No. 01
Naruto Whirlpools
鳴門の渦潮 · Naruto
Stand on a glass-floored walkway above some of the largest tidal whirlpools on Earth.
A prefecture worth the detour.
Cross the Naruto Strait from Honshu and you arrive in Tokushima — the east-coast prefecture of Shikoku, an island many international visitors never reach. That is most of the appeal.
Here, tides ten metres high crash through a narrow channel and twist themselves into whirlpools the size of city blocks. Hand-woven bridges of mountain vine sway above jade-green rivers. Pilgrims in white robes leave a thousand-year-old temple to begin a 1,200-kilometre walk around the island. And every August, more than a million people pack into the streets to dance.
This site is a slow guide to all of it. Wander when you like.
Start with these seven.
A short list of places that capture the range of the prefecture — water, mountains, faith, festival, craft, food.
No. 02
Iya Vine Bridge
祖谷のかずら橋 · Miyoshi
A footbridge hand-woven from living mountain vines, deep in the Iya Valley.
No. 03
Awa Odori
阿波おどり · Tokushima City
Japan's biggest dance festival. Four nights of straw hats, taiko, and a million spectators.
No. 04
Mt. Tsurugi
剣山 · Miyoshi / Mima
A grassy summit ridge at nearly 2,000 m, reachable by chairlift and a gentle trail.
No. 05
Ryozen-ji
霊山寺 · Naruto
Temple One of the 88-temple Shikoku pilgrimage. Where white-robed pilgrims begin.
No. 06
Awa Indigo
阿波藍 · Aizumi
Japan's historic indigo heartland. Dip a cloth and watch it turn brilliant blue in the air.
No. 07
Otsuka Museum
大塚国際美術館 · Naruto
A thousand full-size ceramic copies of the world's masterpieces — under one roof.
More, soon.
Trip plans, transit notes, season-by-season picks, and a long list of small towns worth a stop. This site is a work in progress — written from the road.