Flavors of Shodoshima

Shodoshima, the second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, has produced soy sauce, somen wheat noodles, and olives for generations. When the medieval salt industry declined due to overproduction elsewhere, islanders pivoted to fermenting salt into soy sauce and using it in noodle production, drawing on techniques already established nearby in Wakayama and Nara. The island's position in the Inland Sea made it straightforward to source soybeans and wheat from western Japan and ship finished products to Osaka. Olive trees were introduced in the Meiji era as a government agricultural experiment, and the island now describes itself as Japan's olive capital.