Tokushima
is the capital of Tokushima prefecture on the island of Shikoku,
Japan.
The main transport hub of eastern Shikoku, Tokushima has only
a few worthwhile attraction, but its palm-lined boulevards
are pleasant enough to pass through.
Pint-sized Tokushima Airport, to the north of the city, has
daily services to Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo. Buses
to Tokushima station take 25 minutes and cost ¥430, the
schedules are synchronized to flight departures/arrivals.
Buses
run to Tokushima station from the recently-opened Kobe Airport
every 1-2 hours at 55 minutes past (2 1/2 hours, ¥3200).
Airport Limousine
buses operate from the nearest international gateway, Kansai
International Airport in Osaka (2 3/4 hours, ¥4000 -
cheaper if you purchase a round trip ticket).
There are no train links through Awaji, but there are frequent
services to Takamatsu and from there onward to Okayama via
the Seto-Ohashi bridge.
From Okayama
(a San'yo Shinkansen station), take a Marine Liner rapid
train to Takamatsu, then transfer to the Uzushio limited
express for the run to Tokushima (2 hours, ¥4420).
Two daily Uzushio
trains run directly from Okayama, leaving at 10:52 and 18:52,
with no change of trains required (¥5050).
These journeys
can be taken at no cost with the Japan Rail Pass.
A rural line
also runs toward Ikeda (2 hours), for connections south
towards the Iya Valley.
If arriving from Kansai via Awaji Island, you're pretty
much guaranteed to end up in Tokushima.
JR Bus operates
many services to Tokushima: Awa Express bus service leaves
from Kobe and Kobe Airport (2 hours from Shin-Kobe station,
¥3200, 15 daily round-trips), Osaka (2 3/4 hours, ¥3600,
23 daily round-trips) and Kyoto (3 hours, ¥4100, 7 daily
round-trips).
An overnight
Dream Tokushima bus runs from Tokyo and Shinjuku (10 hours,
¥10000 one way, ¥18000 round-trip).
Other bus operators
such as Tokushima Bus offer services to Tokushima.
Ocean East (03-5148-0109) operates a ferry service between
Tokyo, Tokushima and Kita-Kyushu. Both the Tokyo and Kita-Kyushu
runs are overnight; passengers can book Western-style bedrooms,
bunks, or sleep on the floor. If you're sleeping on the
floor, this is one of the cheapest ways to get to Tokushima:
Tokyo fares are ¥9,310 each way, and Kita-Kyushu fares
are ¥6,790 each way. First-class bedroom accommodation
is ¥25,480 on the Tokyo run and ¥17,920 on the Kita-Kyushu
run.
Nankai Ferry
(073-422-2156) operates another ferry to Wakayama, which
is easily accessible from the Osaka/Kyoto/Nara area. The
ferry takes just two hours, costs ¥2,000 and runs every
2 hours or so, even in the middle of the night.
Central Tokushima is small enough to cover on foot. Buses
radiate out to the suburbs.
Awa Odori Kaikan is an interesting museum
devoted to the Awa Odori festival. Exhibits include the
history of the festival, videos and panoramas of the festival,
and even the dancing Odobotto robot to show you how it's
done! Open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, entry to the museum
¥300. There are also several daily performances of the
Awa Odori dances (¥500). Located straight down the road
from the station, an easy 10-minute walk.
Tokushima central park, behind the station, is a beautiful
and well-used park. A brisk uphill walk (with lots of steps)
takes you up to the ruins of Tokushima castle, and a view
over the city. The castle museum is set in an exquisite
traditional Japanese garden which you can enter for ¥300
which also pays for entry to the museum - come early in
the morning for a misty and meditative experience (the museum
opens later, at 9.30am, but it is worth having the garden
to yourself for its best impact). The museum and garden
are closed on Mondays.
The yearly Awa Odori festival, held in yearly from August
12 to 15, 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 famous proverb
says, "The dancing fool and the watching fool are both
fools, so why not dance!"
Tokushima Indigo Museum is located in an antique house formerly
owned by an indigo merchant and restored to show how traditional
Japanese housing was laid out. For a small fee you can experience
the fun of dyeing your own piece of fabric with real indigo,
and be shown how to create one of the traditional patterns.
Mount Bizan has 1500 cherry blossom trees and is an impressive
sight at blossom time.
The 88 Temple Pilgrimage passes through Tokushima, with
temples 14 through 17 — Jorakuji, Kokubunji, Kan'onji
and Idoji — all located within city limits.
Tokushima became an important city largely because of its
strategic position surrounded by rivers, and because of
its indigo. Beautiful indigo products are available, ranging
from handkerchiefs and scarves to cushions, and large door-curtains
with traditional patterns. Local handmade paper is also
famous. Otani-yaki pottery, with its natural muted colours
and sometimes rustic-looking shapes, is another beautiful
local product.
Awaodori is Tokushima's native chicken. Its name is a play
on words with Awa Odori (the dance). The word Odori means
"dance" but it can also be spelled with the japanese
characters for "tail" and "bird".
Tokushima is
also famous for its ramen noodles and its wonderful strawberries,
and for the sudachi (a small round green citrus fruit with
a lime-like flavour). In summer, many special local fish
are available, especially in the form of sugata sushi (where
a whole small fish is stuffed with sushi rice).
There are some
nice places to eat within the central railway station and
also in the big department stores nearby. Bento boxes on
sale in the railway station (intended for train travellers)
often feature local specialties and are a bargain.
|
