Kashima Island

　　On the way to the Yusu area, which I wrote about in the last entry, the captain brought the boat up to a really tiny island to take a short rest on land for passengers who were weak due to seasickness. I'll upload a picture taken there with my daughter.
　　The time was when the Yusu area was an inaccessible corner of land though a tough ranger might be able to reach it. As of today, naturally there's a narrow, but paved road constructed. After viewing the terraced fields from the boat, we set out for another island, Kashima island.
　　Kashima island is small, and the number of inhabitants is only 100 at most, but its history can date back to 10th century. A famous pirate family dominated the area around and the island is located at a very favorable point for them. If you stand on the top of the hill, you can view all the boats from and into the harbour of Uwajima and around. They were able to choose the boat which they assaulted, judging from the height of the draft line. It is said that they prayed for their happiness and built a shrine, and the shrine has been preserved through several renovations. We also prayed for our tour and got back to our boat. Our next destination was Tojima Island in which a few hundred people live.

(Vocabulary)
The time was when 『かつては～だった』
terraced fields 段々畑
an inaccessible (corner of) land 　陸の孤島
draft line 　喫水線