Tokushima is famous for Awa Odori — one of Japan’s three great festivals — and dramatic natural landscapes on Shikoku’s eastern coast.
Awa Odori Festival
Every August 12-15, over 1.3 million visitors join 1,000 years of dance tradition. Performers in yukata fill the streets to shamisen and taiko drums.
Naruto Whirlpools
The Naruto Strait whirlpools — among the world’s largest — are spectacular from glass-bottomed boats.
Iya Valley
One of Japan’s three great hidden valleys — vine bridges, hot springs, and profound mountain isolation.
Getting There
Express bus from Osaka: about 2 hours to Tokushima.
