Thank you for riding Shodoshima Kotsu's "Island Tour Sightseeing Bus" today. Our audio guide will serve as a supplementary navigator guiding you through your Shodoshima trip.

We’ll set off from Tonosho Port and head first for the Shodoshima Daikannon. Before that, let’s review some basic information about Shodoshima.

Shodoshima may be small, but it’s still the second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, second only to Awaji Island. Compared to other Japanese islands, it’s almost as big as Miyakojima. If you compare it to islands outside Japan, it’s the same size as Easter Island. Shodoshima has a unique “cow-like” shape; please look at a map later to see for yourself.

25,000 people live on Shodoshima, making it the largest population in the Seto Inland Sea’s outlying islands, where you can only get around by boat. It’s one of the most frequented ferry ports in Japan. Here, there are no “last trains,” but “last ferries.” Shodoshima’s last ferry departs at 8:20 PM out of Takamatsu Port; you could drop into the Takamatsu shopping district for a drink before returning to the island.

One of Shodoshima’s highlights is the Kankakei Valley, famously known as the island’s first attraction. Since antiquity, Shodoshima prospered as a salt-producing region; however, it switched production to soy sauce during the Edo Period. Hishio-no-Sato is famous for its antique soy sauce warehouses lining the town. Later, the first olive ever grown in Japan sprouted near the Shodoshima Olive Park during the Meiji Period, and the island became known worldwide after the war thanks to the hit film “Twenty-four Eyes.”

Throughout the day, your bus will take you on a course packed with unique Shodoshima spots like the Kankakei Valley, Hishio-no-Sato, the Shodoshima Olive Park, and the Twenty-four Eyes Movie Village. We encourage you to listen to our audio guide as an introduction before arriving at each spot.

Before we arrive at Kankakei Gorge, our bus will make a brief stop at the Shodoshima Daikannon.

When it suddenly appears in the window, you may be surprised by how large it is — a tall, gentle, white figure rising straight out of the mountainside. This is the Shodoshima Daikannon, sometimes called the “Kannon of Good Fortune,” because people say that good things come to those who visit and pray here.

The statue was built in 1995. Its exact height is not officially published, but it’s said to be about as tall as a twenty-story building. In 2025, it was freshly repainted for its 30th anniversary, and it still shines with the same soft white presence today. As if embracing the Setouchi landscape, it quietly watches over the island, over travelers like you, and even — they say — over peace in the wider world.

Here’s something to think about:
Why is “Kannon” written with the characters meaning “to observe sound”?

In Buddhism, it’s believed that when people voice their wishes, there’s a being who hears and brings help — that is Kannon. But Kannon does more than simply listen. For example, if someone’s crying, just hearing the sound doesn’t tell you what’s wrong. Kannon is believed to sense the feeling and intent carried inside that voice — almost as if seeing it with eyes — and then, when necessary, to appear in a form that can help. That’s why the characters mean “to observe sound,” not just to hear it.

It’s also said that Kannon can take on thirty-three different forms — from fierce protectors who crush evil, to thousand-handed forms that can reach out to save many people at once. Kannon changes form and method depending on people’s needs.

The inside of the Shodoshima Kannon is built like a “tower of prayer.” A spiral staircase rises from the ground floor to the top, and the walls are covered with about fourteen thousand small Kannon statues — each one holding someone’s wish or gratitude. Even though they’re tiny, the weight of so many prayers together leaves a quiet impression on those who climb.

At the top, around the level of the Kannon’s chest, is a sacred room called the Shakaden. Here, a replica of the Buddha’s tooth — gifted from Sri Lanka’s Temple of the Tooth — is carefully enshrined. It’s a place where the prayers of the world are said to meet. When you visit, pour a little sweet tea respectfully and join your hands in silence.

There’s also a round window near the chest, designed to blend into the ornament on the Kannon’s necklace. Through it, you can see the Seto Inland Sea behind, and the ridges of Shodoshima and the town below in front — as if you’re borrowing the Kannon’s own view of the island.

Within the grounds, you can also pray to the “Twelve Zodiac Guardian Buddhas” related to your birth year, write a wish on a wooden plaque, or receive a protective bracelet from Sri Lanka tied gently around your wrist. These small acts help connect your heart to the kindness that Kannon represents. And before you leave, take a photo with the statue — many say the image itself later becomes a kind of charm.

If you carry a “goshuin” stamp book, you can leave it at the reception and pick it up after your visit.
We’ll be arriving soon. When you get off the bus, please watch your step — and take your time to pray, with the gentle presence of Kannon in your heart.