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Welcome to the Marugame Shiwaku Islands!

The Seto Inland Sea changes with each season and time of day.
Twenty eight jewel-like islands of varying sizes dot this beautiful sea,
which was designated as the first national park in Japan.
Among the Shiwaku Islands, there are five populated islands that belong to
Marugame City—Honjima, Ushijima, Hiroshima, Teshima and Oteshima.
These islands are featured in many tales as crossroads where people,
goods and cultures have come and gone since long ago. Visitors can enjoy the nature,
history, culture, art and activities in those tales in the relaxed manner unique to islands.
These are the attractions of the Marugame Shiwaku Islands.

本島

HONJIMA An island where the pride of the Shiwaku Naval Forces lives There was a time when those in power, such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, recognized the infamous Shiwaku Naval Forces. Honjima prospered as the home of those seamen. Boatbuilding skills increased there as the shipping business developed. Traces of those skills still remain today. Honjima attracts many people as an island where the nostalgic and charming appearance of the Shiwaku Kimbansho and the row of old houses in Kasashima coexist with the modern view of the Seto Ohashi Bridge.

Area

6.75km²
Surroundings

16.4km

牛島

USHIJIMA A peaceful island blessed with abundant water and lush greenery Small reservoirs dot rice paddies on Ushijima, which is rich with spring water. Marshland appears with the arrival of winter. Today a base for Maruo Gozaemon, the famous owner of many ships in the Edo period, and a temple bell donated by Maruo to Gokurakuji Temple remain. Ushijima is a comforting place with unspoiled nature where visitors will feel as though time has stopped.

Area

0.70km²
Surroundings

4.2km

広島

HIROSHIMA An island that produced the historic rocks used for building Osaka Castle Hiroshima is the origin of the historic Aoki rocks that the Tokugawa shogunate used to rebuild Osaka Castle. Visitors can find Aoki rocks used for stone monuments and stone walls on the island. Hiroshima is the largest of the Shiwaku Islands. It offers the rich combination of mountains chosen for top 100 peaks on the islands, their rough rock surfaces and calm, white sand beaches.

Area

11.72km²
Surroundings

18.6km

手島

TESHIMA An island tinged with brilliant colors such as yellow and red According to legend, defeated Heike-clan warriors on the run took up residence and established a settlement on Teshima. Kagawa Hontaka, a traditional variety of red pepper once grown on the Shiwaku Islands, has become a specialty of this island thanks to its revived cultivation. Flowers brightly tinge fields here and there in spring. Sunflowers and deep red peppers develop fruit from summer to fall. Autumn leaves color the island in fall. Teshima overflows with colors year round.

Area

3.41km²
Surroundings

7.1km

小手島

OTESHIMA An island where visitors can encounter pieces of art handmade by its residents Oteshima is the smallest of the Shiwaku Islands. A variety of handmade objects welcome visitors on this island known for art. Fishing thrives on Oteshima where tools, such as octopus pots, buoys and anchors, line harbors. A famous local peach variety called Gempei Momo fully blossoms in spring, tinging the island with white and crimson.

Area

0.60km²
Surroundings

3.8km

Join those who have traveled to the Shiwaku Islands.

Access to Marugame City and Marugame Port

- Narita Airport
- Haneda Airport
- By air
  About 1 hour 25 min
- ANA・JAL
  About 1 hour 20 min
Takamatsu Airport
Airport limousine bus
bound for Marugame and Sakaide
About 1 hour 15 min
JR Marugame Station
On foot
About 6 min
Marugame Port

Marugame Port

From the U.S. and Europe, travel to Takamatsu Airport via Tokyo (Narita Airport or Haneda Airport). Confirm your access to Tokyo at the official websites for Narita Airport and Haneda Airport. Check the official website for Takamatsu Airport for information about direct domestic flights to Takamatsu (from Tokyo and Okinawa) and direct international flights to Takamatsu (from Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong).

Use passenger boats and ferries to travel to the Shiwaku Islands from Marugame Port.