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Whirlpools as fast as
10 knots in tidal speed and as large as 20 meters in diameter, Awa-odori
(dance) attracting more than 1 million participants and spectators
from all over the country
Situated in the east of Shikoku, Tokushima is surrounded with
mountains topping 1000 meters on three sides. The prefecture is
blessed with sightseeing spots highlighted by the magnificence of
nature, such as the Tokushima-Naruto area which is part of Seto-naikai
(Inland Sea of Japan) National Park, the Anan coastal area and
Kenzan-Iya area.
The center of attraction in the Tokushima-Naruto area is a magnificent
sight of whirlpools that occur at spring tide with a maximum tidal
speed of 10 knots and diameters up to 20 meters in diameter. At the
time of Urabon (the Feast for ancesters), a Buddhist event of summer,
Tokushima City becomes the stage of the Awa-odori, in which men and
women merrily dance in groups through the streets to the enlivening
sounds of shamisens(Japanese guitar), gongs and drums, attracting more
than 1 million spectators from all over the country. To the west of
Naruto City stands the Ryosen-ji Temple, the first of 88
amulet-issuing points in the Shikoku holy land, which is always
crowded with white-dressed pious people making a round of pilgrimages.
What makes the Anan coastal area attractive is a sea of deep blue that
contains the Kuroshio (black) current. There are many spots of
finishing from near-by rocks, bathing places and campsites on the
shoreline, where many people come for a good time in summer. The
Kenzan-Iya area, featured by beautiful mountains in green, attracts
many sightseers all the year round with Oboke and Koboke boasting the
magnificence and beauty of ravines and the Iya-kei Valley reckoned
among the three unexplored regions of Japan.
Getting there
About 1 hour and 15 minutes to Tokushima airport from Tokyo Haneda
airport; about 35 minutes from Osaka Itami airport. About 30 minutes
from Tokushima airport to Tokushima Station by bus. About 3 hours and
20 minutes to Okayama Station from Tokyo Station by JR Tokaido-Sanyo
Shinkansen Line; about 40 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station by JR Sanyo
Shinkansen Line. About 1 hour and 56 minutes from Okayama Station to
Tokushima Station by JR Seto-ohashi-Takatoku Line Limited Express.
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Iya Valley
Vine-made suspension bridge over the Iya-gawa River, with a
200-meter-high sheer cliff washed out by the river
Situated in the west of Tokushima and nearly in the center of
Shikoku, the Iya area is one of the three large hidden mountain
regions in Japan, forming a part of Mt. Tsurugi Quasi-National Park.
Deep in the bosom of Mt. Tsurugi-yama, the second tallest mountain
in Shikoku, the region is girt with mountains in the Shikoku
Mountain district, with a deep valley formed among mountains cut
through by the limpid Iya-gawa River which is the source of the
Yoshino-gawa River.
Nana-Magari (seven curves) is known as the most dangerous spot
in the valley. On an rock overhanging there stands a lovely Manikin
Piss derived from a tale that travelers would take a leak to show
their guts. The height of the rock, 200 meters above sea level,
makes you cringe just at a glance down below. The vine bridge over
the Iya-gawa River is a 45-meter long and 2-meter-wide suspension
bridge with a height of 15 meters from the water level. Designated
important folkloric property as one of Japan's three rare bridges,
the bridge is rebuilt every three years. If you go deeper upstream
into the recesses of Iya, you will find a double vine bridge made up
of female and male bridges .
Getting there
About 1 hour and 15 minutes to Tokushima Airport from Tokyo
Haneda Airport; about 35 minutes from Osaka Itami Airport. About 30
minutes from Tokushima Airport to Tokushima Station by bus. About 1
hour and 10 minutes from Tokushima Station to Awa-Ikeda Station by
JR Tokushima Line Limited Express. About 50 minutes from Awa-Ikeda
Station to Onsen-guchi by bus.
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Naruto
Raging
whirlpools in the strait at the northeastern tip of Tokushima be in
full and closer view from a glass-floored, above-the-sea promenade
or a tide-viewing boat
Naruto City, looking out on the Strait of Naruto known for
whirlpools, is located at the northeastern tip of Tokushima. Linked
with Tokushima, the Awaji-shima island and the Honshu by the O-Naruto-kyo
Bridge (grand Naruto bridge) and Akashi Kaikyo O-hashi (grand Akashi
Strait bridge), Naruto is a gateway to Shikoku.
The biggest attraction in Naruto is whirlpools in the Naruto Strait.
The phenomenon occurs when opposing currents from the Inland Sea of
Japan and the Kii Channel meet in the Naruto Strait with as much a
water level difference as 1.5 meters that is made by the ebb and
flow of the tide. At the time of flood tide in the spring through
the fall, there occur huge whirlpools that run at a speed of 20
kilometers an hour and exceed 20 meters in diameter. You can obtain
a full view of these roaring whirlpools and surging currents from a
tide-viewing boat, one of the Senjojiki observation platforms in
Naruto Park or the top of Escahill Naruto.
The place where you can look down at the dynamic swirls from right
above is the Tokushima prefectural Uzu-no-michi (path of whirlpool)
promenade opened in April, 2000. A 450-meter long above-the-sea walk
built on the girders of the O-Naruto-bashi Bridge, it allows you to
take a really spectacular view of the whirlpools through the glassed
floor 45 meters above the sea. The best time to see them is once at
high tide and low tide each a day. A tide schedule that shows the
times when the tide is fastest is available at a tourist information
office.
Getting there
About 1 hour and 15 minutes to Tokushima Airport from Tokyo
Haneda Airport; about 35 minutes from Itami Osaka Airport. About 30
minutes from Tokushima Airport to Tokushima Station by bus. About 40
minutes from Tokushima Station to Naruto Station by JR Naruto Line.
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Oboke and Koboke
Great valleys created by the rapids of the Yoshino-gawa River, where
you can enjoy active sports, as well as sight-seeing
Oboke and Koboke are the valleys located upstream of the
Yoshino-gawa River in the west of Tokushima. The dike of the Shikoku
Mountains was washed out by the main stream of the Yoshino-gawa
River, the largest river in Shikoku rising from the Mt. Ishizuchi
and flowing down through three prefectures, Ehime, Kochi and
Tokushima, and the valleys were formed as a result. "Boke" means
"dangerous to walk along." O-boke (big Boke) and Ko-boke (small Boke)
are said to have been so named because V-shaped sheer rocks make
narrow paths there very dangerous to walk along, whether the strides
are big or small.
From the observation platforms and promenades along the Sanuki Line
and on the state road No. 32, you can take a full view of the
magnificent scenery in the whole valley area. For a better look to
enjoy the natural beauty of the valleys, there is a sightseeing boat
which shoots down the rapids from Oboke to Koboke. You can also see
curious rocks, like Komori (bat) rock and Shishi (lion) rock, from
the boat.
Oboke and Koboke known for rapids are visited by many lovers of
active sports like rafting for a closer touch with what nature
offers in the valleys.
Getting there
About 1 hour and 15 minutes to Tokushima Airport from Tokyo
Haneda Airport; about 35 minutes from Osaka Itami Airport. About 30
minutes from Tokushima Airport to Tokushima Station by bus. About 1
hour and 35 minutes from Tokushima Station to Koboke Station via
Awa-Ikeda Station by JR Tokushima Line-Dosan Line Limited Express;
about 1 hour and 40 minutes to Oboke Station.
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Tokushima City
Personal experience of heritage local arts, like Aizome (indigo
dyeing) and hand-making of Japanese paper - A city of vigorous
mid-summer Awa-odori
Located in the northeast of Tokushima and spread out to the
mouth of the Yoshino-gawa River, Tokushima is the center of
administration and economy in eastern Shikoku. Full of nature with
Bizan and Tokushima Central Park, the city is an aqua-metropolis
listed in the selection of "100 homes of water" by the Ministry of
Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It also boasts deep-rooted
heritage local arts, like Aizome (indigo dyeing) and hand-making of
Japanese paper. If you want to see and try them, visit the Tokushima
Handicraft Village at Astiy Tokushima.
Tokushima is known for the Awa-odori (dance) throughout the country.
It is in 1930's that "Bon odori," staged since old times in various
villages on the day of "Urabon" (the Feast for ancestors), gradually
came to attract public attention and began to be called by a popular
name of "Awa-odori." "Urabon" is one of the summertime Buddhist
festivals to pray for the souls of the departed, and "Bon odori" is
the dance a lot of people gather to enjoy on the festival night. The
event is held in August every year, when more than 100,000 people
dance through the streets and more than 1,300,000 spectators throng
the central area of the city and the dancing site set up at the
park. If you wish, you can join the dance in the Moto-machi Square,
Shin-machi Square, Ryogoku Square, Ryokoku-bashi South Dancing
Square, etc.
If you miss the event, there is the Awa-odori Kaikan Hall open for
you to experience the Awa-odori at any time of year. The Awa-odori
show is regularly performed on the second floor, and you can join
the dance on the stage if you wish.
Getting there
About 1 hour and 15 minutes to Tokushima Airport from Tokyo
Haneda Airport; about 35 minutes from Osaka Itami Airport. Rail:
About 3 hours and 20 minutes to Okayama Station from Tokyo Central
by JR Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen Line; about 40 minutes by JR Sanyo
Shinkansen Line. About 1 hour and 56 minutes from Okayama Station to
Tokushima Station by JR Seto-ohashi-Takatoku Line.
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Information
provided by Japan National Tourist Organization.
