SHIKOKU HOLIDAYS   >   JAPAN  


Tourist information Skikoku.

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan.

Prefectures in Shikoku : Ehime, Kagawa, Kōchi, and Tokushima.

Across the Inland Sea lie Wakayama, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi Prefectures on Honshu..


car hire, hotels, tour operators, travel to shikoku

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Car Rentals

  Holiday Autos   -    
Holiday Autos offers the best fully inclusive car hire prices. Get cheap car hire quickly and securely online with holidayautos.co.uk, the experts in online car rental.

Hotels in Shikoku

 

 
Centrally located hotels ranging from small family run budget accommodation to world-class five star hotels.

  

   -   look for hotels in Japan

  Welcome Inn Reservation Centre   -   International Tourism Center of Japan
Small reasonable accommodations, most family run. Search by Prefecture, City, Tourist Attraction etc.
  Accommodation Search Engine Tourist Bureau Japan

 
Hostelbookers.com is one of the worlds largest online booking services for hostels. All hostels you see here are offering realtime prices and availability.

  Ryokans   -   Traditional Japanese Hotels
  Minshuku   -   Japanese Bed & Breakfast Accommodation

Travel Agents / Tour Operators

 Responsibletravel.com  

 
Create your perfect trip  -  Flight, Hotel and Car



Transport / How do I travel to Shikoku

  Kochi-Ryoma [ regional airport ]
  Matsuyama Airport  [ regional airport ]
Matsuyama has flights to Seoul and Shanghai ?
  Takamatsu  [ regional airport ]
  Tokushima  [ regional airport ]

  Tokyo Airport   -   Narita International Airport

  Ebookers  -   
Book cheap flights to Tokyo at ebookers and benefit from discounted airfares. View their latest offers and book your flights, accommodation, car hire and insurance online

   

  Airline Tickets /  Bargain Flights

  Japan Railways reservation Service (JR)   -   Japan's leading railway company

Shikoku is connected to Honshū by three expressways.

  Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway (Eastern Shikoku)
  Seto-Chūō Expressway (Central Shikoku)
  Nishiseto Expressway (Western Shikoku)

Ferries link Shikoku to destinations including Honshū, Kyūshū and islands around Shikoku.


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Most of the inhabitants live in the north. The larger southern area is mountainous and sparsely populated.

  Shikoku

  Ehime [ west ]
Surrounded by the calm Seto Inland Sea in the north, the Uwa Sea in the west and Shikoku Mountains in the south, Ehime Prefecture, with an area of about 5,676km sq. and a population of about 1,500,000, lies in the northern part of the island of Shikoku, the smallest of the four major islands of Japan.
Ehime is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan, blessed with natural environment and cultural heritage including Dogo-Onsen, the nation's oldest hot spa resort. The weather is mild throughout the year, and people are friendly and make you feel at home. See Ehime Prefectural Government
  Kagawa [ north ]
The many beautiful islands that float on the peaceful Seto Inland Sea. The verdant hills and fertile Sanuki Plain, the wafting fragrance of culture formed
from a thousand years of history, the cities who stand as a gate to Shikoku, Kagawa Prefecture holds its doors open to the world. They are waiting for your visit!
Kagawa Prefecture, located in the north-eastern part of Shikoku, is an island in the southwest of Japan. It forms a half-moon; the Sanuki Mountains to the south reach heights of 800 meters and gradually descend north into the fertile Sanuki Plain. North of this is the Seto Inland Sea, home to more than 110 islands of various sizes. See Kagawa Prefecture for foreigners(see English)
  Kochi [ south ]
Kōchi Prefecture comprises the southwestern part of the island of Shikoku, facing the Pacific Ocean. It is the largest but least populous of Shikoku's four prefectures. Kōchi is famous for its many rivers. See Kochi prefecture Multilingual Site
  Tokushima [ east ]
Tokushima Prefecture is located in the eastern part of Shikoku. Its coastline faces the Seto Inland Sea to the North and the Kii Channel and Pacific Ocean from the East to the South. 
The Shikoku Mountains, with Mt. Tsurugi at their centre, run through Tokushima from east to west, dividing the prefecture into north and south.
The Yoshino River, flowing along the north side of the Shikoku Mountains, is one of the greatest rivers in Japan. Also known by the name Shikoku Saburou, the upstream area of the river in the west of the prefecture is known for the steep Oboke and Koboke Gorges, and the mouth of the river gives way to the wedge-shaped Tokushima Plains.
There is a rich forest area in the Southern part of Tokushima Prefecture and comparatively little flat ground. The sheer rock coastline of this area contrasts remarkably with the sandy beaches of the North and East. See Tokushima Prefectual Goverment

  Kochi   -   City of Kochi
Kōchi Castle [ built in the 15th century by Yamanouchi Kazutoyo ] is one of the main tourist attractions.
  Matsuyama
Its capital, Matsuyama, is the largest city on Shikoku, with a population of over 500,000 and an abundance of historical and cultural resources such as the famous Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Hot Spring Spa, the oldest bathing area in Japan.
  Takamatsu   -   largest city in Shikoku
  Tokushima   -   home of the Awa Odori festival in August
Tokushima is the main transport hub of eastern Shikoku.
  Uwajima
  Naruto   -   east gate of Shikoku
See Naruto whirlpools between Naruto and Awaji Island in Hyōgo [ famous attraction - tidal whirlpools in the Naruto Strait, a channel between Naruto in Tokushima and Awaji Island in Hyōgo ].

  Cape Ashizuri   -   at the southernmost point of Shikoku
  Iya Valley   -   beautiful mountain valley
  Kochi Castle [ Kochi ]
  Kotohira   -   site of the Kompira-san shrine
  Makino Botanical Garden [ Kochi ]
  Marugame Castle [ Marugame ]
  Matsuyama Castle [ Matsuyama ]
  Mount Ishizuchi [1,982 m / 6,503 ft ]   -   highest mountain on the island
  Oboke and Koboke   -   rafting [ Yoshino river ]
  Tairyūji Ropeway   -   aerial lift line in Tokushima Prefecture
The line climbs to Tairyū-ji, the 21st temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. See Shikoku Cable [ Finicular and ropeway ].
  Uwajima Castle [ Uwajima ]
  White-water rafting   -    around Oboke and Koboke [ Yoshinogawa river ]

Cuisine  -  Recipes

o  Shikoku is renowned for its citrus fruits.
o  Tokushima is famous for its wonderful strawberries and sudachi, a small round green citrus fruit with a lime-like flavour.

  Foods & drinks, products, events - Ehime
Ehime is one of the leading producers of satoimo (taro).

istory of Shikoku

  88 sacred places of Shikoku
See also 88 Temple Pilgrimage

Music, Art Culture, Events in Shikoku

  Kochi Art Museum
Otani-yaki pottery, with its natural muted colors and rustic-looking shapes, is another popular souvenir, as is handmade paper.
  Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum [ Kochi ]

  Awa Odori   -   largest dance festival in Japan
Held annually in Tokushima City between August 12 and 15 when groups of dancers and musicians [ known as ren ] dance through the streets, accompanied by the shamisen lute, taiko drums, shinobue flute and the kane bell. The dance dates back to 1587 when the feudal lord Hachisuka Iemasa (1558-1638), in celebration of newly-built Tokushima Castle, offered sake to the people of the castle town; the citizens became so drunk they started to dance in an unsteady gait.See Dance of Fools: Awa Odori Festival
  Awa Odori running [ August ]
  Obon festival
  Shikoku Pilgrimage   -   a pilgrimage of 88 temples
See Wikipedia and Notes & Advice on the Pilgrimage Circuit to the 88 Temples of Shikoku 


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