“We chose to travel instead of having a wedding.”
A two-week stay in Shikoku, a time when I needed to move on to something more than just love!
A couple in their 11th year of marriage travels all over Shikoku
Between familiarity and unfamiliarity, a journey through small Japanese cities in search of "something uniquely our own."

Shikoku, the smallest of the four islands that make up Japan.
And this journey, which begins in Takamatsu, the representative city of Kagawa Prefecture, the smallest prefecture in Shikoku, actually began a very long time ago.
About eight years ago, when writer Kim Hwan first brought up the topic of marriage, writer Kim Ja-ram half rejected him and half proposed, saying, “Let’s do it when we’re forty.”
During their 11 years of relationship, the two constantly searched for their own 'something'.
It was unclear whether that 'something' was a wedding, a marriage registration, or living together.
However, I just felt that ending a relationship with marriage wasn't 'our way'.

Now is the time to come up with an answer that may not be the right answer, but is closest to it.
As they reached their 'wonderful forties', which was predicted eight years ago, they tried to ask about their 11-year long-term relationship through 'travel' in their own familiar way, and wrote an answer sheet to the question, "Aren't you going to get married?" as a record.
The beginning is this two-week trip to Shikoku, which is tied together with “Shikoku over Marriage.”
Before embarking on this special trip, the couple pledged to "immerse themselves" in the local area.
So, I booked almost all of my accommodations on Airbnb during my trip.
I rode my bike through the residential area of ​​Takamatsu to do some grocery shopping at a convenience store, went crazy over olives in Shodoshima, and suddenly headed to the Bikan Historical Quarter in Kurashiki, a neighboring town in the Chugoku region. I also visited six udon restaurants in eight days, just like the locals who eat five bowls of udon a week.
In the meantime, we thoroughly visited the must-see tourist spots in Shikoku, including Ritsurin Garden, Ozu Castle, and the Naoshima Art Museum.

Even after completing the short yet long journey of two weeks, the 'something' that the two were looking for beyond love was still unclear.
The couple, still full of question marks, decided to continue their trip in Korea rather than Shikoku.
I decided to compile the travel process into a book.
For the next four months, we met every week to write about our trip and read each other's writings to understand each other's feelings at the time.
Let's take a look at the deep relationship between the small towns of Shikoku Island, Japan, and the long-time lovers through 『Shikoku, More Than Marriage』, the first record of the couple's entry and exit, written in anticipation of a 'something' that will one day become clear, while still being vague, as they embarked on a journey to find 'our own way' that was barely visible.

Shikoku is the smallest of the four islands that make up Japan, and Takamatsu is the representative city of Kagawa Prefecture, the smallest prefecture in Shikoku. This is the first destination of our trip.
... Argentina, India, Mexico... Why was I drawn to a destination whose name is so unfamiliar, overtaking such formidable candidates that even the mere mention of them conjures up a panorama of dynamic travel scenes? Familiar Japan, yet unfamiliar, small towns?
Could it be that the strange combination resembled our relationship, which felt comfortable yet somehow distant?
--- 「Departure _1.
It may be our illusion that the airport welcomes travelers.

There was a time when articles about 'things you must buy at Japanese convenience stores' were popular.
It used to be at the top of my travel to-do list, even taking notes and saving them, but these days, it's easy to buy similar products in Korea, so the anticipation isn't what it used to be.
Still, I couldn't pass up the triangle kimbap and egg sandwich! I grabbed the pollack roe triangle kimbap, and the grandmother next to me grabbed the plum triangle kimbap.
The spicy pollack triangle kimbap was specially selected with Hwan-i's sleeping face in mind.
--- 「Start _3.
From "Everyone had their own morning there"

For Hwan, Shodoshima will be remembered for its high-speed ferry and bus schedules.
On the other hand, for me, Shodoshima will be remembered for its olives and sunsets.
What will Hwan-i say when he revisits Shodoshima in the distant future? Will this place still be "in the middle" then? Had he taken the regular ferry early in the morning and the Olive bus on time, the day might have been easier, but he would have returned without seeing the sunset over Shodoshima.
Thanks to a big commitment to breaking the travel pattern, we were able to see the best sunset of my life together.
--- 「Challenge _4.
Today's final score is 1:1"

The Kotoden is a small, three-car train that you will most often ride when traveling around Takamatsu City. We will take the Kotoden from Yashima to Kotohira, the final stop.
In Japan's administrative division classification, Takamatsu is a city and Kotohira is a town under Nakatado District.
It means a much smaller rural area.
However, it is a hot spring tourist destination with a famous shrine called Kotohira-gu, so even though it is administratively small, it is a place that many tourists visit.
In fact, you can tell just by looking at the fact that the official name of the Kotoden train we rode was Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railway.
--- 「Crisis _13.
We are now caught in the shackles of check-in and check-out.

Strangely, I just wanted to hurry back.
Because today is our last night at the dolphin house.
I wanted to quickly go to the house filled with blue skies and blue seas that were full of Omori's tastes.
If you lie down and stare at the ceiling, you'll wonder if you're in space or the ocean. I wanted to go to a fairytale-like house, not think about coins or stocks and just enjoy the happiness in this space we're in now.

--- 「Comma _17.
From "I am Sen and you are Kaonashi"