2016/9/7 updated

SHIKOKU: JAPAN’S SECRET DESTINATION WITH MANY HIDDEN GEMS

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With its four prefectures – Ehime, Kagawa, Tokushima and Kochi – Shikoku, located in western Japan’s, is the country's fourth main island, but the least visited by international tourists. An ancient Buddhist pilgrimage, world-famous art island Naoshima and beautiful scenery are key attractions of Shikoku. The island holds a variety of undiscovered attractions for the outside world including the vibrant color display of nature, the unique island air and a sense of time that seems to flow more slowly than in the outside world. Each of the four Shikoku prefectures has developed its own unique way of life, in harmony with nature.
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The mild climate, calm lake water and the beauty of the scattered islands in the Seto Inland Sea are all uniquely beautiful. This beauty has been expressed in waka poems since ancient times, fascinating foreign visitors. Large parts of the coastal area of the Seto Inland Sea is designated Japan's first national park in 1932. Kagawa and part of Ehime and Tokushima look out onto the Seto Inland Sea. Beyond the Shikoku Mountains, at the center of Shikoku, areas with different traditions and cultures can be found, with a different climate.

EHIME

Prefecture highlights include Dogo Onsen, part of the oldest Onsen resort in Japan in Matsuyama, which is part of the largest city in Shikoku; Shimanami Kaido Bridge, which stretches across the Seto Inland Sea and from which you can enjoy a spectacular bike ride and take in the stunning natural scenery, including Ishizuchi Mountain, the tallest mountain in western Japan and Shikoku Karst, a landscape formed from limestone rocks. Ehime has the largest number of pilgrimages with 27 temples.
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[Access from Tokyo]
By airplane: approx. 1.5 hours from Haneda/Narita airports to Matsuyama Airport (ANA/JAL/Jetstar).
By train: approx. 3.5 hours from Tokyo Station to Okayama Station via Shinkansen (bullet train) and 3 hours from Okayama Station to Tokushima Station via JR Uzushio (express train). Approx. 6.5 hours in total.
By bus: approx. 12 hours from Tokyo/Shinjyuku station to Matsuyama/Matsuyama-shi station by night bus.
[Access from Osaka]
By airplane: approx. 60 minutes from Itami/Kansai international airports to Matsuyama Airport (ANA).
By train: approx. 50 minutes from Shin Osaka Station to Okayama Station via Shinkansen (bullet train) and approx. 3 hours from Okayama Station to Matsuyama Station via JR Shiokaze (express train). Approx. 3 hours 45 minutes in total.
By bus: approx. 5.5-6.5 hours from Osaka/Umeda station to Matsuyama/Matsuyama-shi station.

KAGAWA

Despite being the smallest prefecture in Japan, Kagawa is celebrated for its wealth of nature overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. Historic heritages include Ritsurin Garden, with the three-star Green Michelin, the grand shrine of Kotohira-gu, the final 23 temples of the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage and the art islands of Naoshima and Teshima being notable attractions. Kagawa is also famous for its udon noodles, so much so that it is referred to as the “udon prefecture”.
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[Access from Tokyo]
By airplane: approx. 1.2 hours from HND/NRT airports to Takamatsu Airport (ANA/JAL/Jetstar).
By train: approx. 3.5 hours from Tokyo Station to Okayama Station via Shinkansen (bullet train) and 1 hour from Okayama Station to Takamatsu Station via Marine Liner (express train). Approx. 5 hours in total.
By bus: 10 hours from Tokyo Station to Takamatsu Station by night bus.
[Access from Osaka]
By train: approx. 50 minutes from Shin Osaka Station to Okayama Station via Shinkansen (bullet train) and 1 hour from Okayama Station to Takamatsu Station via Marine Liner (express train). Approx. 2 hours in total.
By bus: 4 hours from Osaka/Umeda station to Takamatsu Station.

TOKUSHIMA

Awa Odori, the 400-year-old dance festival, is one of the major traditional Japanese dance festivals. Held in the streets and parks of central Tokushima city in August, the festival attracts more than one million spectators. The Naruto whirlpools in the straits between the Seto Inland Sea and Pacific Ocean, and the exceptional natural beauty of the Iya Valley – one of the three most unexplored regions of Japan – are some of the other attractions that can be found here. Tokushima is also the starting point of the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage and includes the first 23 temples.
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[Access from Tokyo]
By airplane: approx. 1 hour from Haenda Airport to Tokushima Airport (JAL/ANA).
By train: approx. 3.5 hours from Tokyo Station to Okayama Station via Shinkansen (bullet train) and 2.5 hours from Okayama Station to Tokushima Station via JR Uzushio (express train). Approx. 6 hours in total.
By bus: 9-9.5 hours from Tokyo /Shinagawa station to Tokushima Station via night bus.
[Access from Osaka]
By train: approx. 50 minutes from Shin Osaka Station to Okayama Station via Shinkansen (bullet train) and approx. 2 hours from Okayama Station to Tokushima Station via JR Uzushio (express train). Approx. 3 hours in total.
By bus: 4 hours from Osaka/Umeda station to Tokushima Station.

KOCHI

Kochi, with its rich, untouched nature, lies in the southern prefecture of Shikoku, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Yosakoi dance festival is another major summer festival in Japan, in which 14 000 dancers parade along the streets of Koch city. Another notable attraction is the Shimanto area in Western Kochi. Shimanto River is often claimed to be the last free-flowing river in Japan. Here you can enjoy a variety of river activities, while at the beach you can whale watch, go diving or take part in other marine activities in the deep blue crystal-clear water.
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[Access from Tokyo]
By airplane: approx. 1.5 hours from Haenda Airport to Kochi Airport (JAL/ANA).
By train: approx. 3.5 hours from Tokyo Station to Okayama Station via Shinkansen (bullet train) and approx. 2.5 hours from Okayama Station to Tokushima Station via JR Nanpu (express train). Approx. 6 hours in total.
By bus: 9 – 9.5 hours from Tokyo /Shinagawa Station to Tokushima Station by night bus
[Access from Osaka]
By airplane: approx. 45 min from Itami Airport to Kochi Airport.
By train: approx. 50 minutes from Shin Osaka Station to Okayama Station via Shinkansen (bullet train) and approx. 2.5 hours from Okayama Station to Tokushima Station via JR Nanpu (express train). Approx. 3.5 hours in total.
By bus: 5 hours from Osaka/Umeda station to Tokushima Station.
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