3-day/2-night trip. Enjoy popular spots in Tokushima & Kochi & Ehime!
【Day 1】
Oboke Gorge sightseeing boat / Vine Bridges in the Iya Valley
【Day 2】
Kochi Castle / Katsurahama Beach / Kochi Prefecture Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum / Ino Paper Museum / Nakatsu Gorge / Dogo Onsen Honkan
【Day 3】
The Shiki Museum (Shiki Memorial Museum) / Matsuyama Castle / Roadside Station Yoshiumi Iki-iki Kan / Rapid Current Boat / Kirosan Observatory Park / Murakami Suigun Museum
Oboke Gorge sightseeing boat / Vine Bridges in the Iya Valley
【Day 2】
Kochi Castle / Katsurahama Beach / Kochi Prefecture Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum / Ino Paper Museum / Nakatsu Gorge / Dogo Onsen Honkan
【Day 3】
The Shiki Museum (Shiki Memorial Museum) / Matsuyama Castle / Roadside Station Yoshiumi Iki-iki Kan / Rapid Current Boat / Kirosan Observatory Park / Murakami Suigun Museum
START
大阪駅から車（神戸淡路鳴門自動車道と徳島自動車道経由）で約3時間30分
1
Oboke Gorge Sightseeing Boat
The valley, formed by the erosion of the Yoshino River, presents a thousand different and strange views. From the sightseeing boat, visitors can enjoy the beauty of this deep ravine, its conglomerate schist (designated as a natural treasure by Tokushima Prefecture), and the beauty of the ravine from season to season.
車で約20分
2
Vine Bridges in the Iya Valley
In ancient times the local people built many of these bridges for daily travel, using vines that grow wild in the mountains, yet only a few vine bridges still remain today. Looking down while crossing is enough to put butterflies in any visitor's stomach. Recognized as one of three kinds of unusual bridges in Japan, they are designated as an important folkloric property.
車（国道32号と高知自動車道経由）で約1時間20分
3
Kochi City (lodging)
* The image is for reference only.
車で約10分
4
Kochi Castle
Fifteen structures at Kochi Castle, including its tower and the Otemon main gate, have been designated by the national government as important cultural properties. The castle was originally built in 1603 on the order of Yamauchi Katsutoyo, lord of the Tosa domain, but was burned down in a massive fire in 1727. The current castle tower was rebuilt in 1749.
Kochi Castle is Japan’s only castle where all the structures constituting its main building have been preserved. Since the castle’s structures are compactly situated, you can see its most important parts in a short period of time. Its tower is one of the 12 castle keeps that are still preserved in Japan. Kochi Castle is known as a popular photo spot because it is Japan’s only castle where you can capture both its Otemon and its tower in a single shot.
Kochi Castle, which is considered one of the top 100 castles in Japan, is situated on a hill in a park. The castle tower offers a breathtaking view of Kochi City. The San-no-maru area of Kochi Castle boasts 223 cherry trees, which are presently in full bloom, making it one of the finest cherry blossom viewing spots in the prefecture.
Kochi Castle is Japan’s only castle where all the structures constituting its main building have been preserved. Since the castle’s structures are compactly situated, you can see its most important parts in a short period of time. Its tower is one of the 12 castle keeps that are still preserved in Japan. Kochi Castle is known as a popular photo spot because it is Japan’s only castle where you can capture both its Otemon and its tower in a single shot.
Kochi Castle, which is considered one of the top 100 castles in Japan, is situated on a hill in a park. The castle tower offers a breathtaking view of Kochi City. The San-no-maru area of Kochi Castle boasts 223 cherry trees, which are presently in full bloom, making it one of the finest cherry blossom viewing spots in the prefecture.
車で約25分
5
Katsurahama beach
A spot with great views and a bronze statue of Ryoma Sakamoto, a hero at the end of the Edo period.
Katsurahama Beach is one of the most famous scenic spots in Kochi Prefecture. It has long been known as a famous place for the moon, and the lyrics to the Kochi song “Yosakoi-bushi” (Yosakoi song) are also preserved here.
The beach stretches out in a bow, and the green pine trees and the azure sea are in harmony with each other, making it a magnificent scenic spot. The bronze statue of Ryoma Sakamoto, a hero of the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, is very famous for its gaze toward the rough waves of the Pacific Ocean.If you are interested, you can learn more about Ryoma at the nearby “Kochi Prefecture Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum.
The entire beach area is a park, and in addition to souvenir stores, there are facilities such as “Tosainu Park” and “Katsurahama Aquarium” for family fun.
The beach stretches out in a bow, and the green pine trees and the azure sea are in harmony with each other, making it a magnificent scenic spot. The bronze statue of Ryoma Sakamoto, a hero of the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, is very famous for its gaze toward the rough waves of the Pacific Ocean.If you are interested, you can learn more about Ryoma at the nearby “Kochi Prefecture Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum.
The entire beach area is a park, and in addition to souvenir stores, there are facilities such as “Tosainu Park” and “Katsurahama Aquarium” for family fun.
6
Kochi Prefecture Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum
Renewed in 2018. Ryoma Sakamoto (Japan's famous Bakumatsu no Shishi) Hall of Fame
A museum on the theme of Ryoma Sakamoto, a hero from Kochi Prefecture, located on the hill of Katsurahama Park.
Ryoma Sakamoto (1835 - 1867) was someone who created an opportunity to defeat the Edo shogunate.
He is one of the most famous Bakumatsu no Shishi (ambitious samurai active at the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868) ) known to all Japanese.
The museum owns and exhibits Ryoma's handwritten letters and introduces his life along with other valuable materials.
The museum has a main building and an annex.
In the main building, visitors can enjoy learning about the history of the end of the Edo period in Japan through a reconstructed model of Omiya (the inn in Kyoto where Ryoma is said to have been assassinated) and interactive exhibits using many videos and photographs.
In the new wing, there are permanent exhibitions tracing Ryoma's life and special exhibitions on various themes.
The museum overlooks the magnificent Pacific Ocean and is recommended as a scenic spot.
In front of the exit of the main building, there is a full-size statue of Ryoma that you can shake hands with, and it is a very popular photo spot.
Ryoma Sakamoto (1835 - 1867) was someone who created an opportunity to defeat the Edo shogunate.
He is one of the most famous Bakumatsu no Shishi (ambitious samurai active at the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868) ) known to all Japanese.
The museum owns and exhibits Ryoma's handwritten letters and introduces his life along with other valuable materials.
The museum has a main building and an annex.
In the main building, visitors can enjoy learning about the history of the end of the Edo period in Japan through a reconstructed model of Omiya (the inn in Kyoto where Ryoma is said to have been assassinated) and interactive exhibits using many videos and photographs.
In the new wing, there are permanent exhibitions tracing Ryoma's life and special exhibitions on various themes.
The museum overlooks the magnificent Pacific Ocean and is recommended as a scenic spot.
In front of the exit of the main building, there is a full-size statue of Ryoma that you can shake hands with, and it is a very popular photo spot.
車で約35分
7
Ino-cho Paper Museum
The history, raw materials, and tools used to make Tosa washi, a traditional craft, are introduced in detail. Visitors can try their hand at papermaking at the hands-on corner. Visitors can also enjoy shopping for Tosa washi and paper products.
車で約50分
8
Nakatsu Gorge
Explore walkways enveloped by water and nature
Nakatsu Gorge found along the Niyodo River system is a beautiful representation of the natural wonders of Shikoku, and is part of the prefectural nature park known as Niyodo Blue.
A 2.3 km long path runs along the river, weaving between boulders and crossing the river several times over stepping stones. The whole experience will leave you feeling as if you've been transported to some mythical world.
In autumn, the contrast between the red and orange hues of the foliage and the clear blue color of the river makes for quite a remarkable sight!
Gorge hiking along the spectacular crystalline waters of the Niyodo River
A 2.3 km long path runs along the river, weaving between boulders and crossing the river several times over stepping stones. The whole experience will leave you feeling as if you've been transported to some mythical world.
In autumn, the contrast between the red and orange hues of the foliage and the clear blue color of the river makes for quite a remarkable sight!
Gorge hiking along the spectacular crystalline waters of the Niyodo River
9
Dogo Onsen (lodging)
* The image is for reference only.
道後温泉から車で約5分
10
The Shiki Museum (Shiki Memorial Museum)
Touch the life of Masaoka Shiki, who laid the foundation for modern haiku
Shiki Masaoka, a haiku poet from Matsuyama, was forced to give up his dream many times due to a serious chronic illness, but each time he found new aspirations and ran through the new era of the Meiji era (1868-1912). Approximately 300 items, including actual materials and replicas, are on display at all times, and a video corner introduces Shiki's life and the history and literature of Matsuyama in a way that is easy for anyone to understand. Also on display is a reconstruction of the “Gudabutsu-an” where Shiki lived with Soseki Natsume (famous Japanese Novelist) for 52 days.
*Volunteer guides are available for English-language tours (reservation required).
*Volunteer guides are available for English-language tours (reservation required).
車で約5分
11
Matsuyama Castle
A famous castle of the Setouchi Region
Matsuyama Castle, in the style of the Momoyama period, is one of Japan’s few original surviving castles. Its 21 buildings are listed as Important Cultural Properties, and the castle is regarded as one of the three best ‘Renritsu-shiki Hirayama-jiro’ (Renritsu-shiki: an architectural style where the top castle tower is in the centre with smaller towers on either side; Hirayama-jiro: a castle built on a hill on a plain). The towers are all connected to defend the main castle building. The castle is a well-known symbol of Matsuyama and is written about in the prologue of the novel, “Clouds Above the Hill” by Ryotaro Shiba. It has been and will be guarding the city of Matsuyama for centuries!
車で約1時間15分
12
Rest stop "Roadside Station" Yoshiumi Iki-iki kan
Taste Oshima's seafood with a view of the Kurushima Straits
Located at the foot of the Oshima side of the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, this roadside station is an ideal rest stop along the Shimanami Kaido. Visitors can enjoy a relaxing seafood barbecue over a charcoal grill while gazing at the Seto Inland Sea stretching out before them. In addition, the restaurant offers a menu of fresh seafood and locally produced ingredients, and the store sells a variety of vegetables, fresh fish, and specialties from the island, as well as a full lineup of souvenirs. Visitors are welcomed by a huge fish tank in the center of the restaurant, where sea bream, flatfish, and other fish swim peacefully.
13
Shimanami Kurushima Kaikyo sightseeing boat
Experience the rapids that turn the sea into a river
Experience the tidal currents of the Kurushima Kaikyo Straits, known as one of the three most rapid tidal currents in Japan, on a sightseeing boat. Visitors can enjoy a 40-minute boat tour of the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, the world's first triple suspension bridge, the shipyards of Imabari, the largest maritime city in Japan, and the islands in the Kurushima Kaikyo that are associated with Murakami Pirates. The violent tides of the Kurushima Straits are as fierce as a rafting river, and the whirlpools and foaming seawater that loom before your eyes are overwhelmingly powerful. When the boat's engine is stopped, the experience of being swept along like a leaf in a tree is thrilling and one-of-a-kind.
車で約20分
14
Kirosan Observatory Park
The most spectacular view on the Shimanami Kaido
The observatory park is located at the top of Mt. Kiro at the southernmost point of Oshima Island. The view from here is known as the most spectacular on the Shimanami Kaido. On fine days the view extends as far as Mt. Ishizuchi, the highest mountain in western Japan. In the evenings, views of the sunset and the illuminated Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge are exceptional. The observatory itself is unobtrusively located within the mountaintop and surrounded by trees to preserve the natural landscape. Along with the stunning views, the observatory is also acclaimed for its uniqueness designed by Kengo Kuma, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize Of architecture.
車で約25分
15
Murakami KAIZOKU Museum (Murakami Pirates Museum)
Experience the biggest pirate in Japan
This museum offers an enjoyable and easy-to-understand way to learn the story of the Murakami pirates, which has been recognized as a Japanese Heritage Site. The museum exhibits many valuable historical and cultural materials related to the Murakami pirates. In the exciting experience room, visitors can try on armor and kosode (sleeveless kimono) to experience the atmosphere of the time. Visitors can also experience the tidal currents in the sea in front of the museum, and see the rapids around Nojima Island, where the Nojima Murakami pirates used to reside, and the Hakata-Oshima Bridge from the sea.
車（山陽自動車道経由）で約4時間
16
JR Osaka Station
GOAL