferry" for the ferry route connecting Takamatsu Port in Kagawa Prefecture to Tonosho Port on Shodoshima Island.
This guide is designed to be listened to while aboard the ferry. Through audio, passengers can experience the stories of the Setouchi islands that float along the route. As you listen during the journey toward the islands, your time on the ferry transforms into a moment that deepens your imagination about your next destination.
Guide URL: https://on-the-trip.net/spots/807/purchase?locale=ja
The guide was created by ON THE TRIP Co., Ltd. (https://on-the-trip.com/), which produces official audio guides for temples, shrines, museums, and art festivals across Japan. The company creates an audio guide app that allows users to explore mapped locations while listening to the guide. The guide supports Japanese, English, and Chinese for international visitors.
A Journey on the Sea to Encounter Stories Carved into Islands
The ferry from Takamatsu Port to Tonosho Port on the western side of Shodoshima passes by various islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea, including Yashima, Megijima, Ogijima, Oshima, Naoshima, Teshima, and Shodoshima. This route, weaving through the beauty of Setouchi's many islands, offers a luxurious time to taste gentle extraordinary experiences while serving as daily transportation.
This guide delivers the island landscapes, sea culture, and memories passed down through generations via audio.
Yashima, with its flat, roof-like shape, was the stage of the Genpei War. Megijima still holds the large cave where the oni (demon) from the Momotaro legend is said to have lived. Naoshima, with its gentle ridgelines, is called "the world's most famous art island."
Each island that appears beyond the sea holds wars, legends, and people's lives embraced by beautiful landscapes.
During the approximately 60-minute route where calm seas continue, listening to the stories of islands slowly appearing from beyond the sea transforms the ferry journey into an experience connecting landscapes and memories.
Inside the ferry, maps and guide information have been created to propose a new way of enjoying boat travel to passengers.
Takamatsu: The Beginning of a Route Through Setouchi
This guide begins with Takamatsu Port as the starting point, telling stories that trace the memories, history, and legends held by the islands.
Beyond the Takamatsu cityscape, the ridgeline of the Sanuki Mountain Range stretches. Looking toward the sea, a series of islands bob on the water.
In this seemingly calm sea, actually lurks one of Japan's fastest tidal currents.
The three major tidal currents of Japan: Naruto Strait, Kurushima Strait, and Kanmon Strait. All are in the Seto Inland Sea. Why are the currents so fast? It's because the Seto Inland Sea has a complex, intricate geography.
Each time a large amount of seawater flows in and out of narrow straits, the current accelerates. In fast areas, it reaches over 18 kilometers per hour. In the Naruto Strait, white whirlpools appear while swirling.
It's as if the sea itself is alive, breathing and undulating.
These currents carry nutrients from rivers and oxygen, distributing life throughout the entire Seto Inland Sea. The fast flow carves the seabed, creating an uneven terrain that increases habitats for fish.
This ocean's richness is not by chance but created by nature's mechanisms themselves.
On this route, while we don't stop at islands, the guide carefully introduces the islands that can be viewed from the ferry. Next time, let's land on this island—it might become the beginning of a new journey.
In this way, ON THE TRIP's audio guides gently change how you face your travel destination by encountering the memories of geography and landscapes carved into the islands.
