Tokushima

Getting to Tokushima

1. 01
   Tokushima Airport

   Pint-sized airport has daily services to Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo.

Worth seeing

The 88 Temple Pilgrimage passes through Tokushima, with temples 14 through 17 — Jōrakuji (常楽寺), Kokubunji (国分寺), Kan'onji (観音寺) and Idoji (井戸寺) — all located within city limits. Ryōzenji (霊山寺), the starting point of the pilgrimage, is just north of Tokushima in the city of Naruto.

1. 01
   Awa Odori Kaikan

   An interesting museum devoted to the Awa Odori Festival.

2. 02
   Tokushima Castle

   A brisk uphill walk from Chuo Park, behind the station, takes you to the castle ruins and a view over the city.

3. 03
   Awa Jurobe Yashiki
4. 04
   House of Indigo
5. 05
   Tokushima Modern Art Museum
6. 06
   Tokushima Prefectural Museum

Things to do

The Awa Odori (阿波おどり) festival, held August 12-15 annually, is by far Tokushima's largest claim to fame. With a history of over 400 years, people dance in the streets according to the complex choreography. As the proverb says, "The dancing fool and the watching fool are both fools, so why not dance!"

1. 01
   Mount Bizan

   This mountain has 1500 cherry blossom trees, making it an impressive sight at blossom time.

2. 02
   Tokushima Chuo Park

Where to eat

Tokushima is famous for its wonderful strawberries and sudachi, a small round green citrus fruit with a lime-like flavour. In the summer, sugata sushi is available, wherein a whole small fish is stuffed with sushi rice. Another popular local treat is narutokintoki, a kind of sweet potato.

1. 01
   Inotani

   This shop represents Tokushima ramen (pork, seafood, lots of vegetables) at the prestigious Ramen Museum in Yokohama.

Getting around Tokushima the local way