There are about 150 people on Megijima, a small island not far from Takamatsu that consists mostly of forested mountains and two small villages.
It is associated with Onigashima, the Ogre Island, where a small boy battled its resident ogres on the island in the popular Momotaro legend. A cave near Megijima’s highest peak is believed to have once served as a fortress for the ogres. There are several chambers in the cave, some of which display cartoon ogre statues that depict scenes from Momotaro’s story.
Getting to the island requires a ferry ticket, a bus ticket (walking up is cheaper and takes less than 30 minutes), a bicycle rental, and an entry fee of 800 yen for an adult to the cave. I saw only the sculptures in and out of the cave, so it was a concise tour.
The Nichiren statue stands opposite the observation deck on top of a mountain. A paved path leads up to the statue, which was founded by Nichiren, the founder of Japanese Buddhism.
The village of Meijima is characterized by old wooden houses and narrow lanes, which is protected from the sea by high stone walls. The island’s sand beach, which is close to the ferry port and surrounded by multiple minshuku lodgings, attracts urbanites during the summer months.
Website : onigasima
