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Welcome to Shiraishi, one of 250 inhabited islands in Japan's fabled Seto Inland Sea. Shiraishi is
part of the Setonaikai National Park. The population of 438 has long followed a tradition of fishing and living off the
land.
Though Shiraishi is known best to foreigners for its clear waters and clean beaches, the Japanese people know
the island for the Shiraishi Bon Dance. The "Shiraishi Odori" is an 800-year old tradition still performed during the Festival
of the Dead (Obon) every August to comfort the souls of the Heike warriors who perished in the famous sea battle against the
Genji in 1185. Such tradition attests to the spirit of the islanders and their determination to continue a lifestyle deeply
rooted in ancient rituals and tradition. The islanders are the most extraordinary people, the closest to nature and the closest
to God that I have ever met.
Shiraishi Island is a place where one can enjoy the beach for a day and hike in the mountains
the next. Wander off on your own and you're likely to come upon one or more of the 88 Buddhist statues along the 400-year
old pilgrimage route that follows the perimeter of the island. Wander a little further into the interior and you may come
across a gathering of locals and witness ancient rituals still performed by the islanders to their Gods.
Despite
the island's beauty, the real treasures are found only in the hearts of the island people.
Shiraishi is an island
and people that remains blissfully undiscovered.
A few island facts:
There is no nightlife on Shiraishi other than San-chan's restaurant/Bar and the Moooo! Bar (open only
in the summer). There is no town center. There are no traffic lights. There is no video store, convenience store or McDonald's.
There is one road, 6 km long, that circles the island. Get the idea? Bring books or liquor.
There is no bank
on the island, but there is a cash machine at the post office (open Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.) and on Sat. 9 a.m.-12:00
noon) where you can get cash from your VISA/MasterCard. There is one grocery store (4 short aisles) that stocks Japanese
food and is closed on Sundays. They also sell canned beer, Japanese sake and some cheap and nasty wine. Be careful, the grocery
store closes at 6 p.m. so if you come on the last ferry of the day, you'll miss it.
Warning: Some Japanese people will tell you there is no food available on Shiraishi, so you
must bring your own. What they mean is that there is no Western food available on the island. As long as you are willing to
eat like a local, there is plenty of food here in the local supermarket. They also sell milk, bread, eggs, pasta, cheese,
butter, etc. There is one restaurant, San-chan's, that is open in summer and a couple of other small food stalls
open in July and August. There is no need to bring your own food if: you'd rather eat out, or you don't mind shopping at the
local supermarket. Also, there's a new Italian restaurant inside Otafuku Hotel, so you can give that a try for lunch or dinner.
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| Find your own private beach |
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| Walk an ancient pilgrimage route |
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| Observe ancient rituals |
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| Follow a 400-year old Buddhist pilgrimage route |
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