Having only been out of Australia once before, you can imagine the culture shock I experienced when Visit Japan Au invited me along to explore the southern regions of Japan over a week, late last year.

Ask someone to name the four islands of Japan and you will find that most people can manage at least two or three – Hokkaido, Honshu and sometimes the odd person will get Kyushu. Mention the smallest and least visited of the four islands, Shikoku, and you’ll be greeted with blank expressions and mild confusion.