The Tobishima Kaido is a network of bridges linking seven Seto Inland Sea islands. The route starts in Shimo-kamagari near Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture and extends to Okamura in Ehime Prefecture. Osakishimo-jima's Mitarai district prospered as a port of call for Kitamaebune merchant ships, and retains the townscape from the Edo period. The island is also famous for its citrus farming, which dates back over 100 years. Britain Tom Miyagawa Coulton, who lives in Osakishimo-jima, takes us around the islands steeped in history.

Tomonoura is a port town on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, in Hiroshima Prefecture. It occupies an important location because this is the point where the tides from each end of the Inland Sea meet. In the old days, ships had to wait here until the ebb tide, before continuing their journeys. For that reason it became known as "the port for awaiting the tide" and was even mentioned in the Manyoshu, a collection of Japanese poems collated some 1,200 years ago. Tom Miyagawa Coulton is a photographer who lives on an island in the Seto Inland Sea. On this episode of Journeys in Japan, Tom explores the historic town of Tomonoura and discovers the town's centuries-old tradition of forging steel. He also meets the local people who have protected this town and kept their community ties with love and care.