The Land Of The Gods

S1 E304: This film features Chūgoku, the western tip of Honshu Island, and Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four "big" islands. Together they share a long history of cultural and commercial relations, both separated and united by the inland sea of Seto. Its shores are as sunny as they are populated: the great regional capitals such as Hiroshima - a place of memory - and Matsuyama are concentrated there, as are most of the activities. Its calm and rich waters, and the sunny and mild climate, have allowed the development of productions as diverse as aquaculture and olive growing, the speciality of the island of Shodoshima. The interior of Chūgoku - "the middle country" in Japanese - and Shikoku are on the contrary rougher and much less inhabited, but not avoided. The inhabitants of Shikoku in particular, see hundreds of thousands of pilgrims march every year on the great pilgrimage dedicated to Buddhist master Kobo Daishi. Shimane Prefecture is home to one of the most revered Shinto shrines in Japan. A spiritual, vibrant and mysterious Japan.