Lost amid the mountainous interior of Shikoku, the steep-sided, densely wooded Iya Valley encloses a world few Japanese, and even fewer foreigners, realize still exists. It was here members of the Heike clan took refuge after the Genpei War…

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Surveying the town of Matsuyama on Shikoku’s north coast is one of the country’s largest and best preserved medieval citadels. The hilltop complex dates from the early 16th century, and ranks among the most compelling of its kind in Japan.…

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Facing the Seto Inland Sea on Shikoku’s north coast, Takamatsu is the island’s main gateway. Under the Tokugawa shoguns, the town enjoyed a long and prosperous peace, during which time the renowned Ritsurin Koen was created on the grounds o…

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