More than 300 years ago, the poet Matsuo Bashō started an expedition to explore Japan, a journey that took 6 months during which he traveled more than 2,300 kilometers. Inspired by his predecessor Hayashi Gahō, the author of the list of Three Views of Japan (Nihon Sankei), Bashō visited Matsushima and remained deeply impressed by the beauty of these small islands.

The 260 islands of Matsushima are almost unchanged today, surviving with very few damages to the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, and they offer, indeed, one of the most beautiful views of Japan. Here’s one of the numerous spectacular landscapes offered by this place, in a photo taken from a boat cruise aptly called Bashō Cruise, after the name of the famous poet.

Matsushima, Miyagi

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