Kinin Kaidō (Shikanoshima Island) and Uminonakamichi A loop around the island, then a hot dog at Kinin Park

One July day, I headed for Shikanoshima in my red convertible. Uminonakamichi is the road to the island, with the sea on both sides. I kept my eyes on the road and my hands on the wheel, smiling as the breeze came through the window. Still feeling as if I’d crossed the sea, I arrived on the island and decided to make a full circuit.

The Kinin Kaidō, the road around the island, is about 10km long. Each time the sea appeared again after a bend, I added another place to stop and take it in. I parked at Kinin Park and started walking, feeling the warmth of the summer ground through my soles. When I reached the top of the stairs and turned around, Hakata Bay spread out in front of me, and I stopped in my tracks.

I’d heard the gold seal was found around here in Tenmei 4 (1784). The tiny gold seal from my textbooks suddenly felt real out here, with the broad bay before me. I wondered whether people who walked here long ago looked out over the same bay. I listened to the leaves rustling and gazed across the water for a while.

When I opened the wrapper around the hot dog I’d bought on the island, the scent of toasted bread hit me. I held it in both hands and took a bite. First the bread, then the thick sausage. I took a huge mouthful and closed my eyes. I wanted to take in the view, too, but first I wanted to savour this bite properly. I let myself look away from the sea just long enough to eat.

When I opened my eyes, I could see the bay below the stairs, too. I’d thought eating something good with a view would just be a quick break, but I could already tell I’d remember the journey that brought me here. By the time I adjusted the wrapper and took another bite, I was eating more slowly than before. I didn’t want to reach the last bite yet.

Even after I finished eating, I didn’t go back down the stairs right away. I hadn’t expected an afternoon like this in the middle of my drive around the island. The breeze on the way across Uminonakamichi, the smell of the bread, and the story of the gold seal were all still with me. Before getting back in the car, I looked out over the bay once more and decided that next time I came to Shikanoshima in summer, I’d make sure to come hungry.