[Seichi Junrei]Trip to Tomogashima, the setting of the Japanese anime “Summertime Renda”

There are more than 13,000 uninhabited islands in Japan.
Tomogashima Island in Wakayama Prefecture is one of them.

Tomogashima consists of four uninhabited islands, of which Okinoshima is a popular tourist destination.
Tomogashima was once used as a military site and was off limits to the public until the end of World War II.

When it became part of the Seto Inland Sea National Park in 1949, it was developed into a tourist attraction and visited by many people, while retaining the atmosphere of a former military site.
Its nostalgic nature has become the secret of its popularity.

I would like to introduce the record of my trip to Tomogashima.

 

How to get to Tomogashima?

Tomogashima is located here.

 

The nearest station to Tomogashima is Kada Station in Wakayama Prefecture.

I left from Osaka. First, take a 1.5 hour train ride on the Nankai Line from Osaka’s Namba Station to Kata Station. Next, walk 15 minutes from Kata Station to the ferry terminal.

While walking, you can enjoy the laid-back, rural Japanese scenery of the port town of Kata.

This is the ferry terminal.

I purchased a ferry ticket.
The fare is 2,200 yen round trip per person.

Board the boat.
A word of caution here: boats are often cancelled due to weather conditions. It is recommended to check the website for the day’s operation status or go on a clear, sunny day when there are no weather concerns.

There are also four runs per day. On days when the number of visitors is high, an extra ferry service is offered, but it is also quite infrequent, only two. The last ferry leaves Tomogashima at 4:30 p.m., which is early. It is important to manage your time so as not to miss the ferry.

 

Now, 20 minutes into the boat ride, I arrive at Tomogashima.

This “Tomogashima” is the setting of Hitogashima in the anime “Summertime Renda”.

There was also an animated sign.

 

The highlight of Tomogashima is the ruins of a brick gun emplacement.

Tomogashima Island, once inaccessible to the general public, is a tourist attraction where the ruins of military gun emplacements have been preserved as they were.
This time, I decided to take the hiking route around the island, which takes about 2.5 hours.

The paths are hilly and very strenuous. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

 

The first attraction on Tomogashima is the “Ruins of the First Battery”.

The first battery was used during World War I as an observation post for the enemy, and miraculously, it is a rare place that still exists in a nearly original form.
Behind the ruins of the gun emplacement, the view of the sea was very nice.

 

Next, I went to the most famous of all the turret ruins, Battery No. 3.
This is the largest of all the turret ruins on Tomogashima. It is also a great photo spot.

When I walked in…I was amazed! It was so cool!
I felt it was at least 5 degrees Celsius lower.

There was a very nostalgic atmosphere inside the ruins of the gun emplacement.
It is a mysterious space with only lights on in the pitch dark.

The red bricks and the sense of ruin also make it famous for its resemblance to the world of the movie Ghibli.

It is also used as a filming location for TV dramas and movies, so it was a must-see destination when visiting Tomogashima!

There are also the ruins of the second, fourth, and fifth gun emplacements.
The ruins of the fourth turret are off-limits to visitors, but they can be viewed from the outside.
I was not able to go there this time, but if you have time, I highly recommend you to visit there.

 

Finally, I went to the observatory at Tomogashima.

After visiting the ruins of the turret, I went straight to the top of the mountain to climb up.
It was a little tiring because of the stairs, but I did our best to climb up…!

Finally, I arrived at the top!

From the top, I could see Wakayama and Osaka in front of us and Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture on the left!
Tomogashima really showed me that it is located in the middle of Wakayama and Awaji Island.

 

If you are traveling to Japan and using Kansai Airport or coming to the Osaka area and want to try an island trip, Tomogashima might be a good place for a day trip.

You will surely feel the world of ruins and the history of Japan when you come here!