Ganryūjima Island

This small uninhabited island 250 meters off the Shimonoseki coast is where swordsman Miyamoto Musashi fought Sasaki Kojiro in 1612 in one of Japan's most retold duels. Kojiro, known for wielding a sword over 90 centimeters long and striking fast enough to dispatch swallows mid-flight, faced Musashi on the beach. Accounts differ on the details: some say Musashi arrived deliberately late to unsettle his opponent, others that he fashioned a wooden sword from his boat's oar. The exchange itself was over in moments, and Musashi left immediately after. The island, now a park, is reached by a short ferry from the mainland. Statues of both fighters stand on the eastern shore where the duel is said to have taken place.