Of the three-day cycling trip across Shimane and Tottori, if I had to name one favourite stop, I would say it without hesitation: the lovely-sounding Daikon Island.
This quiet little island is rich in precious cultural and natural resources. It has a stunning Japanese garden, is Japan’s leading producer of peonies, and is also famous for Korean ginseng. Cycling through its roads and farmland, you find a place that is wonderfully rustic yet impossible to hide its brilliance.
Is Daikon Island covered in daikon?
When I first heard the name, I let out an involuntary snort of laughter. Daikon means white radish in Japanese, and pickled daikon is a staple in Japanese homes. In a country that takes radishes so seriously, an island covered in them would not be surprising. But naming it so directly surely had a story behind it.
Sure enough, Daikon Island is an important agricultural area known for abundant harvests—but this daikon does not mean what it literally says.
The small island between Matsue in Shimane Prefecture and Tottori Prefecture has fertile soil. Farmers here grew a highly valuable crop: ginseng. But if someone asked and you openly announced that you were growing ginseng, thieves might come to steal it. ‘Daikon’ therefore became a discreet code name. Ah, being unable to tell the truth openly is also one of life’s little lessons.
A Japanese garden full of otherworldly atmosphere
On this island that feels like a paradise outdoors, there is an even more paradisiacal place: Yuushien Garden.
Daikon Island is not only a major producer of ginseng in Japan; it is also Japan’s top peony-producing region. Although the island’s official identity was taken over by ginseng (daikon), it is also known as ‘the island of peonies.’ Yuushien grows hundreds of varieties, and every season offers different peonies and scenery to admire.
Worth stopping to admire, indoors and out
Naturally, I could not stop pressing the shutter—and when dry ice billowed out, the whole place filled with an ethereal mist.
Stopping at the garden café or restaurant for a meal while admiring the strolling-style Japanese garden is a wonderfully relaxing treat.
Yuushien information
Address: 1260-2 Hanyu, Yatsuka-cho, Matsue, Shimane Prefecture
Official website: http://www.yuushien.com/yuushien/
Take a peony home
As beautiful as the peonies at Yuushien were in full bloom, and as tempting as the peony seeds sold in the garden looked, I could not bring them back to Taiwan to enjoy at home.
So we visited a multipurpose guesthouse. Alongside hostel-style rooms where you can fall asleep looking out through huge floor-to-ceiling windows at the fields, the place rents bicycles and offers guided tours introducing Daikon Island in greater depth. You can also make a handmade ‘water flower vase’ with peonies preserved in a bottle. Using dried flowers, fruit, and flowers, you create a souvenir in your own colours and style while keeping the peony beautiful in a single moment.
As soon as we entered, a whole table of delicate-looking materials greeted us. The teacher provided vivid peony petals, hydrangeas in two colours, and dried orange slices and berries that looked almost good enough to eat. We chose our favourite peony-petal arrangement, placed it in the bottle with the other flowers and dried fruit, poured in the special vase oil to fix everything in place, then used tweezers to adjust the shape until we liked it.
The process was full of surprises. We imagined the petals would look perfect, but after pouring in the special oil, the result did not quite match the picture in our heads. When we poked around with the long tweezers trying to make it better, everyone started groaning that it was getting worse and worse. Yet once the lids were on and the bottles were lit or placed in the sunlight outdoors, every single one looked unbelievably beautiful.
That is probably part of the magic of flowers—and part of what makes handmade crafts so much fun.
Cocoreto Guest House
Address: 465-1 Oe, Yatsuka-cho, Matsue, Shimane Prefecture
Official website: https://cocoreto.com/
A sweeping view of Mount Daisen and the lakes
Daikon Island is surrounded by Lake Nakaumi and Lake Shinji. In just a few minutes, you can cycle from the farmland at its centre to the shore. One end connects to Shimane Prefecture and the other reaches toward Tottori. Looking in that direction, the magnificent mountain silhouette emerging through the distant mist is Mount Daisen, one of Tottori’s important natural treasures.
Cocoreto Guest House’s cycling tour around Daikon Island
A place where island residents once gathered to chat
That mountain on the horizon is the famous Mount Daisen.
It is a lovely day of local travel and an easy, carefree ride—like returning to the friendly charm of your hometown village, but with one delightful surprise after another.
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