Awaji Island: Japan’s ‘First Island’ Offers a Gourmet Taste of a Sustainable Future

Awaji Island, situated in the east of the Seto Inland Sea, boasts lush greenery, rugged mountains, and sacred sites steeped in myth. Revered as the legendary Onokoro Island, it is said to be the first land formed from seawater by the gods Izanagi and Izanami. This deep historical connection contrasts with its vibrant, present-day character. Easily accessible from Osaka or Kobe, the island is just a short drive across the towering Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.

Known as Miketsukuni, or a ‘Land of Food,’ Awaji’s legacy as a culinary treasure lives on through exquisite local ingredients and innovative approaches to wellbeing and sustainability. The island straddles myth and modernity, past and future, offering a singular destination where history resonates, nature thrives, and greener possibilities bloom.

Nowhere is Awaji Island’s commitment to sustainability more evident than at Haru San San, a farm-to-table restaurant championing local, homegrown produce and sustainable agriculture. Situated amidst fields cultivated using circular farming practices, the building itself, designed by Pritzker Prize laureate Shigeru Ban, forms a natural part of the tranquil scenery, incorporating traditional thatched-roof techniques with an eco-conscious hybrid structure of recycled paper tubes and minimal timber.

Meals at Haru San San foreground the vegetables grown meters away from the restaurant, combined expertly with local delicacies. Awaji Island’s food self-sufficiency surpasses 100%, attesting to its extraordinary bounty, and from their salad made up of 16 differently cooked vegetables to the light yet umami-rich soup and luscious grilled Awaji beef, each dish gives pride of place to the island’s abundant produce.

Haru San San also functions as an event space offering agricultural experiences. The latter, led by staff, are a rare insight into the small yet meaningful ways in which traditional farming methods and innovative thinking can encourage agricultural production that coexists with surrounding nature. Fertilizer is produced on-site using vegetable cuttings and food residue, turned at intervals to encourage effective breakdown and microorganism growth. Vegetable patches avoid the need for inorganic pesticides by growing grass around the patches themselves, creating a natural barrier against insects.

Plans are currently underway to open 11 cottages, each designed by a different architect, for guests to enjoy a relaxing ‘farm-inclusive’ stay and learn environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

Among the numerous sacred sites on Awaji Island is Onokorojima Shrine, dedicated to Izanagi and Izanami, the deities who brought the Japanese archipelago into existence. Recognized by its striking 21.7-meter-tall cinnabar-red torii gate, the shrine sits atop a small hillock that is, according to one theory, the mythical Onokoro Island itself.

Encircled by the ancient Mihara Creek, it’s also a popular destination for couples. The sekirei ishi (‘wagtail rock’) within the shrine is named for the two ropes, one red and one white, attached to it, resembling the wagtail’s tail feathers. A sign by the rock explains that to seek a new partner, you hold the white rope first, then the red; to strengthen a current relationship, you reverse the order; and if visiting with your partner, the man holds the red rope, the woman holds the white, and you pray together holding hands.

Izanagi-jingu Shrine, considered Japan’s oldest Shinto shrine, is another of the island’s sites tied to the nation’s creation myth. The sacred site enshrines the divine couple Izanagi and Izanami and is believed to be Izanagi’s former earthly residence. Within its grounds is the Meoto-no-okusu (‘husband-and-wife giant camphor’), a 900-year-old intertwined camphor tree. Standing at 30 meters tall, the sacred tree has been venerated since the Edo period and symbolizes harmony and longevity, a testament to the island’s deep connection to both nature and spirituality.

Nestled atop the scenic Awaji Island Park and adjacent to the anime-themed Nijigen no Mori, Grand Chariot Big Dipper 135° is a warren of luxurious villas, each with its own private terrace. The spacious rooms are a haven of comfort, with private hinoki baths and stargazing skylights to look up at the night sky from the comfort of your bed. And, elevated as it is, there are stunning views across along the mountainside, and across the Akashi Strait and Akashi Kaikyo Bridge to Kobe’s glittering skyline.

Dining here feels like a true celebration of local flavors, each dish crafted under the direction of the garlanded Chef Haruyuki Yamashita. The lavish dinners bring out the best in Awaji’s renowned produce, featuring conger eel, sea bream, sweet Awaji onions, and of course Awaji beef. The latter two ingredients blend perfectly in Grand Chariot’s succulent Awaji Beef Tomato Sukiyaki, a dish lifted to the zenith of sumptuousness by its pairing with a neat mound of sea urchin draped across shiso leaves.

An award-winning retreat, it’s hard to find a more seamless blend of comfort, nature, and Japanese artistry.