Let’s unravel the story of Shodoshima olives as we head to our next destination, Shodoshima Olive Park.

Olives have a long history on this earth -- they were first found growing naturally along the Mediterranean coast around 8,000 years ago. Since the discovery of olives, the oil has held high significance and value. People in Ancient Greece treated olive oil as liquid gold and used it for body purification. Ancient Egypt was no different -- only those who applied olive oil to their hair, face, and feet were allowed to approach the statues of the gods. It was also believed that anointing the body with oil was one way to reach the afterlife.

When people started using olive oil as a fuel for lamps, it was considered a sign of God bringing light into this world.

The olive tree is highly symbolic as well. Known as the “Tree of Life,” olive trees grow for many years and are nearly immortal. Sophocles said about olive trees, “If you cut or burn it, new life will appear immediately.”

In the ancient Olympics, the victor was given an olive leaf crown. In the myth of Noah’s Ark, the dove returned with an olive branch. There are countless examples of olives as the symbol of peace, fertility, and rebirth, and in more recent years it’s become a symbol of the United Nations.

As for Japan, olives first came to the country 400 years ago via Portuguese missionaries in the Edo Period. But they really took root during the Meiji Period when olive oil was used for canning fish. Japan started an olive cultivation trial in Mie, Kagoshima, and Kagawa prefectures, but only Shodoshima in Kagawa was successful. Why was that?

Simply put, Shodoshima’s climate most closely resembles that of the Mediterranean. A place with warm temperatures and little rain is suitable for growing olives. Though similar, there are still some differences between the two regions.

Olive trees flower in May or June, which is the dry season in the Mediterranean and the rainy season in Japan. Imagine it’s pollination season, but the humidity in the air makes it difficult for pollen to be transmitted, and even if pollination occurs, the baby fruit might rot and fall off. Despite these difficulties, not to mention pests and typhoons, the people back then worked hard to increase olive production. Thanks to them, olives have become a specialty of Shodoshima.

Have you ever eaten a raw olive? They say it’s so bitter that even monkeys won’t eat it. Olives have many nutrients that they obtain from the oil such as oleic acid, polyphenols, and vitamin E. These nutrients can lower cholesterol and promote healthy skin. In Shodoshima, each olive is hand-picked one by one resulting in particularly high-quality produce.

There’s a memorial museum at Olive Park where you can learn about Shodoshima olive cultivation, and the adjacent olive garden is home to Japan’s oldest olive tree at 115 years old. They even have an olive tree from Spain that is 1,000 years old -- it took a month to transport it to Shodoshima, and it is firmly rooted in the island as if it were the tree of life itself.

A statue of Athena, the Greek goddess who is said to have created the olive, stands at the entrance of Olive Park. In fact, the sister city of Shodoshima is the Greek island of Milos. The park is also famous for its Greek windmills, known from the animation movie “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” We hope you use one of their “magical brooms” to take a photo as if you’re floating in the air. But make sure to mind your step as the ground can get a bit slippery.

We’re almost there, so please enjoy the rest of the ride.