Beautiful beaches, we've all seen our share, right? But a beautiful beach that's also historic and sacred? That sounds worth driving out of our way for — especially as the way takes us over a span I've long yearned to traverse: the Ondo Bridge, a delightful crimson structure over the Ondo Strait, a 90-meter wide channel that separates Kure City from the island of Kurahashi, Hiroshima Prefecture. Legend has it that, in the 12th century, the great warlord-politician Taira no Kiyomori carved out the strait in a single day to facilitate trade with China.

At either end of the 172-meter bridge, the approach roads take the form of convoluted snail shells that set your head spinning nicely en route to the parallel universe on the other side. For Kurahashi Island may lack the caché of its feted neighbor Miyajima, with its pushy deer and offshore orange torii, but its relative anonymity just enhances its magic.

As soon as you're across the Ondo Strait, you feel "island time" taking over: The very air seems different as traffic evanesces and life slows. You find yourself in a realm of citrus groves and rice paddies embosomed in the folds of the mountains. In autumn, roadside fruit stalls tempt you at regular intervals — just help yourself and leave money in the box. Since the postwar demise of shipbuilding, growing citrus fruits, especially mikan (tangerines), has been the main activity here.