[Railway and bus journey] From Tokushima to Kochi via Cape Muroto Ride the famous DMV! Tokushima, Muroto, and Kochi itinerary using the Tokushima Muroto Kochi GoGo Pass (free-use ticket)

Your journey starts from Tokushima Station. If you use the railway, you can travel from Sannomiya Station in Kobe to Tokushima Station in around 1 hour 45 minutes on a JR limited express train.
If you travel by plane, Tokushima Awaodori Airport is the gateway to Tokushima. You can fly here from Haneda Airport or Fukuoka Airport, and it’s an easy trip from the airport to Tokushima Station by bus—you’ll reach the city center in around 30 minutes.
You can also take a ferry from Wakayama, Tokyo, or Kitakyushu—perfect for an enjoyable travel experience.

If you will be spending a night here beforehand, you can enjoy breakfast in the Tokushima Station area, and perhaps a stroll in Tokushima Central Park, where you’ll find the ruins of Tokushima Castle.

➤Duration: 1 hour

This is the last of the pilgrimage temples in Awa (Tokushima). They are considered temples of awakening faith. It is a bekkaku head temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect. The temple is famous throughout Japan as a temple to ward off bad luck. After crossing the Yakuyokebashi Bridge, there are stone stairs leading up to the Hondo. First there is a flight of 33 steps, the onna oakuzaka (slope to ward off bad luck for women), and then a flight of 42 steps, the otoko yakuzaka (slope to ward off bad luck for men). There is also a kanrekizaka (slope to ward off bad luck for people over 60 years old). It has 61 steps that lead up from the from Hondo to the Yugito, a tower at the top of the temple. At the bottom of each stone step are embedded pebbles with “Yakushi Hongwanji Sutra” written on them. Visitors make a monetary offering as they climb each step.

➤Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes

The “Sea Turtle Marine Cruise,” starting from Hiwasa Port in Minami Town, Tokushima Prefecture, where sea turtles spawn, offers a tour of the spectacular scenery of the Muroto Anan Coast National Park aboard a fishing boat operated by a local fisherman.During the 13-km, 40-minute cruise, visitors can see up close the beauty of nature's formations, including a huge 30-meter-high cave and a series of oddly shaped sea cliffs.Another unique feature of this cruise is the opportunity to learn about local legends and folk tales through the guide's commentary.
In addition, we recommend the fisherman's meal* made with ingredients from the Pacific Ocean.
*Examples: Abalone curry, fisherman's rice with lobster and abalone, etc. (Ingredients vary depending on the season. Ingredients vary depending on the season.)

DMV (Dual Mode Vehicle) is a new vehicle that combines a car and a train into one.
It can freely travel on both roads and tracks.
In 2021, the world's first commercial operation began!

➤Duration: 1 hour

➤Duration: 1 hour

Due to a decreasing number of children, Shiina Elementary School regrettably had to close in 2005, but it was repaired and classes are back in session in April 2018! The new students of the reborn school are fish.

　The Muroto Schoolhouse Aquarium reuses the old school building. The 25 m outdoor pool where children used to learn to swim is now remodeled into a large fish tank, and 19 other tanks of various sizes have been installed. Ocean water is drawn directly into the fish tanks, and people come from far and wide to visit. Over 1,000 “students” of around 50 species, including parrotfish and amberjacks raised at the Muroto UNESCO Global Geopark, have been “admitted” to the school with the help of local fishermen.
　About 10 loggerhead sea turtles and Galápagos green turtles have come here to study after getting caught in nets, and their leisurely swimming has gained popularity. The touch-pools in the former school restrooms are also popular, and let visitors touch seashore creatures like sea slugs. The unique exhibit styles using the old school facilities have become a hot topic.
　Sharks like hammerheads are another part of the aquarium’s appeal, alongside deep sea classmates including giant isopods, as well as meeting new aquatic transfer students every season.
　The building has been neatly repaired, so you’d never imagine that it had been closed. However, the desks and chairs are in place just like in previous years, making for a nostalgic experience.
　Some classrooms display specimens of fish skeletons, letting visitors learn more about fish they’re interested in. The aquarium also conducts sea turtle release experiences in the nearby ocean.
　In the future, there are plans for hands-on study with fishermen teaching how to prepare locally-caught fish.

There are no eateries on Cape Muroto, so get off the bus on the way there to have lunch in the streets of Muroto City. You can savor fresh seafood here, including Kochi’s specialty katsuo no tataki (seared bonito), splendid alfonsino (kinmedai) caught in Muroto, and more.

➤Duration: 45 minutes

A recognized Global Geopark, Cape Muroto has been shaped by volcanic activity, wind and sea. Characterized by these strange rock formations, the cape is also well known for its many photo spots such as a beautiful white-walled lighthouses and subtropical green plants.

The position of the cape, protruding into the Pacific Ocean, is one of the best places in Japan to see both a gorgeous sunrise and sunset! There is also a heart-shaped monument on the observatory, making it a popular date spot for couples.

➤Duration: 45 minutes

Kiragawa, a national preservation area for traditional buildings, is lined with breweries and still retains its old-world Japanese atmosphere.

As this area is frequented by typhoons, you can find clever architectural techniques designed to protect the buildings from the wind and rain, like “water-draining roof tiles” and walls coated in special waterproof material called "Tosa plaster". The quiet streets are a wonderful place for a walk back in time, while the local cafés offer a place to take a moment to let it all sink in.

During the Hinamatsuri Doll Festival season in Japan (which actually takes place on March 3rd), approximately 80 houses in Kiragawa are elaborately decorated with traditional Japanese dolls.

➤Duration: 1 hour

Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France, is well known as a place that fascinated impressionist artist Claude Monet. He spent half of his entire life in the garden as well as in his residence, which has an atelier, and devoted his time to yard work in the garden besides his creative activities. Monet’s Garden has been replicated in the nature-rich village of Kitagawa, Kochi Prefecture, as “Monet’s Garden Marmottan, Kitagawa Village.” It is the world’s only facility that is allowed to use the name “Monet’s Garden.”
Approximately 70,000 plants are grown on the premises of about 30,000 square meters and you can enjoy a beautiful landscape that changes from season to season. Blue water lilies that are particularly popular are in full bloom in the garden from around late June to early November.

Satisfy your hunger before you start your trip on the Gomen-Nahari Line from Nahari Station!
There’s an array of well-known eateries to be found in the station area, including Tonpukutei, famous for its extra-large fried shrimp and tonkatsu (breaded cutlets), and Tonno, an Italian restaurant that makes the most of local ingredients.

Tosa Kuroshio Tetsudo(Railway) Gomen-Nahari Line started operations in July 2002. The line has 20 stops, from Gomen Station in Nankoku City to Nahari Station in Nahari Town. Since trains on the line run mostly on elevated tracks along the southern coast, passengers can enjoy a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. A character figure based on a drawing by comic artist Takashi Yanase, the author of “Anpanman” and a native of Kochi Prefecture, is on display at each station. Such figures produced using motifs reflecting the characteristics of the local community around each station welcome arriving passengers. Some trains operated on this line include unique carriages such as those without windows or walls on both sides to let in fresh air.

➤Duration: 1 hour

This cave is formed from earth layers laid down some three million years ago, and is home to a fern community registered as a national Natural Monument. Because of its location just a few minutes from the national highway, passing through the cave will leave you in a primeval world, as if you have gone back in time. (There is a small stream in the cave, and snakes may be in the area, so wear proper footwear here.)

➤Duration: 30 minutes