Scenery and soul define Japan’s little island that could

The smallest and most sparsely populated of Japan’s four main islands, Shikoku is most famous for its natural beauty and its many, many temples. A traditional walking pilgrimage around the island covers 88 of them -- and a whopping 1,200km! Of course, you don’t have to hoof it these days. If you only see a couple, make them Kotohira, a popular shrine for seafarers thought to date back about 2,000 years, and Ishiteji, part of which is in a natural cave. Save time for Naoshima, a small island that’s home to oodles of modern art, olive grove-covered Sadoshima and a cruise to eyeball the whirlpools at Naruto. And don’t miss hiking in the beautiful Iya Valley, one of Japan’s Three Hidden Valleys.