We have increased our pace because we don't have much time left, with our family coming in under a week, and we have to pick them up in Tokyo. So contrary to our usual practice we took a highway southwards across Honshu to Shikoku.
Shikoku and Honshu are connected by an incredible bridge.
We slept the first night on a hill overlooking the North of Shikoku. You can see the pollution layer from up there and it's not pretty! Japan blames China for much of its pollution, but we could clearly see a number of smoke stacks, including one from a coal fired power station. They are not steam emissions either. 
We only have a short time in Shikoku so we decided to restrict ourselves to the north-East corner. This is the Ise valley. It is incredibly steep with a jade green (clear) stream in the bottom. The road is very narrow in places and there was quite bit of backing up to find a passing place for oncoming traffic. But it was also very picturesque. 
We stopped at Ise-onsen, initially for a cup of coffee and the view. Then we saw the cable car and realised that there is a rotemburo (outdoor public bath) at the bottom of the slope on the river. In this distant photo you can see the cafe at the top of the slope and the lights on the cable car and then the onsen light at the bottom. 
This is one of the nicer rotemburos we have found in Japan. (Do I always say that?). The surroundings are superb and the temperature just right for a long soak. In addition in the women's bath was a mother and two daughters who had all been to Australia. So I was able to have a very pleasant conversation with them.
That evening didn't go so well though. We were camped in a roadside parking lot. There was a toilet but the steps were not well designed, with the handrail finishing before the steps finished. In the dark I though I was on the bottom step....... Sprained ankle! At least it's not broken! And I can still get up into the Earthcruiser. 
It seems to be a Japanese thing that each town needs something to be famous for. Well this is the "Town of Scarecrows"! In this area we also saw mention of the crisis in declining population in Japanese rural towns. Well this one way to feel as though the place is well populated. These scarecrows are everywhere- in bus shelters, up light poles, in cafes. They are cute! 
This bridge and two others like it are made from wild wisteria vines. Nowadays this is enhanced by wire ropes ("for safety") but they are very authentic looking and romantic. They were first built here in the 1600s
And then we went to a Japanese traditional dancing show. It was very flamboyant, with demure girls and jumping and aggressive looking men. As is the Japanese way we were pressured to join in - and my sprained ankle came in handy - I had been practising the sentence and it served me well (Ashi kubi geitei!)
One last feature of Shikoku not be missed is the whirlpool phenomenon under the bridge in Naruta. Here there is a bottleneck for tidal flows and a sea level difference of up to 1.5m between the two parts of the inland sea. The current here can reach 20kmph, and the shearing effect causes whirlpools to form on the change of the tides. We were caught in a waiting line for parking so missed the peak of the phenomenon, but still it was well worth seeing.
That's all we have time for on Shikoku and it's northwards tomorrow!
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