At a glance
Tokushima Prefecture is located the eastern side of the island of Shikoku and connected to mainland Japan by the Akashi-Kaikyo and Naruto Bridges. Tokushima is well-known for its Awa Odori Dance Festival as well as the dynamic whirlpools of Naruto. It also offers remote Iya Valley where you will find unspoiled nature scenery and historic hamlet with thatched roof farm houses.Highlights
Awa Odori Dance Festival
With over 400-year history, Awa Odori Dance has known as one of Japan's representative traditional performances, and Tokushima City's Awa Odori Dance Festival is the most famous dance festivals held across in Japan. Each year from August 12th to 15th, the downtown of Tokushima City transforms itself into a large dance stage for the festival, and nearly 1.2 million people including spectators and dancers from all over Japan gather for the festival. Even if you cannot visit Tokushima during the festival, there is the Awa Odori Kaikan, where dance performances are held year-round by musicians and dancers from a local dance group.
Naruto City
Naruto City is famous for its huge seawater whirlpools. The whirlpools arise due to small width of Naruto channel, connecting Seto Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and its rapid tidal stream.
There are several ways to appreciate this incredible scenery, and one of the most popular ways is to take a sightseeing boat and see the whirlpools up close from the deck. Another option is to overlook the whirlpools from the Onaruto Bridge connecting Tokushima to Awaji Island. Suspended 45 meters above the sea, there is an observatory walkway which extends under the bridge, and you can spot the multiple whirlpools in a single glance.
*Whether you can see the whirlpools depends on various conditions such as tidal stream and weather. It is most likely to be seen from the end of March to the end of April.
Naruto City is also famous as the starting point of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. Ryozenji Temple in Naruto City is the first temple of the pilgrimage, and you may see some white-clothed pilgrims just beginning their journey around the island.
Iya Valley
Nestled deep in the heart of Shikoku Island, Iya Valley is the most secluded valley with unspoiled nature and narrow river gorges, and sometimes called "Tibet of Japan" because of its tranquil and holy atmosphere. A heavily-wooded forest and precipitous gorge provided a hideout for defeated warriors in the history. There are famous ancient vine bridges suspended between the valley. With the sight of the water below your feet and the sway of the bridge, crossing them can be terrifying but also breathtaking.
In eastern Iya area, there is a historic hamlet of Ochiai which is uniquely formed on a steep slope. This nostalgic area is registered as an important national preservation district because of its traditional thatched-roof houses, ancient walking paths as well as stone-walled terrace field.
Access
There are a variety of approaches to this area. Typical routes are as follows:
From Tokyo
Tokyo - [1 hr. 30 min. by flight] - Tokushima
From Osaka
Osaka - [3 hr. by express bus] - Tokushima
From Takamatsu
Takamatsu - [1 hr. 30 min. by limited express train] - Tokushima
Custom travel in Shikoku and Shikoku Private Tour
For more information, or to start customizing your own itinerary, please contact us.
