Discover Scenery and Culture Unlike Honshu! 21 Popular Tourist Spots in Shikoku

The best seasons to visit Shikoku, where you’ll find stunning natural scenery and sightseeing spots rich in Japanese culture, are spring and fall.
From spring views of cherry blossoms and the Seto Inland Sea to historic buildings colored by autumn leaves, you can enjoy the beauty of the season in many different settings.

Shikoku has four airports, and Takamatsu Airport and Matsuyama Airport also offer regular international flights, making access from overseas convenient.
From major cities such as Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, it takes only Approx. 1 to 2 hours by plane.
From Hiroshima, Okayama, and Hyogo, which are connected to Shikoku by bridges, you can also get there by bus, taxi, or rental car.
Although it takes a little more time, these are recommended options for those who want to enjoy the spectacular views of the Seto Inland Sea along the way.

Railways and buses are the main ways to get around sightseeing spots in Shikoku.
However, there are quite a few places, especially deep in the mountains, where public transportation is inconvenient, so be sure to check access carefully once you decide where to go.
Depending on your travel plans, you may also want to consider renting a car.

Ritsurin Garden was completed nearly 300 years ago after generations of lords of the Takamatsu Domain added improvements to it as the Matsudaira family’s villa.
The flat garden area alone is a spacious 16 hectares, but including Mt. Shiun in the background, the total area reaches Approx. 75 hectares.
Among cultural gardens designated as Special Places of Scenic Beauty by the Japanese government, it is the largest in Japan.

Built on Mt. Zozu, Kotohiragu Shrine is the head shrine of all Konpira shrines.
It welcomes Approx. 4 million worshippers each year. Its principal deity, Omononushi no Kami, has been known since before the medieval period as a guardian god of maritime traffic and as a deity that brings abundant harvests and prosperity in industry and culture.
The main shrine, said to have been founded before the Taika Reform, enshrines this deity.
From the temple town to the main shrine building, a long stone stairway continues for an astonishing 785 steps! Take your time and climb each step with your wishes in mind.

A symbolic landmark of Marugame with a 400-year history.
This hirayama-style castle was built over five years by the warlord Ikoma Chikamasa together with his son Kazumasa.
The stone walls rising from the inner moat to the castle keep are said to be the tallest in Japan at Approx. 60 meters, and their distinctive curve has earned them the nickname “fan-shaped slope.”
The keep is also one of only 12 original wooden castle keeps remaining in Japan and is designated as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government.

Angel Road, located in southwestern Shodoshima, is a sandy path that appears from the sea twice a day at low tide, connecting four islands by land.
It is a popular spot filled with visitors, thanks to the widely spread rumor that couples who walk there holding hands will find happiness in the future, as well as its frequent use as a filming location for movies and TV dramas.

Yashima is located in the northeastern part of Takamatsu City. It is designated as part of Setonaikai National Park as well as a national historic site and natural monument.
Covered with a flat hard rock layer known as a mesa and surrounded in part by steep cliffs, it is a table-shaped highland that looks like a large roof.
It is also famous as the setting of the Genpei War (1180 to 1185), a historic conflict that once took place there.

The Otsuka Museum of Art is a ceramic panel masterpiece museum established in Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture, by the Otsuka Group as part of its 75th anniversary commemorative project.
Using special technology, it reproduces more than 1,000 masterpieces of Western art on ceramic panels at the same size as the originals, from carefully selected ancient murals to modern paintings held in more than 190 museums across 26 countries.

Oboke and Koboke is an Approx. 8-kilometer gorge carved over 200 million years by the rushing waters of the Yoshino River cutting across the Shikoku Mountains, and it is known for its beautiful scenery of towering, sculpture-like rock formations.
It is designated as a national natural monument as a valuable place where the formation of the Japanese archipelago can be understood through the beautiful rocks seen up close and the V-shaped valley.
It has long been said that it is dangerous whether you walk with big steps or small steps.

Uzunomichi is an Approx. 450-meter seaside promenade installed beneath the roadway of the Onaruto Bridge.
From a glass floor at a height of Approx. 45 meters, visitors can look down at the whirlpools that form in the Naruto Strait, one of the world’s three great tidal currents.
The Naruto whirlpools are at their largest during spring and fall spring tides, sometimes reaching 20 meters in diameter, and are said to be the largest in the world.

Awa Odori Kaikan stands at the foot of Mt. Bizan, the symbol of Tokushima City.
With a history of more than 400 years, Awa Odori, one of Japan’s three major Bon dances, can be enjoyed here year-round.
There is also a face-in photo board at the entrance to the hall, so don’t forget to take a commemorative photo.

Far beyond the Iya Vine Bridge in the Oboke Gorge area, known as one of Japan’s leading hidden regions, lie the Oku-Iya Double Vine Bridges, two suspension bridges made from climbing plants such as shirakuchi vines, located on a highland at an elevation of Approx. 1,000 meters.
Because the two bridges are called the male bridge and the female bridge, they are also known as the “married couple bridges.”
The male bridge is 42 meters long and 2 meters wide, with a height of 12 meters above the water. It is slightly more compact than the Iya Vine Bridge in Oboke Gorge, but the thrill of standing on it is almost the same.

This ropeway connects Mt. Bizan, the symbol of Tokushima City in Tokushima Prefecture, famously praised in the Manyoshu as “the mountain of Awa seen among the clouds like an eyebrow,” with the Awa Odori Kaikan in the city center. It offers an Approx. 6-minute aerial ride up to the summit at an elevation of 290 meters.
From the gondola windows, you can see seasonal scenery such as cherry blossoms and autumn leaves up close, as well as panoramic views of Tokushima City.
Even more beautiful scenery awaits at the summit station. Along with the mighty Yoshino River, known as Shikoku Saburo, and the Awa-Sanuki Mountains, you can also take in views of the Naruto Strait, Awaji Island, and on clear days, even the distant Kii Peninsula.

Matsuyama Castle is a symbol of Matsuyama City and is also famous as an impregnable castle. Including the keep, it has as many as 21 Important Cultural Properties, with many highlights such as the castle keep, Ichinomon Gate, and Shichiku Gate. Valuable historical materials are also displayed inside the keep.
It is also fun to observe defensive features such as lifting doors in the lattice window style, loopholes, and stone-drop openings.
There are also activities such as trying on armor and experiencing a matchlock gun corner, allowing visitors to enjoy taking photos while experiencing history.

Mentioned in the Nihon Shoki and said to be Japan’s oldest hot spring, Dogo Onsen is one of Ehime’s most popular tourist attractions.
A legend remains that a white heron injured its leg and healed its wound in Dogo Onsen.
The alkaline simple spring water is smooth and gentle on the skin, with little刺激, making it suitable for therapeutic bathing and beauty care.
Dogo Onsen Honkan is also designated as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government and is a magnificent building that evokes a strong sense of history.

Uwajima Castle was built in 1601 on a hill Approx. 80 meters above sea level by the warlord Todo Takatora, who was known as a master castle builder.
Later, from 1661, the then lord of the Uwajima Domain, Date Munetoshi, carried out major renovations over the course of Approx. 11 years. It is one of the 12 original castle keeps still standing in Japan and is also designated as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government.

Kururin is a giant Ferris wheel with a diameter of 45 meters and a maximum height of 85 meters above the ground.
It has also become a new symbol of Matsuyama.
During the day, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of Matsuyama City, including Matsuyama Castle rising in the center, the hot spring inns of Dogo Onsen, and the Iyo-nada Sea, all from inside the Ferris wheel.
At night, you can also enjoy the illumination and sweeping views of the city’s nightscape from above.

The Shimanami Kaido stretches Approx. 60 kilometers, connecting Honshu and Shikoku.
Running from Onomichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture to Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture, it lets travelers cross six islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea by bridge.
It consists of the Nishi-Seto Expressway, the Ikuchijima Road, and the Oshima Road.
Except for the Shin-Onomichi Bridge, each bridge has lanes for motorized bicycles as well as roads exclusively for bicycles and pedestrians, making it possible to enjoy cycling while taking in the scenery of the islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea.
This cycling route is also famous as Japan’s first bicycle road that allows you to cross a strait.

Flowing from Mt. Ishizuchi, the highest mountain in western Japan, the Niyodo River runs through central Kochi Prefecture from northwest to southeast.
This crystal-clear river is said to have the best water quality in Japan, and its deep blue surface is known as “Niyodo Blue.”
Nakatsu Gorge, located in the Niyodo River basin, is one of the most scenic spots not only in Kochi but in all of Shikoku.
It is also designated as a prefectural natural park, and the scenery created by the combination of various unusual rock formations and Niyodo Blue is truly spectacular.

Located at the tip of the Urado Peninsula in Kochi City, this beach stretches in an arc between Ryuto Cape and Ryuo Cape.
With its beautiful pine grove, sandy shore, and sea, it is a scenic spot and one of Kochi Prefecture’s best-known tourist destinations. It is also popular for the large bronze statue of Sakamoto Ryoma, who was active in the late Edo period.
The statue of Sakamoto Ryoma, dressed in Japanese clothing and boots, gazes far out over the Pacific Ocean.
Every year from April to May and for the two months around November 15, which is both Ryoma’s birthday and death anniversary, a 13-meter observation platform is set up beside the statue.
From there, visitors can look out over the Pacific Ocean from the same eye level as Ryoma.

Katsurahama Aquarium is located at Katsurahama, one of Kochi’s best-known tourist spots.
Founded in 1931, it is an aquarium with a strong local character.
Though small, it houses many animals, with Approx. 200 species and 4,000 individual creatures, and visitors can interact with them as well as view exhibits.
Its layout, which offers a panoramic view of Katsurahama, is also one of its distinctive features.

Kochi Castle was founded by Yamauchi Kazutoyo, the first lord of the Tosa Domain.
Construction began in 1601 and took 10 years to complete, but the castle was destroyed by fire in 1727.
The present castle was rebuilt in 1753.
It is one of the 12 original castle keeps from the Edo period still standing in Japan, and Kochi Castle is the only one where both the keep and the main bailey palace (Kaitokukan) remain.
A total of 15 buildings are designated as Important Cultural Properties by the Japanese government.
It is also selected as one of Japan’s 100 famous castles.

A विशाल limestone cave designated as both a national historic site and natural monument.
It was renewed in 2019, becoming even more attractive with added effects using light and sound.
Inside the cave are many spots that let you feel the mysteries of nature, such as the 11-meter-high “Memorial Waterfall” and the “Sekkaden,” where clusters of small stalactites look like flowers.
“God’s Pot,” a jar once used by the people who lived in this cave, has become fused with stalactites over Approx. 2,000 years and is also a valuable archaeological artifact.