Kagawa · Shiwaku IslandsNo.649★★Open in map →

Shishijima's Great Camphor

natureOff the trail — and worth it

A camphor tree standing on the hillside above the single village of Shishijima, a small island off Mitoyo. Its limbs run out sideways from a low trunk rather than up, and a viewpoint above the tree looks down onto the whole crown.

FromTakuma Station
~1 hrBoat from Miyanoshita, then a climb
Get off atShishijima Port (Awashima Kisen boat)
On foot
Shishijima's Great Camphor

Directions ↗

The sweet spot

The tree is a designated prefectural monument and appears in the national database of giant trees, so it is well documented. What keeps it quiet is the approach. The island is reached only by a small boat with a handful of daily sailings, and the last stretch is a twenty-minute climb on foot.

Where it is

19 more notes in Kagawa · open the map →

What to look for — in walking order

The shoreline burial groundlow roofed graves by the water, left from the island's double-burial custom
Honmura villagethe island's only settlement, laid out along the shore in lanes and steps
The Great Camphorthe designated tree, its limbs propped and spread wide above a small torii
Kusunokura viewpointa lookout a short way past the tree, level with the top of the crown

How to actually get there

Takuma Station → Miyanoshita Port (bus).
Miyanoshita Port → Shishijima Port (Awashima Kisen boat, about 20 minutes).
Shishijima Port → the Great Camphor (paved lane through the village, about 20 minutes uphill).
Kusunokura viewpoint, then back down to the harbour for the return boat.

Takuma Station to Shishijima by Awashima Kisen boat: Takuma Station → bus to Miyanoshita Port → Awashima Kisen boat to Shishijima, about 20 minutes → Shishijima Port. From the harbour a paved lane climbs through the village to the tree in about 20 minutes. Sailings are few, so fix the timetable before you travel to Takuma.
Back from Shishijima Port to Miyanoshita: The same boat returns to Miyanoshita Port, where the bus runs back to Takuma Station. Departures are limited to a few a day, so allow room in the climb: getting back down takes less time than going up, but not so much less that a late start is safe.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Shishijima sits in the Shiwaku group off the Takuma peninsula, and everything on it is arranged on a slope. The one village runs along the shore by the harbour, and the ways between the houses are lanes and steps rather than roads, so nothing drives here. From the village a paved path climbs the hillside, signposted the whole way. The camphor is not visible until the last bend, and then the ground opens and it is directly in front of you: a trunk that divides low down and throws thick limbs out sideways, propped along their length, so the tree reads as wide rather than tall.

How to enjoy it

The boat from Miyanoshita takes about 20 minutes and the climb from the harbour about 20 more, so the visit itself is short and the timetable is what needs planning. Going up first and coming down through the village afterwards works better than the reverse, because the descent is when you notice the sea between the houses. Sit at the viewpoint above the tree before you go down, since that is the one place you see the crown from above.

Background & history

The tree is reckoned to be about 1,200 years old, and Kagawa Prefecture designated it a natural monument in 1970. The island around it has changed more than the tree has. Shishijima once lived on cut flowers, with the slopes worked for blooms sent to the mainland, and that trade has since ended; a local project now works to bring flowers back to the hillside. Along the shore near the harbour stand the low mounded graves of the double-burial custom once common on these islands.

Before you go

Cash: Bring food, drink and cash with you. Mitoyo City's own guidance for the island is to buy what you need before boarding, and there is a single rest house rather than a shop.
Good to know: The path is paved and signposted but steep, and parts of it are slippery in wet weather, so walking shoes are worth having. Mosquitoes are a real consideration in the warm months, and there is no lighting on the hill.
Another way: Boats also reach Shishijima from Suda Port by way of Awashima, which suits a day that takes in both islands.
After you get off: From Shishijima Port the lane runs into the village and then up the hillside. It is paved the whole way and signposted at the turns, and the tree is about 20 minutes above the harbour.