Setouchi

Setouchi is a coastal city in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, hugging a mild, island-dotted stretch of the Seto Inland Sea. Olives grow on its hillsides above fishing ports, and the sunsets over the water earn the area its nickname, Japan's Aegean, coined for the light as much as the olives.

The olive groves of Ushimado climb above the strait, with a hilltop garden lookout for the sunset everyone photographs. Sword lovers make for Osafune, the medieval blade-making village whose museum still hosts forging demonstrations by working smiths, keeping one of Japan's proudest craft lineages alive.

Oysters fatten in the bays through winter, and quiet fishing ports fill the coastline between sights. Local trains and buses reach the district from Okayama, though a car makes the capes easier. Setouchi suits travelers who want Inland Sea scenery without ferry schedules.