Shodoshima is famous for its olives, but the island’s food culture runs much deeper, rooted in the clean waters and mild climate of the Seto Inland Sea. Among its sea produce is wakame, the tender, nutritious seaweed harvested from the surrounding waters and used in miso soup, salads, and simmered dishes across Japanese cooking. Shodoshima also has a celebrated tradition of soy sauce brewing, with historic wooden-barrel breweries you can visit, and of tenobe somen, hand-stretched thin wheat noodles dried in the island air. Together with the olives, these products — seaweed, soy sauce, somen and more — make Shodoshima one of the most rewarding of the Seto islands for food lovers, best explored by sampling and shopping around the island.
🗓️ At a Glance
| Location | Shodoshima, Kagawa |
| Hours | Shops and breweries daytime |
| Admission | Varies |
| Time needed | A snack or shopping stop |
| Best time | Year-round |
What to Try
- Tender, nutritious wakame seaweed from clean waters.
- Historic wooden-barrel soy sauce breweries.
- Tenobe somen, hand-stretched thin wheat noodles.
- A rich island food culture beyond the olives.
Combine Your Visit
- Combine with Shodoshima olives on the island.
- Pair with the Setouchi Triennale art islands.
- Read our Kagawa overview .
Getting There
- By ferry: to Shodoshima from Takamatsu and other ports.
- On the island: shops, breweries and markets around the island.
Tips
Explore the island’s whole food culture rather than just the olives, visiting a historic soy sauce brewery and trying tenobe somen alongside the local seaweed. Buy soy sauce, somen or seaweed as keepable souvenirs, get around by rental car as producers are spread out, and combine the food with Shodoshima’s olive groves and gorge scenery.
