Shikoku- The Island (sadly) that Everyone Skips
Written: Mar 04 '05 (Updated Mar 06 '05)
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Pros: Has tourist destinations for anyone, many things to offer
Cons: expensive as it is part of Japan, somewhat isolated from mainland
The Bottom Line: 3 important things of travel 1) plan 2) use your head 3) enjoy!
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| can_of_beans's Full Review: Japan |
pretext- If you read my airline reviews, you will keep seeing my frequent flights to Japan. My parents are Japanese. I was born in Canada, but my parents always sent me back so that I was not to lose my heritage. My dad's birthplace is on the 4th main island called Shikoku or in English "the 4 provinces" or "the 4 countries." Never have I met more than one person in North America that has said "Oh yeah I went to Shikoku!" And so I'm putting my support behind my second home.
Index
I. Introduction
II. Money & Costs
III. Transportation
IV. Food (Not just Sushi!)
V. Areas and Places of Interest
VI. Tips
VII. My hometown Kamiyama-cho
VIII. Conclusion
I. Intro
Shikoku is the 4th largest island in Japan. Despite this, it is considered (in Japanese standards) desolate and unpopulated. This is one of the largest reasons why tourists
skip Shikoku. As the name says, it is made of 4 prefectures;
Tokushima-ken (Awa), Kagawa-ken (Sanuki), Ehime-ken (Iyo), and Kochi-ken (Tosa). It has a population of about 4.5 million people. It is separated by the Seto-naikai from the main island. It is very mountainous (although not immense in size) and has many valleys with rivers flowing towards the sea. Because of this and the land touched less by people gives the island it's beauty and calmness. The 4 main cities are Matsuyama-shi, Takamatsu-shi, Kochi-shi, and Tokushima-shi.
II. Money & Costs
Like any part of Japan, Shikoku is also expensive. Transportation costs and accomodations will make a large chunk of your costs. One thing to remember is that Shikoku is very rural so groceries aren't as high as on the mainland
although restaurants are almost no different. One good way to save is by staying in hostels or little country inns (called ryokan) found throughout the islands especially near the Hachijyu-Hakkasho (see Areas and Places of interests). These can be as cheap as ¥3000 a night including a morning meal. In the cities, there are capsule hotels which give you a slightly bigger than a coffin style capsule dwellings that can start at ¥3000 a night (note: no comfort and female travellers should avoid!). If you do have a JR pass, train travel is somewhat there although many communities imbetween do not have train stations. Foreign Exchange is best done at the airports in Matsuyama, and Takamatsu, or the post office and the banks (ex. Iyo Ginko, Awa Ginko etc.).
III. Transportation
Despite it's mountainous terrain, all forms of travel are prevalent in Shikoku. The creation of Seto-ohashi and Akashi-Kaikyo bridges also makes it possible to drive or take a bus from the mainland to Shikoku without a ferry. Airlines connect the 4 main cities to Tokyo, Osaka (except Tokushima and Takamatsu), Nagoya, Fukuoka, and other places in Japan seasonally. There are even flights to South Korea in Matsuyama and Takamatsu provided by Asiana Airways. ANA, JAL and Skymark (Tokushima Airport only) fly to Shikoku. Note that there are no within Shikoku flights. Shikoku is also provided with a JR system connecting all 4 prefectures. But train travel is limited compared to other places in Japan. Due to the lack of space and flat land, many towns are not serviced with train stations. It is possible to take the train from Honshu to Shikoku via Okayama. The best within method of travel is bus. Bus service is extensive throughout the country and some bus companies (ex. Tokushima basu) offer some passes for unlimited travel. These buses are safe , numerous and comfortable. Cyclists beaware of narrow roads .
IV. Food
Food in Shikoku is famous throughout Japan. The prefecture of Kagawa is known for it's udon noodles. Called Sanuki-udon, some gourmet tours for Japanese people sometimes go to Kagawa just for udon. Tokushima is known for it's sudachi (small green citrus fruit) and wakame & nori (Naruto seaweed). The food is generally the same as Japanese, but these specialities are a good opportunity. In my home prefecture, Sudachi is served with fish instead of lemon. Kochi as it borders the pacific is well known for fish. Ehime is one of the largest orange producing prefectures in Japan.
V. Areas of interest
Tokushima (Awa)
This is my home prefecture. Tokushima is the least populated of the prefectures, but still worth going to. Tokushima is very famous for it's annual Awa odori. For about 4-5 days in August, dancers throughout the prefecture come to Tokushima-shi and dance throughout the streets at night. Some people consider it the Japan's Mardi Gras. Tourists can join the dancers as well.
Also in Tokushima-shi is the Bizan Ropeway which allows people to climb a cable car up Mt Bizan in the city to get an aerial view. In Naruto, people can see the famous Naruto whirlpool. It is one of the largest and continuous whirlpools found in the world. Boats can take passenger close to the pools (but not too close!).
Tokushima is also the starting prefecuture of the Hachijyu-Hakkashou or the 88 temples. Many Japanese (and lately foreigners), walk the trechurous pigrimidge of 1400km of winding roads visiting 88 temples throughout the island.
To start, people must visit the first temple in Naruto-shi called Ryosen-ji.
One of my favorite places to visit as a kid was in Hiwasa at the southern corner. In my elementary school trip (I attended Japanese Elementary School during summers as in Japan school continues through much of July), we went there to see the beach and the sea turtles. Here, many sea turtles come to lay their eggs on the beach. Hiwasa is very remote part of Tokushima so the beaches are mainly left untouched.
Kagawa (Sanuki)
Kagawa is the smallest prefecture land wise, but one of the most important of prefectures as it is the main way to the main island. Kagawa is famous for it's Sanuki udon noodles. The noodles have just the right texture and taste making it famous throughout Japan.
Takamatsu-shi is (I believe) the largest city on the island.
Takamatsu was a castle town but is pretty modern today. Bordering the city is the Seto inland sea. Here there are many islands with small towns connected only by ferries. The biggest island is Shodoshima. Here there are beautiful valleys, and some temples. Shodoshima is also famous for (strangely) olives. The island is the first to cultivate olives in Japan
Kochi (Tosa)
Kochi is the lone prefecture facing the Pacific ocean. Actually I haven't visited Kochi in a while but I do know some attractions. In Kochi-shi, there is the Yosakoi matsuri which is dance festival in which dancers come in different teams. The dancers come equipped with castannet like clapping instruments. Towards Shirahama, there are beautiful beaches where surfing and swimming are popular.
Kochi-shi is also a castle town with it's castle still standing. Kochi-jyo is made into a tourist area in which people can visit and climb the stairs inside.
Ehime (Iyo)
Ehime is also famous for it's castles Matsuyama-jyo and Uwajima-jyo. There are many mountains and valleys in the prefecutre. Ehime is very famous for it's mikan production.
Towards fall, some places have mikan gari or orange picking available for tourists mainly younger kids to get fresh fruit.
Matsuyama-shi is also one of the largest cities in Shikoku.
Matsuyama-jyo is situated in the city. Matsuyama also has the Dogo-onsen which was one of the first public hot springs given cultural asset status.
One memorable experience for me was visiting Uwajima (note not an island). Here they have a bull fighting arena where two bulls clash eachother almost like a cock fight, just legally and with 500+ lbs. bulls!
Onsen
Onsen or Hot springs are found throughout the island. Compared with many islands in Japan, Shikoku isn't as volcanic and as tremoursome as the other islands, so there aren't as many onsen. But there are still quite a fair amount of them. My local town of Kamiyama-cho has the Kamiyama onsen which isn't famous but still attracts a fair amount of people. The best is to ask a tourist office.
VI. Tips
Here are some extra tips.
1) Take your time with the Japanese Language in Shikoku
Shikoku (kinda like southern accent in the US) has it's own distinct accent in Japanese. As a matter of fact, there are 4 dialects each in each prefecture named after their old names (Awa, Iyo, Sanuki, Tosa). Most people understanding generic Japanese, but you may have problems understanding some changes in dialect. One way to help is to ask them to speak slowly. Be patient
2) Ask Locals BUT still use common sense
Compared to the large cities like Tokyo, people in Shikoku are generally more laid back and will generally be glad to help you. But just like anywhere else, use your head. Be polite to them and they will help. Not be and you may either still be kindly treated or end up in a sucker punch fight. Avoid alleys and suspicious looking people. If you see a person that you think you cannot trust, chances are you shouldn't ask him/her.
3) Avoid August and fall and if not, becareful!
This is typhoon season. Generally, there are many safety measures in place. Typhoons also are not too big of a problem in Japan compared to the Hurricanes in Florida. But mudslides and landslides still may occur so please be careful and to have arrangements and precautions if typhoons do hit (ex. such as extra cash as flights, buses and trains are cancelled due to the weather.)
VII. My hometown Kamiyama-cho
I added this to get my town some recognition as well as to give the feel of the town.
Kamiyama-cho (cho means town) is rather many small hamlets 4-5min apart from each other placed under one juristiction. Within the town are mountains, rivers and rice paddies terraced along the hills. My grandparents live in a house on the side of the mountain right beside the pathway to Shosanji on the 88 temple path. My grandparents house is over 100 years old. The sliding doors open up to the cool mountain shade over looking the Akui river. The mountains let cool gentle winds to flow around the area and to bring relief to the humid and extremely hot summers. Kamiyama means godly mountain and to the people including me, lives up to it's name. The mountain provides so much to everyone from breezes to help cool off in summer, to giving it the rich soil for the crops.
The most populated part of Kamiyama (one of the hamlet like places but more a town) has the hot springs. Here people from the city to even the locals get to sit and relax in the
hot water extracted from the ground.
The never ending greenery and beautiful rivers give a sense of calm for everyone who passes by. And it is my "home town" in which I can't never wait to get back to.
The main reason why I want people to visit my town or other rural areas of Japan is because many people do not go to Japan to see these areas. I think people should try to visit these areas as there is a sense of calmness and simple ness bundled together in beautiful landscapes over seeing small temples in the mountains.
VIII. Conclusion
Shikoku has a lot to offer. This review only covered a portion of what it has to offer. It can offer both the trendy and interesting tourist attractions and offer the simple beautiful landscapes in the rural town. The best thing a tourist can do is to research these areas and go. Below are some sites you may find helpful.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng
http://www.jal.co.jp
http://www.anaskyweb.com
http://www.town.kamiyama.lg.jp/
http://www.japanwelcomesyou.com/cssweb
http://www.lonelyplanet.com
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Students
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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can_of_beans
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Reviews written: 12
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