is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Kagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Pr ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, with a population of 13,646. The town was established in 2006 and covers various ports and communities on the eastern half of

Shōdoshima Shōdoshima or is an island located in the Seto Inland Sea, Inland Sea of Japan. The name means "Island of Azuki bean, Small Beans". There are two towns on the island: Tonoshō, Kagawa, Tonoshō and Shodoshima, Kagawa, Shōdoshima, composing the ...

, the second-largest island in the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Ba ...

. Shōdoshima is roughly halfway between the much larger islands of

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

to the south and

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

to the north, and has a mild and relatively dry climate. Soy sauce production, which flourished through the early 20th century, remains a major industry. Other industries include '' sōmen'' noodles, '' tsukudani'' (made with soy sauce), fishing and agriculture. In Japan, olives were first successfully cultivated here in the 1910s and olive oil production resurged in the late 20th century. Tourism is also economically important. Shodoshima participates in the Setouchi Triennale, a regional art festival, and the mountainous interior is home to Kankakei Gorge. The book and film '' Twenty-Four Eyes'' was set on the island, and a movie studio park and museum attracts visitors.

Geography

Notable locations

The town of Shōdoshima was created in 2006 by merging the former towns of Ikeda and Uchinomi, both from Shōzu District. The total area is 95.59 km², and covers the entire eastern half of the island of Shōdoshima. Notable communities and locations include: * Kankakei Gorge * Kusakabe, a port and community, with soy sauce production concentrated to the east * Olive Park/Olive Garden, olive orchards and tourist sites * Sakate, a port in the southeast * Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Studio, a tourist site for the book and film ''Twenty-Four Eyes''

Climate

Shōdoshima has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa'') with hot, humid summers, and cool winters. Some rain falls throughout the year, but the months from May to September have the heaviest rain. The average annual temperature in Shōdoshima is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Shōdoshima was on 21 August 2000; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 26 February 1981.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Shōdoshima in 2020 is 13,870 people. Shōdoshima has been conducting censuses since 1920.

References

External links

* Towns in Kagawa Prefecture {{Kagawa-geo-stub