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A heavenly trip to Japan’s Demon Island in the Seto Inland Sea【Photos】

Casey Baseel Sep 9, 2024
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We follow in Momotaro’s footsteps with a visit to Onigashima.

In the Seto Inland Sea you’ll find an island named Megijima. This island also has another name, though: Onigashima, or “Demon Island.”

This isn’t a mocking, slanderous nickname the island has been saddled with, either. As a matter of fact, Megijima fully embraces its alternate name, even going so far as to prominently display it on guide maps and other tourism information documents.

That’s because of its connection to the story of Momotaro. One of Japan’s most beloved folktales, Momotaro is the tale of a boy who emerged from a peach and became a strong and brave swordsman. With the people of the region suffering under the tyranny of a band of oni (ogre-like demons), the legend says that Momotaro traveled to Onigashima to defeat the monsters in their own stronghold, bringing peace to the region.

As with many legends, the exact details that led to its creation have been lost to time, but Megijima, which is officially part of the city of Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, is thought by many to be the Onigashima of Momotaro’s tale, and so we set out to trace Momotaro’s footsteps/boat rides and visit the demon island, and its demon cave.

Megijima has fewer than 200 full-time residents, but the island is easily accessible from the port of Takamatsu, the largest city in Kagawa. The ferry terminal is a five-minute walk from Takamatsu Station, and from there it’s 20 minutes by ferry to Megijima, with departures roughly every two hours between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., plus a final ferry at 6:10 p.m. Boats running the other way, from Megijima to Takamatsu, also leave every two hours between 7:20 a.m. and 5:20 p.m. A round-trip ticket costs 740 yen (US$5), and tickets go on sale at the Takamtasu port 30 minutes before ferries depart.

We were blessed with sunny weather and sparkling seas as we set out, and along the way we were treated to views of other islands that dot the Seto Inland Sea.

Once we were on Megijima, we had to figure out how to get to the Great Onigashima Cave, or Onigashima Daidokutsu, as it’s called in Japanese. It is possible to walk there from the port, as it’s only about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) from where you get off the boat.

However, you’ll be walking up a winding mountain road, so the much easier way to get to the cave is to take the bus, which you can purchase tickets for in the Onigashima Oni no Kan visitor center, which is attached to the port building.

▼ The bus ticket counter and timetable. It’s a 10-miute ride to the cave, and a round-trip tickets costs 800 yen.

Climbing higher into the hills, we eventually arrived at the Onigashima Daidokutsu bus stop, where some surprisingly cute oni were present to greet us.

But just because we arrived by bus didn’t mean there wasn’t any walking to do, since the entrance to the cave is up a steep flight of stone stairs.

Along the way were more oni, with less cherubic appearances.

▼ You’ll know you’re getting close when you see this sign for Onigashima Daidokutsu (鬼ヶ島大洞窟)

Entrance to the cave costs 600 yen for adults, and as an additional test of your resolve, you’ll need to crouch down to make your way inside, as the ceiling is very low at the entrance.

There’s room to stand up straight once you get further in though, and also more oni.

Honestly, there are a whole bunch of oni inside the cave…

…and a human they’ve taken hostage, who’s also pretty scary-looking in her own right.

So clearly the statuary is meant to depict the conditions before Momotaro came in and cleaned house/cave, and in fact, the Peach Boy himself shows up too.

Also inside the cave is a memorial space for victims of the oni’s cruelty…

…and Oni no Ko Kawara, an artwork installation consisting of oni-shaped clay tiles created by local junior high students.

As you’ve probably picked up on by now, it’s sort of a gray area as to whether the oni of the Momotaro legend are treated as legitimately frightening tormentors who must be slain, or cartoonishly mischievous troublemakers who occasionally need to be sternly reminded to behave nicely.

▼ Instead of stabbing this oni in the gut, Momotaro seems to have come to a more diplomatic resolution of their conflict.

As we ventured further inward, we spotted a light at the back of the stone tunnels…

…which led us back to the surface world, on the backside to the cave.

This is actually the start of the path to the Washigamine Observation deck, but again, it’s not an easy walk.

But hey, if Momotaro could take on a whole tribe of oni, then we could handle a little more walking, we supposed. Our determination was rewarded, too, when about a minute later we reached the deck…

…and took in the beautiful, panoramic view.

So we’ve got to say, Demon Island is actually quite lovely, and yet another great reason to visit the Seto Inland Sea during your travels in Japan.

Related: Onigashima Tourism Organization official website
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