Tokushima Prefecture occupies the eastern edge of Shikoku island, where tidal currents collide in one of the world’s most dramatic natural spectacles and mountain gorges hold vine bridges that have survived centuries of mountain winters. For overseas visitors, the prefecture offers an unusual combination: accessible coastal wonders near Naruto City, and remote interior landscapes that require a full day of commitment. This guide covers the five sites that should anchor any first visit.

Naruto Whirlpools and Uzu no Michi

The Naruto Strait separates Shikoku from Awaji Island, and twice each day the tide pushes enormous volumes of water through this narrow channel, creating whirlpools that rank among the largest in the world. At their peak during spring and autumn tides, individual whirlpools can reach 20 metres in diameter and generate a roar audible from the bridge overhead.

Boat Tours from Naruto Port

The most direct way to experience the whirlpools is by boat. Two operators run regular departures from Naruto Port: standard sightseeing boats circle the whirlpools at close range (¥2,200, approximately 30 minutes), while the Aquaeddy glass-bottom boat allows passengers to watch whirlpools forming directly beneath their feet through panels set into the hull (¥2,500, same duration). Both services operate from early morning through late afternoon, with departures approximately every 40 minutes.

Timing is critical. The whirlpools only reach their full size when a strong tidal difference pushes maximum water volume through the strait. The strongest whirlpools coincide with new and full moon periods, and occur roughly between 10am and 2pm on the most active days. Pick up a tide calendar at the Naruto Tourist Information Centre before booking — arriving on a neap tide will result in modest swirls rather than the churning maelstrom shown in photographs.

Access: Take the JR Naruto Line from Tokushima Station to Naruto Station (approximately 40 minutes, ¥370), then board the bus toward Naruto Koen — the whirlpool site and boat departure point are about 10 minutes from the station. The bus runs several times per hour.

Uzu no Michi Walkway

A separate experience on the same visit: the Onaruto Bridge carries road traffic between Shikoku and Awaji Island, and its lower deck has been converted into a pedestrian walkway called Uzu no Michi. Glass panels set into the walkway floor allow visitors to look 45 metres straight down to the whirlpools churning in the strait below. The combination of the height, the glass underfoot, and the roiling water below makes this one of the more viscerally memorable experiences in Shikoku. Entry is ¥510. The walkway is located at the bridge’s Shikoku-side end, a short walk from the boat departure area.

Otsuka Museum of Art

A 10-minute walk from the whirlpool boat dock, the Otsuka Museum of Art contains what is by many measures the largest collection of art reproductions in the world — over 1,000 Western masterworks reproduced at original scale on ceramic tile panels using a proprietary firing technique that preserves colours for 2,000 years. The Sistine Chapel ceiling is reproduced at full scale in a dedicated hall; Claude Monet’s Water Lilies cycle from the Orangerie in Paris fills an entire curved room; El Greco’s Burial of the Count of Orgaz stands two storeys tall. Entry is ¥3,300, and the museum easily absorbs three to four hours. It is particularly useful for visitors who want to understand Western art history in concentrated form without travelling across Europe.

Access: The same bus route as the whirlpools from Naruto Station. The museum entrance is signed along the road before the whirlpool area.

Kazurabashi Vine Bridge, Nishi-Iya Valley

In the deep mountain interior of Tokushima, the Iya Valley preserves a form of bridge construction that predates any use of metal fasteners. The Kazurabashi in Nishi-Iya (West Iya) is a 45-metre span woven from mountain vine (kazura), suspended 14 metres above the Iya River between the steep gorge walls. The bridge sways underfoot as you cross, the gaps between the vine weave are wide enough to see the river clearly below, and the whole structure is rebuilt by village craftsmen every three years using traditional methods. Entry is ¥550.

Near the bridge, the Biwa-no-Taki waterfall is a five-minute walk. Iya Onsen, one of the prefecture’s most dramatically located hot spring baths (reached by cable car down a near-vertical cliff), is a short drive further into the valley.

Access: A rental car is essential — hire at Tokushima Station or at Awa-Ikeda Station on the JR Dosan Line. From Tokushima City the drive takes approximately 90 minutes via National Route 32 and the mountain roads into the Iya Valley. Limited bus service exists from Awa-Ikeda Station but departures are infrequent (two to three buses daily); check timetables carefully if travelling by public transport.

Ryozen-ji — Temple 1 of the Shikoku 88

The Shikoku Pilgrimage is Japan’s most celebrated walking circuit: 88 temples associated with the ninth-century Buddhist monk Kukai (Kobo Daishi), spread across the entire island in a loop of roughly 1,200 kilometres. Ryozen-ji in Naruto City is Temple 1 — the traditional starting point — and a visit here even without walking the full circuit provides a vivid introduction to henro (pilgrimage) culture.

The temple grounds are freely accessible. Inside the main hall and Daishi-do (the hall dedicated to Kukai), you will find pilgrims in white jackets and conical hats receiving stamps in their nokyocho (stamp books). The temple office sells all the equipment needed to walk the pilgrimage: nokyocho from ¥1,500, white jackets, walking staffs, and the bell-hung bag called a zudabukuro. Even as a non-walking visitor, purchasing a nokyocho and receiving the first stamp here is a meaningful and inexpensive souvenir of the trip.

Temple 2, Gokurakuji, is 1.2 kilometres along the henro path from Ryozen-ji — an easy 20-minute walk that gives a genuine sense of the circuit’s landscape and rhythm.

Access: Ryozen-ji is approximately 7 minutes' walk from JR Naruto Station, making it easily combined with a whirlpool visit on the same day.

Bizan Hill and Tokushima Castle Ruins

For an overview of Tokushima City and the broad Yoshino River delta that defines the prefecture’s geography, Bizan Hill offers a viewpoint accessible either by ropeway (¥1,030 return) or by a forest footpath from the city centre. The view extends across the lowland patchwork of rivers and farmland toward the mountains of the interior.

At the base of Bizan, the ruins of Tokushima Castle sit within a well-maintained garden. The castle itself no longer stands, but the stone walls, dry moat, and a small reconstructed turret convey the scale of the original fortification. The adjacent Tokushima Castle Museum documents the Hachisuka clan, who governed the province for two and a half centuries during the Edo period, and the Awa Odori dance festival which remains the city’s defining cultural event each August.

Access: Both the ropeway base station and the castle ruins are within 10 minutes' walk of Tokushima Station.

Planning Your Tokushima Visit

The Naruto sites — whirlpools, Otsuka Museum, and Ryozen-ji — can be combined into a single full day from Tokushima City using public transport. The Iya Valley requires a separate day and a rental car. Bizan and the castle ruins are best treated as a half-day addition to either itinerary. If your time in Tokushima is limited to a single day, prioritise the tide-timed boat tour at Naruto in the morning, Otsuka Museum after lunch, and the Ryozen-ji temple grounds before catching the return train.