Tokushima is famous as the birthplace of Awa Odori, one of Japan's Three Great Bon Odori dance festivals. Awa Odori festivals take place throughout the prefecture, beginning with the three-day Naruto Awa Odori festival starting on August 9 every year. Among these festivals is the main event, the Tokushima Awa Odori festival, held for four days from August 12 to 15, renowned as being the most exciting of the festivals, often drawing in over one million visitors annually. For sightseeing, at the Naruto Strait there are the Naruto Whirlpools, which are one of the three major tidal currents in the world. To the west are the beautiful Oboke and Koboke gorges formed over the course of 200 million years, and can be experienced by a sightseeing boat from the Yoshino River. Food-wise, Tokushima boasts a variety of meat and fish dishes, including the sweet and rich Awa Odori Chicken, Tokushima Ramen with its pork bone broth ramen topped with slices of pork belly and a raw egg, and fresh seafood cooked on a grill known locally as Kaizoku (Pirate) Cuisine.
Getting from Tokyo to TOKUSHIMA
Route 1
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Haneda airport → Tokushima Awaodori airport : 1 hour and 10 minutes.
All Itineraries
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CHUGOKU+SHIKOKU × TOKYOOnce you have had an eyeful of art old and new from the world's greatest in Tokyo, head to Chugoku and Shikoku. Here you will visit islands of the Seto Inland Sea and mountain villages where the focus is on contemporary art. In the second half of the trip, the focus turns to Japanese traditional art and gardens. Immerse yourself in art, outside and in, to your heart's content, from delightful public pieces that blend with the landscape to precious works found in art galleries.
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CHUGOKU+SHIKOKU × TOKYOSurrounded by the sea and mountainous across two thirds of its land area, Japan is a treasure trove of wild nature activities. Start in Tokyo with natural encounters close to the city and enjoy marine opportunities around its islands.
Then, discover Shikoku, an island of wild splendor and some of Japan's best-hidden secrets. Away from the crowds and bustle of the cities, you will find great refreshment in abandoning yourself to the mountains, rivers and valleys here.