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Walking Rainy Streets and Mountain Temples | Shodoshima, Japan
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Walking Rainy Streets and Mountain Temples | Shodoshima, Japan



Walking Rainy Streets and Mountain Temples | Shodoshima, Japan

A morning walk through quiet streets and along a mountain pilgrimage path with cave temples overlooking the Shozu District on Shodoshima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea in central Japan. We start in the predawn hours with light rain in a small town with many traditional soy sauce factories. The factories offer tours where visitors can see soy sauce aging in huge wooden vats, which is what is inside the long wooden buildings we walk beside. As dawn breaks the rain picks up in intensity, getting very intense as we walk the neighborhood and temple around the soy sauce factories.

From there we head up the mountain a few kilometers to a stretch of the Shodoshima Pilgrimage Route, a walking route through the forest from Goishizan Temple to Kannon-ji Temple with an ancient cave temple along the way.

Late September, 2025

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Intro 00:00
Sozu District 01:04
Heavy Rain 19:40
Goishizan Temple 40:04
Dō’unzan Mountain 53:36
Kannon-ji Temple 01:12:20

#shodoshima #setouchi #rainwalk

18 Comments

  1. @ambient_exploration

    The Soy Sauce Village, where we start this morning, is home to about 20 traditional soy sauce factories on the coast of Shodo Island (Shodoshima). Historically the island was a major soy sauce producer as it's location in the Seto Inland Sea made it an ideal spot between the soybean fields down south in Kyushu and the markets in Osaka and Kyoto. The soy sauce is aged in huge wooden vats like those at 15:35.

    In the second half of the video we walk a short stretch of the Shodoshima Pilgrimage Route from Goishizan Temple to Kannon-ji Temple, the No. 2 and 3 stops on the route. Along the route we also pass by a cave temple that is more than 1,200 years old. The full Shodoshima Pilgrimage is 180km with 88 stops, perhaps I'll give it a try one of these days. I hope you enjoy the rainy morning walk with a bit of Shodoshima history.

    If you would like a few scenes for your wall, or would like to support more walks in the year ahead, my Japan 2026 Calendar is now available at https://ambientexploration.com/products/japan-2026-calendar

    You can also find me here
    Patreon https://patreon.com/AmbientExploration
    Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/ambientexploration.bsky.social

  2. @jan.d.k

    Walking in the rain with an Umbrella is one of my favorite Things.
    Although I prefer the transparent Ones. No reason to mention this.
    So I don't.
    Thanks for this nice Adventure

  3. @Chris17198

    I love these Japanese mountain villages there’s something very Quaint about them ..I particularly love the little impressive temples and praying areas snuggled within the living space..even in the dark hours gives a very different perspective ..draws your attention to the structures rather than the scenic landscape…There’s nothing more relaxing in the sound of rain falling upon an umbrella ..even more so if you’re the one underneath it ..love your videos and respect your character which you pick up on by what draws your attention..evident by what you pan around to whilst you walk .. respect 🫡🙏🏻🙏🏻\

  5. @BirgitWalks

    The cave temple is truly amazing, and I hope the Kannon temple will find caring hands to restore it. It appears to have once been a vibrant place of worship.

  6. @francoisbruel9163

    I first read "Heavy rain of soy sauce on village & mountain temples"; but it turned out gorgeous so I wasn't too disappointed.

  18. @clementihammock7572

    I walked there thrice (as an Ohenro San), hammocking and camping almost many island wide little stealthy corners. My beloved Shodoshima.