Often forgotten by most tourists, we ended our Japan stay on the smaller island of Shikoku, exploring the city of Takamatsu and nearby Iya Valley. Famous for its 88-temple pilgrimage and its agricultural roots, Shikoku felt very different from the rest of the urbanized country, reflecting a more humbler and slower lifestyle that we simply loved! The experience was a great way to cap off our second journey through Japan–still one of our favorite countries in the world!

Biking around the city in Takamatsu, where cycling is still major form of transport

Stumbling upon a secluded Shinto shrine on the outskirts of the city

Takamatsu is extremely well-known throughout Japan for its udon, one of the three major types of Japanese noodle dishes

Famous statue of a boy peeing into the Iya valley to prove his manliness

Picnic lunch in the middle of a creek