5 -Day Shikoku Trip via Tokyo
Day 1 Haneda International Airport → Tokushima Airport → Awaodori Museum → Naruto Whirlpools → Stay in Kotohira City
Day 2 Kotohira → Kotohira-gu Shrine → Nakano Udon School (Kotohira) → Oboke Gorge → Stay in Dogo Onsen
Day 3 Dogo Onsen → Matsuyama Castle → Nanrakuen Garden → Tatsukushi Marine Park & Glass Boat → Stay in Ashizuri Onsen Village
Day 4 Ashizuri Onsen Village → Cape Ashizuri → Yakatabune Boat Shimanto River → Kuroshio Ichibankan Restaurant → Ino-cho Paper Museum → Stay in Kochi City
Day 5 Chikurin-ji Temple → Hirome Market → Kochi Ryoma Airport → Haneda International Airport
Day 2 Kotohira → Kotohira-gu Shrine → Nakano Udon School (Kotohira) → Oboke Gorge → Stay in Dogo Onsen
Day 3 Dogo Onsen → Matsuyama Castle → Nanrakuen Garden → Tatsukushi Marine Park & Glass Boat → Stay in Ashizuri Onsen Village
Day 4 Ashizuri Onsen Village → Cape Ashizuri → Yakatabune Boat Shimanto River → Kuroshio Ichibankan Restaurant → Ino-cho Paper Museum → Stay in Kochi City
Day 5 Chikurin-ji Temple → Hirome Market → Kochi Ryoma Airport → Haneda International Airport
Day 1
Haneda International Airport
1hr 20min plane flight
Tokushima Airport
About 30min car ride
1hr 20min plane flight
Tokushima Airport
About 30min car ride
1
Day 1
Awaodori Museum
The world-famous Awa Dance can be viewed all year round at this dance hall. The first floor is home to an information desk and shop area for local products and tourist information. On the second floor is the Awa Dance library and an exhibition hall. The third floor is home to a museum, and on the fifth floor is the station for the ropeway to the top of Mt. Bizan.
About 30min car ride
2
Day 1
Naruto Whirlpools
The magnificent whirlpools in the Naruto Straits can be enjoyed from several vantages. One option is the observatory built below the Naruto Bridge, offering a variety of views through glass viewing panels from a height of 45m above the sea. For an up-close and personal view of the whirlpools, why not try taking a ride on one of the regular sightseeing boat trips available?
About 1hr 30min car ride
3
Day 1
Stay in Kotohira Town
*The images of the accommodation facilities are for illustrative purposes only
Day 2
About 10min car ride
4
Day 2
Kotohira-gu Shrine
This is a popular shrine, commonly known as Konpira-san. It is the head shrine of "Kotohira" or "Konpira" shrines in Japan and has been worshiped since ancient times as "the God of the Sea".
There is an extremely long staircase, consisting of 1,368 steps. The area around the shrine is crowded with many shops such as cafes, teahouses, souvenir shops and udon restaurants. You can rent a walking stick and go for a stroll or take a ride in a "kago" palanquin and enjoy the sights as you are carried around.
There is an extremely long staircase, consisting of 1,368 steps. The area around the shrine is crowded with many shops such as cafes, teahouses, souvenir shops and udon restaurants. You can rent a walking stick and go for a stroll or take a ride in a "kago" palanquin and enjoy the sights as you are carried around.
About 5min car ride
5
Day 2
Nakano Udon School (Kotohira)
About 1hr 30min car ride
6
Day 2
Oboke Gorge
An emerald green water surface, white rock faces, and cliffs jutting straight up to the sky are colored by fresh verdure in spring and by colored leaves in autumn. Three kilometers downstream from Oboke is the place called Koboke.
About 2hr 10min car ride
7
Day 2
Stay in Dogo Onsen
Dogo Onsen Honkan is thought to be the oldest hot spring in Japan is mentioned in the ancient texts of the Kojiki and Manyoshu. The main building, a three-storey castle-style wooden structure has been designated an Important Cultural Property. The bathhouse is an iconic feature of Matsuyama in the novel “Botchan” and many other masterpieces of literature and film. After enjoying the smooth hot spring water, put on a Yukata robe, stroll around the local streets full of culture, and get into the spirit of this Onsen town. A new annex “Asuka-no-Yu”, adopting the architectural style of the 6th to 8th centuries, will be opened in September 2017.
Day 3
About 10min car ride
8
Day 3
Matsuyama Castle
Matsuyama Castle, in the style of the Momoyama period, is one of Japan’s few original surviving castles. Its 21 buildings are listed as Important Cultural Properties, and the castle is regarded as one of the three best ‘Renritsu-shiki Hirayama-jiro’ (Renritsu-shiki: an architectural style where the top castle tower is in the centre with smaller towers on either side; Hirayama-jiro: a castle built on a hill on a plain). The towers are all connected to defend the main castle building. The castle is a well-known symbol of Matsuyama and is written about in the prologue of the novel, “Clouds Above the Hill” by Ryotaro Shiba. It has been and will be guarding the city of Matsuyama for centuries!
About 1hr 45min car ride
9
Day 3
Nanraku-en Garden
Nanraku-en is the largest Japanese garden in Shikoku, over four times as large as the Hanshin Koshien baseball stadium. The garden was created using the pre-eminent techniques of modern garden design. Designated as one of the “Best 100 Urban Parks in Japan”, the garden presents beautiful scenery based on the themes of “mountain, village, city, and the sea”. Come and experience the beauty of Japanese nature through each of the four distinctive seasons. The 30,000 irises in bloom around May are a particular visitor favourite!
About 1hr 50min car ride
10
Day 3
Tatsukushi Marine Park
Float over one of Japan’s largest coral reefs!
The Tatsukushi Marine Park, located at the southernmost coast of Kochi Prefecture, is home to one of Japan’s largest coral reefs and you will find all types of colorful fish and shellfish thriving in these waters that remain warm all year round. Tatsukushi was the first park of its kind to be designated a National Marine Park.
About 40min car ride
11
Day 3
Stay in Ashizuri Onsen Village
This is a scenic hot-spa resort that commands a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. You can enjoy taking a hot-spring bath and eating tasty Kochi seafood while feeling the salty scent from the sea.
Day 4
About 5 - 10min walk
12
Day 4
Cape Ashizuri
See the curve of the Earth from Shikoku’s southernmost cape
Cape Ashizuri is the southernmost point of Shikoku, where the 270 degree views allow visitors to actually see the curvature of the Earth. Standing on the edge of the cliffs is Cape Ashizuri Lighthouse, one of the largest lighthouses in Japan and the symbol of the cape.
About 1hr 20min car ride
13
Day 4
Yakatabune Boat Shimanto River
One nickname of Kochi Prefecture is "the end of the clear river." This place has a charming chinkabashi, beautiful views, and the river full of nature.
About 1hr car ride
14
Day 4
Saltybe
Blessed by the sun, the wind and the sea - try making sun-dried salt
Make your own delicious sun-dried sea salt with sea water from the Pacific Ocean and the power of the sun!
After learning about the salt-making process at Saltybe, you can practice what you've learned and watch salt crystals form in front of your eyes! After removing any impurities, you can take a small jar of the salt you created as a souvenir.
A salt scrub beauty treatment is included in the salt-making course.
After learning about the salt-making process at Saltybe, you can practice what you've learned and watch salt crystals form in front of your eyes! After removing any impurities, you can take a small jar of the salt you created as a souvenir.
A salt scrub beauty treatment is included in the salt-making course.
15
Day 4
Kuroshio Ichibankan
Try searing your own bonito at this katsuo no tataki (seared bonito) specialty restaurant!
You can appreciate the freshness of the katsuo (bonito) bought from the nearby fishing port in a range of dishes like rice bowls, udon noodles, curry and more. If you make a reservation in advance, you can also try searing your own bonito over an open flame.
About 1hr 20min car ride
16
Day 4
Ino-cho Paper Museum
A museum where you can try a traditional Tosa craft - Japanese papermaking
This museum displays the materials and tools used in traditional papermaking in Tosa, and explains the history and culture in an easy to understand manner. You can try making washi (Japanese paper) for yourself here, creating a one-of-a-kind piece of paper. There's also a store selling products made with Kochi washi.
17
Day 4
Stay in Kochi City
*The images of the accommodation facilities are for illustrative purposes only
Day 5
About 20min car ride
18
Day 5
Chikurin-ji Temple
A serene temple surrounded by lush greenery and surprises.
This temple is thought to have been established in 724 and is the 31st stop on the 1,200-km long Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage.
Chikurin-ji literally means “bamboo forest temple,” and while there are still a few bamboo groves on the grounds, these days it is better known for its sweeping Japanese maples, which turn gold and crimson in the fall.
Chikurin-ji literally means “bamboo forest temple,” and while there are still a few bamboo groves on the grounds, these days it is better known for its sweeping Japanese maples, which turn gold and crimson in the fall.
About 20min car ride
19
Day 5
Hirome Market
Try lots of Kochi specialties and have a few drinks with locals at this friendly indoor market
Hirome Market feels like a festival every day of the year! Kochiites and visitors alike come here to check out the food shops and grab a table to enjoy an array of local and international cuisine. Nicknamed "Kochi's kitchen", this is one spot you simply cannot miss!
Located just a short walk away from Kochi Castle, Hirome Market is home to around 65 stalls. This is a great place to try a wide range of Kochi specialties, as you can buy food and drinks from the stalls and enjoy them at one of the many large tables set up around the market. Hirome Market is open from morning to late in the evening, but no matter what time you visit there are sure to find plenty of friendly folks chatting, eating, and sipping some of Kochi’s smooth dry sake.
Located just a short walk away from Kochi Castle, Hirome Market is home to around 65 stalls. This is a great place to try a wide range of Kochi specialties, as you can buy food and drinks from the stalls and enjoy them at one of the many large tables set up around the market. Hirome Market is open from morning to late in the evening, but no matter what time you visit there are sure to find plenty of friendly folks chatting, eating, and sipping some of Kochi’s smooth dry sake.
About 30min car ride
Kochi Ryoma Airport
1hr 20min plane flight
Kochi Ryoma Airport
1hr 20min plane flight
20
Day 5
Haneda International Airport
GOAL
