10 awesome reasons why you should visit Shikoku island

10 awesome reasons why you should visit Shikoku island

Recently, I’ve had a few questions about what it’s like on Shikoku island. Most people outside of Japan have never heard of Shikoku, but since I’ve been living here for two years, I thought I should probably introduce it to you!

Shikoku is Japan’s fourth largest island, and is divided into four prefectures. These are Kagawa, Tokushima, Kochi and Ehime. There’s no Shinkansen (bullet train) line to Shikoku, so I think it often gets forgotten about by most tourists when they are planning out their itineraries.

Why should I go to Shikoku?

In a nutshell,  for those visitors prepared to go a little off the beaten path,  Shikoku offers many wonderful experiences, and is far less crowded and cheaper than other parts of Japan.

The people on Shikoku are super friendly and will often approach tourists for a chat or to help you out if it looks like you are in trouble.  In my home prefecture of Kochi, I find that the people are far more laid-back than other areas of Japan. It probably has something to do with the tropical climate and big surfing scene!

If you love nature, and getting outdoors, you’ll love Shikoku. The landscapes range from rugged mountains, to crystal clear rivers, lush forests and beautiful sandy beaches. I could go on and on about it, but let’s dive right into the specifics instead! If you are interested in hotel recommendations, I have included some at the bottom of the article.

How to get around Shikoku

I’m not going to lie, Shikoku is pretty rural, so the easiest way to get around is definitely if you hire a car. Driving in Japan is really straight forward, the roads are in excellent condition and all road signs are in Japanese and English so you won’t get lost. If you also have a phone with Google maps with you, you can’t really go wrong!

That being said Shikoku does also have a good train network, and where it’s lacking in trains you will usually find a bus. Train services may be less frequent than major Japanese cities so I find it’s always better to plan you route in advance if possible.  There’s also a rail pass you can buy for Shikoku, which I recommend purchasing if you are travelling by train. You can buy it when you arrive in Shikoku and it covers unlimited rides on all 6 train lines.

My top ten things to do on Shikoku:

 1. Dogo Onsen area in Matsuyama

Dogo Onsen is probably one of the most visited tourist attractions on Shikoku, and with good reason.  The whole area around the bathhouse is really lovely to stroll around, with many boutiques and restaurants to try. To experience Dogo Onsen in the most authentic way, try taking the Botchan train there from Matsuyama station. This novelty train is just a short ride away and costs 800 yen. The train is named after a famous Japanese novel by writer Natsume Soseki which was set in Matsuyama.

After you arrive, go and rent a yukata (casual kimono), and stroll around the shopping arcade before posing for photos by the clock tower. Next grab a beer and something to eat from the brewery restaurant. Then you can make your way over to the Dogo Onsen bathhouse, the oldest in Japan for a soak. It’s also famous for being the inspiration for the wonderful magical bathhouse in the Studio Ghibli masterpiece, Spirited Away.

2. Discover the last remaining original Japanese castles

Matsuyama and Kochi  have 2 of the remaining 12 original castle structures in the whole of Japan. In Kochi, you can explore the entirely wooden structure and enjoy views of the city from the top platform, whilst in Matsuyama, the castle has a scenic ropeway ride you can take up and down, as well as trying on samurai armor and learning about the area’s history.

Entry to Matsuyama castle costs 510 yen, and Kochi is 420 yen. Kochi castle also has many seasonal events around the park area and is a great spot to view cherry blossoms during the spring. Both castles are based in the city centre within walking distance from Matsuyama and Kochi train stations.

3. See the mysterious whirlpools of Naruto

Between the Pacific Ocean and the Inland Sea there lies a number of mysterious whirlpools, that can reach up to 20 meters in diameter. This natural phenomena can be viewed either from a sightseeing boat that gets up close to the whirlpools or via the Ohnaruto bridge which has glass floors looking down over the water, and an observation room.

Naruto is situated in Tokushima prefecture. The easiest way to get there is from Tokushima city.  From Tokushima take the JR Naruto Line to Naruto station. The journey is around 35 minutes and costs 360 yen. From Naruto, take a 20 minute bus journey to Naruto Park.  I recommend checking out the tidal times on their website before you go to make sure you catch the biggest whirlpools!

4. Eat and learn how to make the world’s best noodles – udon, in their birthplace!

I love, love, love, udon noodles. They are tastier and fatter than other kinds of noodle, have a wonderful slightly chewy texture and salty flavour. They are often served with a simple broth and cut onion on top, but there are so many other udon dishes to try. My favourite is curry udon!

Udon noodles originally come from Kagawa prefecture and you must try them if you are visiting Shikoku. You can also try making your own udon noodles. I have tried it and it was a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed stomping up and down on the bag of dough in my socks! If you are interested in learning to make udon, you can try a 2-Day Udon Master Class, or visit the Nakanoya udon school in Takamatsu.

5. Cycle Japan’s most scenic bike path along the world’s longest collection of suspension bridges

Why not travel to Shikoku from the mainland by bicycle? The Shimanami Kaido is the world’s longest collection of suspension bridges and offers outstanding views of the Inland Sea, along with scenic coastal paths along several islands.

To access the Shimanami Kaido, take the bullet train to Onomichi city in Hiroshima prefecture, before picking up a rental bike at the cycling terminal by the ferry port. The entire cycle route is around 70km, and can be completed in a day, or over two if you want a more leisurely ride. Rental bikes can be picked up and dropped off at different points along the route, so there is no need to worry about returning the bike back to where you got it from.

This cycling experience is definitely one of my favourite  things I have done in Japan to date. If you are interested in reading more about the route in further detail, please check out my Shimanami Kaido guide here.

6. Iya Valley – An ancient and atmospheric area with outstanding nature and outdoor activities

Iya Valley is famous for it’s ancient vine bridges that were originally used by samurai warriors to keep enemies at bay, but these days they are a popular tourist attraction. The area is also known for many natural hot springs, dramatic scenery  and delicious handmade soba noodles.

It is a little hard to get to the area on public transport but not impossible. For convenience, I recommend hiring a car but if it’s not possible, the area is served by the JR Oboke and Iyaguchi stations. Buses around the area do exist but are not very frequent, so you may need to rely on taxis to get where you need to go.

There’s heaps of things to enjoy in Iya Valley, and is heaven for lovers of outdoor activities, with many good places to hike, white water rafting, canyoning and camping.

For adventure seekers, try the English speaking Happy Raft company. They offer a range of canyoning and white water rafting tours. I booked a full day of rafting with them in September last year and it is probably in my top five things I have done in Japan. I had so much fun and was laughing the whole time! I had to try and stop laughing so water wouldn’t get in my mouth! You can also try a couple of small cliff jumps during the tour if you feel brave enough. (I tried one but chickened out of the second one!)

You can read more about what to do in  Iya Valley in another article I wrote here.

7. Mount Ishizuchi – Western Japan’s highest peak

Many tourists visiting Japan flock to climb Mount Fuji, but Mount Ishizuchi is the highest mountain in western Japan, and is a fairly challenging hike. The climb will take almost a whole day,  and it’s better to start as early as possible as bad weather often sets in during the late afternoon. Unlike Fuji, Ishizuchi also comes with an optional scary finale, a vertical chain climb up to the summit! However if you’re a wimp like me, you can take a slightly longer footpath instead.

For more information about how to access Mount Ishizuchi, there’s a lot of information on the Wikitravel guide page.

8. Cruise along the clearest and cleanest rivers in Japan

The Shimanto river in Kochi prefecture is famous for being the last natural river, it is not obstructed by any dams along it’s 196 kilometers and the water is very clean. You can enjoy spending time on this river on a traditional houseboat cruise, or you can try water sports such as kayaking and canoeing. There are also a lot of good camping spots around Shimanto and it’s close to some good surfing spots too.

9. Get up close to some whales

In Kochi prefecture you can also enjoy whale watching at several locations during the summer months. I did this my first summer in Kochi and was lucky enough to see a whole family of whales out swimming in the ocean. If you want to get up even closer to them, you can also go snorkeling with whale sharks down near Tosa Shimizu, in the south west of Kochi. You can read more about my experience of whale watching in Kochi here.

10. Take a spiritual journey along one of the world’s oldest pilgrimages

Many people in Japan have heard of the 88 Temple pilgrimage, but traditionally few non-Japanese have ever completed it.  However this has begun to change in recent years, and now the number of international pilgrims has risen from 74 in 2006 to over 400 in 2015.

The entire pilgrimage runs in a circular route around the island that reaches over 1,2oo kilometers in length. To walk the whole journey takes around 6 weeks.  If you don’t have the time or the funds for that kind of commitment, you could just choose to do a section of the walk instead.  I try to walk a little section at a time during weekends and holidays. Many of the temples are clustered fairly close together so it’s quite easy to do it this way.

Have you ever been to Shikoku? What was your favourite place? Let me know in the comments below!

Where to stay on Shikoku: My Accommodation Recommendations

Kochi city:

Whenever I go out for the night in Kochi city, I stay at the 7 Days Hotel Plus. The rates are really good, usually under 12,000 yen for a double room. It’s modern, clean and centrally located. They also do a free buffet breakfast for guests with nice pastries, yogurt, eggs and salad!

Iya Valley:

For the Golden Week holidays this year I am renting a guesthouse from the Happy Raft company.  The rates are 4,000 yen per person per night, but you get a discount if you book a rafting tour with them too.  They also provide barbecue kits for an additional fee if you request it. A lot of the places in Iya Valley require you to call by telephone to make a reservation, which can be intimidating if you don’t speak a lot of Japanese. Happy Raft guesthouses can be booked via email and the company has English speaking staff.

Matsuyama:

In Matsuyama try the ANA Hotel. It’s pretty central and just a short walk away from the castle. The hotel is a 10 minute train ride away from the Dogo Onsen area.

Takamatsu:

In Takamatsu if you are visiting any of the Inland Sea islands such as Naoshima, Hotel Area One is really close to the ferry port. The hotel is really cheap but very basic and quite dated, so I would recommend it just for one night as a place to crash only.  If you have more of a budget you could try the Dormy Inn.

Tokushima:

The Daiwa Roynet Hotel is one of the best rated hotels in Tokushima and is located by the train station.