City Life News Online / Nankaido / Tokushima

Whirlpool Observation Walkway Uzu no Michi

A 450-meter-long pedestrian walkway on Dainarutobashi Bridge linking Awajishima Island with Shikoku. Elevated 45 meters above the sea, you can see the breathtaking whirlpools that form when the Seto Inland Sea meets the Kii Channel through glass windows installed on the floor of the walkway. These whirlpools do not form all the time, so it is best to check the viewing time beforehand.

Open: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; closed every Monday (closed the following day if Monday is a holiday) and from December 29 to 31
Fee: Adults, ¥500; junior/senior high school age, ¥400; elementary school age, ¥250
Location: Tosadomari, Narita-cho, Narita City
Tel.: 088-684-1167

Take Time Out for Tokushima and the Awa Odori Dance

The origins of the Awa Odori dance can be traced back 400 years to the time when daimyo Hachisuka Iemasa constructed the castle at Tokushima in the late 1580s, and legend has it he provided sake to the town residents who then - naturally - wanted to dance. Following that, the area prospered from its flourishing trade in indigo and salt and the Awa Odori also flourished, becoming larger and larger and immensely popular. Nowadays, with good reason, the Awa Odori is considered the representative dance of Japan.

Awa Odori Dance Festival

Hold the dates August 12 to 15 for an energizing and uplifting time in Tokushima, where the whole downtown is a stage. Things get started each night around 6:00 p.m. and the dancing lasts until 10:30 at night. The main events are held on outdoor dance stages and in city parks and streets. Twenty events in all are divided by location (on stages, in plazas, along roadsides and tucked into street corners).

Other places in Tokushima hold Awa Odori dances as well, including Naruto, Ikeda, Kamojima and Sadamitsu. Awa Odori - One line you won't mind standing in for hours on end!

Awa Odori Kaikan

This facility is dedicated to the famous summertime Awa Odori and you can enjoy the dance performance throughout the seasons. The first floor has an information desk and the Tokushima Prefectural Product Plaza; the Awa Odori library, hall and exhibition room are on the second floor; and there is a museum on the third floor. The fifth floor has the Bizan Ropeway, which goes straight to the top of the mountain.

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Exhibition Room 1st Floor
Especially for visitors to Tokushima, the Product Plaza is a wonderful spot to explore and purchase the prefecture's unique products as well as to appreciate the area's scenic beauty and traditions.

Hours:	9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m
Place:	2nd and 4th Wednesdays (the following day if it is a national holiday) and December 28 to January 1.
Inquiries:	Tokushima Prefectural Products Association
Tel:	Tel: 088-622-8257

Awa Odori Hall - 2nd Floor

Performances of the Awa Odori are held here year-round in a hall accommodating 250 people. The dance team which brings you this special experience is "AWANOKAZE." Why not join in!

AWANOKAZE Performances of the "Senzokuren" Awa Dance:
Times:	Weekdays - 3 times a day: 2:00 p.m./3:00 p.m./4:00 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays - 4 times a day: 11:00 a.m./ 2:00 p.m./3:00 p.m./4:00 p.m.
Admission fee:	Adults -500 Children under 13 -250

SPECIAL DANCE TEAM Performance of the "Yumeiren" Awa Dance:
Time:	Every evening - 8:00 to 8:50 p.m.
Admission fee:	Adults -700 Children under 13 -350
Inquiries:	The Tourist Association of Tokushima City
Tel:	088-622-4010
Closed:	(Awa Odori Hall) - 2nd and 4th Wednesdays (the following day if it is a national holiday). Closed occasionally for special events

Awa Odori Museum - 3rd Floor
The history and background of the Awa Odori are introduced in this museum which has outfits, costumes and musical instruments related to the dance on display. Come watch a movie on the dance and then try it out!

Hours:	9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Admission fee:	Adults -300 Children under 13 -150
Closed:	2nd and 4th Wednesdays (the following day if it is a national holiday) and December 28 to January 1.

Bizan Ropeway - 5th Floor
Come take the ropeway to Mt. Bizan ("Eyebrow Mountain") and enjoy the breathtaking panorama of Tokushima City. If you do a little homework before you come, you'll find out that a poem about the mountain is included in the "Manyoshu," Japan's earliest compilation of poetry (in 20 volumes) dating back to the 8th century. The trip takes about 7 minutes and is accessible for those in wheelchairs as well.

Hours:	April to September - 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. October to March - 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. End of March to end of August (Saturday and Sunday) - until 9:00 p.m.
Open:	Every day of the year. During Awa Odori (August 12 to 15) until 10:00 p.m.
Cost:	Adults - 600 one way (1,000 round trip) Children - 300 one way (500 round trip)
Inquiries:	Bizan Ropeway
Tel:	Tel: 088-652-3617

A Portuguese Diplomat in Love with Japan:
Spotlight on Wenceslau de Moraes

Moraes House & Museum
Memorial Hall of Friendship and Goodwill between Japan and Portugal
This museum was built to commemorate the life of Portuguese naval officer, diplomat and author Wenceslau de Moraes (1854-1929), fondly referred to as the Lafcadio Hearn of Shikoku. De Moraes was deeply inspired by the beauty of Japan's natural scenery, particularly Tokushima's Mt. Bizan, and he settled in a house which was built at the foot of this mountain. Through his writings he depicted the country's scenery and customs, and described how its people lived their lives, thus opening up the world of Japan to audiences abroad.

Moraes House & Museum

GENERAL INFORMATION
Hours:	April to September - 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. October to March - 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed:	Tuesdays (open if Tuesday falls on a national holiday but then is closed the following day) and December 29 to 31
Admission fee:	Adults - 200 University & High School Students - 150 Elementary and Junior High School Students - 100
Transportation:	Take the bus from Wakayama Station or Nankai Wakayamashi Station and get off at "Koen-mae" bus stop.
Address and Inquiries:	Moraes House & Museum Mosukegahara, Bizan-cho, Tokushima-shi (TEL: 088-622-4010)

Mt. Bizan

The top of Mt. Bizan can be reached by taking the ropeway from the 5th floor of the Awa Odori Kaikan. On really clear days, not only the city of Tokushima, but as far away as Awaji Island and Kii Peninsula can be seen.

Mt. Bizan Ropeway Tel: 088-652-3617
Fee Adults One-way

600, round-trip

1,000
Elementary school students One-way

300, round-trip

500

Cruise around Hyotan Island

The alluvial plain on which Tokushima was built was formed by the Yoshino River, one of the three largest rivers of Japan, and with the 138 large and small streams that flow through the city, this city of water has come to be known as the home of "Land of 100 Waters". Of particular interest is the coal-shaped island shaped from the streams surrounding it in the center of Tokushima. The island is six kilometers in circumference.
A 30-minute cruise run by local volunteers circles Hyotan Island five times daily. This is free of charge.

Shinmachi River Preservation Society Tel: 088-655-1201