Kankakei is the island's strongest natural sight: a steep gorge of volcanic rock, wooded slopes, and views over the Seto Inland Sea. The ropeway does the hard climbing, but there are walking paths if you want to make the visit feel less like a photo stop.
Autumn is the famous season, when the maples turn the gorge red and gold. Outside peak colour it is still worth the trip for the scale of the cliffs and the sense that Shodoshima has an interior, not just a coastline.