Tokushima for Groups: Iya Valley, Naruto and Awa Odori

Tokushima is the eastern gate of Shikoku: a prefecture of deep mountain gorges, a tidal strait that makes whirlpools and Japan's most famous summer dance. It is far less visited than Kyoto or Hiroshima, which is exactly why repeat visitors and nature-minded groups ask about it. It also links neatly to Awaji Island and Kobe across the Naruto Strait.

The Iya Valley

The Iya Valley is a remote gorge in the mountains of central Tokushima, known for its vine suspension bridges, small hamlets on steep slopes and thatched farmhouses. The best known, the Kazurabashi, is crossed one way, a few people at a time, for a small per-person fee, and the gaps between the planks are part of the experience. It has a car park that takes large coaches, but the roads deeper into the valley are narrow and winding, so for Oku-Iya and the hillside hamlets we plan with mid-size vehicles and allow extra drive time.

The Naruto whirlpools

At the Naruto Strait, tidal currents between the Seto Inland Sea and the Pacific create whirlpools. They are largest at the spring tides around the new and full moon, and biggest of all in spring and autumn, when they can reach about 20 metres across. Groups see them from a sightseeing boat or from Uzu-no-Michi, a glass-floored walkway built into the Onaruto Bridge beneath its road deck, 45 metres above the water. The best viewing is roughly an hour and a half either side of each tidal peak, so we plan the visit around the tide table and have a backup stop ready, because the whirlpools are not guaranteed to be dramatic on a given hour.

Awa Odori and indigo

• Awa Odori. The great dance festival of Tokushima is held in mid-August, during Obon, and draws large crowds. Accommodation is tight and we book early; out of festival season, a dance hall performance and a short lesson give groups the flavour all year.
• Indigo (ai) dyeing. Tokushima has a long history of indigo, and craft studios let groups dye a small cloth. Our craft workshops guide covers the format.
• Otsuka Museum of Art. A large museum of ceramic-board reproductions of Western masterpieces, an easy indoor stop.

How we plan it

Tokushima Airport has flights from Tokyo, and the prefecture is reachable by road from Kobe and Awaji in under two hours. We usually plan a night or two, combining the Iya Valley and Naruto with a stay in Tokushima city, and pair it with the wider island using our Shikoku region guide and our Shikoku 88 pilgrimage guide.