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Off the southwest coast of Japan’s main island lies Shikoku, a land where deep history, vibrant culture, and generous nature intertwine. Scattered across its mountains and valleys are pockets of traditional craft and small-scale manufacturing, each sustained by communities that live in harmony with the environment. Through hands-on projects they revive fading arts and local knowledge, creating a true cycle of “saving lives” in every sense. Come see, feel, and learn in these satoyama landscapes, and you may find new power to safeguard both your own future and the planet’s.
DAY 1
EXPO 2025
Osaka
Provided by: Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition
DAY 2
Countryside Living Experience
Tokushima
Farm-stay at Sora no Yado Isogai—perched on steep 400-m slopes ringed by mountains.
Shape dumplings with seasonal fillings, side-by-side with farmer Isogai.
After a highway bus and local train ride from Osaka, you’ll arrive in a tiny mountain hamlet of Tokushima Prefecture. Your hosts are the Isogai family, who have farmed these slopes for more than 400 years. Alongside year-round fields of seasonal vegetables and heritage grains, they run a farm-stay that lets guests step into an older rhythm of mountain life. Try your hand at cultivating the steep terraces—recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System—then turn the day’s harvest into rustic regional dishes in the family kitchen. By quietly sharing the Isogais’ daily routine, you’ll savor the true flavor and wisdom of satoyama living.
Sora no Yado Isogai Countryside Experience 【Tokushima/Shikoku】
DAY 3
Hand-made Udon Workshop
Kagawa
Take home your own rolling pin so you can hand-roll udon just as you learned.
A two-hour train ride brings you to Takamatsu, Kagawa’s capital. Just a ten-minute walk from the station stands Sanuki Mengyo, a family-run udon shop that has spent more than 90 years—three generations—“eating, sleeping, and dreaming of noodles.” Kagawa is Japan’s undisputed udon kingdom, leading the nation in both production and per-capita consumption, and here you can learn the prefecture’s signature food from scratch. Under the patient eye of master noodle-makers, even first-timers knead, fold, and cut dough, then boil their own noodles on the spot—the springy texture and fresh aroma will surprise you.
Travel on to Marugame and step into the 400-year story of Marugame Uchiwa fans. Your visit helps carry this delicate craft—and its understated beauty—into the future.
Craft a traditional Marugame uchiwa fan—carrying the artisan’s skill and spirit into the future.
"Sanuki Udon" making experience
DAY 4
Revitalized Castle Town
Ehime
After an extensive five-and-a-half-year restoration, Dogo Onsen Honkan fully reopened last year.
Ride a streetcar from central Matsuyama to Dogo Onsen, soaking in the charming streetscape along the way. Slip into the waters of the Dogo Onsen Honkan—a symbol of Japan’s oldest hot spring, with some 3,000 years of history—and let its storied baths revive you.
Reenergized, board a limited-express train straight to Ozu, an old castle town often called “Little Kyoto of Iyo.” Traditional townhouses line its lanes, but many once sat abandoned as owners aged, leaving the streetscape at risk. Today a public-private partnership is turning things around: restoring key buildings, protecting cultural heritage, and repurposing them for sustainable tourism. The project has earned international praise in recent years. Join a guided walking tour to meet local residents and hear the full back-story while exploring a town that is writing a new future from its past.
One of Japan’s largest “dispersed hotels,” it revives scattered historic buildings so the entire castle town functions as a single, open-air hotel.
Ozu Castle Stay—an exclusive, one-party-per-night experience in the main keep; proceeds fund the preservation of Ozu Castle, other cultural assets, and local performing arts.
