A visit to the sunny island of Shodoshima in Kagawa Prefecture is perhaps the closest you'll get to a Mediterranean vibe in Japan, twinned as it is with the Greek island of Milos.
The second largest of the islands in the Seto Inland Sea, Shodoshima was the first place in the Japanese archipelago to successfully cultivate olives, and it is home to some beautiful beaches and scenic vistas. Fittingly, the characters for the name "Shodoshima" translate to "small bean island," though these originally referred to adzuki beans rather than olives, which are more prevalent today.
While its natural beauty and laid-back feel are very appealing, my prime reason for visiting Shodoshima is the island's connection to my favorite Japanese movie, the much-loved "Twenty-Four Eyes" ("Nijushi no Hitomi"), based on the 1952 novel of the same name. Shodoshima native Sakae Tsuboi penned the story of a devoted teacher and the connections she maintains with her first 12 students — the owners of the titular 24 eyes. Following the lives of the characters before, during and immediately after World War II, the novel is also a commentary on the inhumanity of war.
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