Hello travelers! I was asked to make a review of my 3 day driving trip in Shikoku with my fiancee that we took in November.
We were originally going to spend the night in Beppu but found after a day of walking around, we were ready to ditch the tourists and take off to the island. We took the Uwajima ferry which was about 2.45 hrs from Beppu to Yawatahama. The pricing was roughly about 40 CAD a person and the ferry was really nice and quiet, with large areas to rest. You could upgrade to a private area on the upper floor, but we didn’t feel that was necessary. There was a snack bar, small arcade, washrooms and you were allowed to step outside to smoke/vape. The ferry was very large and we did not experience too much movement.
We then took the train from Yawatahama to Matsuyama to pick up our car rental the next day. Through an app called ToCoo! That someone else recommended on here, we were able to get pick up in one city and drop off in another for a small surcharge (¥3000) which was super handy. We then drove the 2.5 hrs to Kochi city. It was a gorgeous drive, with tunnels galore and mountain views with little towns. Stunning.
Arrival in Kochi we had rented an air bnb in an old traditional house that was huge and gorgeous. Unfortunately at this time, my partner got a bad cold and we didn’t do much that first night.
Next day:
Ryugado caves – so cool! You take a giant escalator up the mountain to a cave that’s about 2.5km long. Would not recommend if you are claustrophobic, have mobility issues or don’t like creepy crawlies. Very hot and lots of stairs, but really neat. In total took about an hr. Below the cave is a little area with locals selling knives, fruits and local wares. Very good pricing.
Urado bridge to Katsurahama Beach area
Local samurai hero Sakamoto Ryoma – statues and viewing points. This beach is known as one of the most beautiful viewing spots in Kochi. Umi no Terrace shopping area was full of local delicacies and souvenirs and nice little Cafe restaurants to stop and grab a bite. There is an aquarium but it we did not go in. Something about an aquarium next to the ocean always makes me sad. We left at dark and just went to a CoCo curry for dinner as the next day was drive heavy.
Next day : Kochi – Nagoro scarecrow village – vine bridges – Tokushima
We drove about 3.5 hrs to Nagoro. This was some of the most beautiful views of Japan I have ever seen. Little fishing villages nestled deep in the mountains, it was misty and raining a little, just adding the ambiance. Our little roomy made it all the way through the mountain roads which at a lot of times, were single lane roads.
Things to know about driving Shikoku ::
The road often go down to one lane. There are mirrors on the corners to see if there is another car coming. Drive with caution.
Look at the traffic boards. We used Google translate to assist as due to the rain, we were concerned about road closures. Our GPS did try to say the roads were closed a few times. They were not, the GPS just hadn’t caught up with the times. So don’t always trust it blindly. You will cross many bridges and go through lots of little towns that are beautiful and traditional. Obey and observe the lights. Some roads had lights at the beginning of them, due to one lane and road work you had to wait til the light went green. Be comfortable with heights as you are driving through the mountains, with sometimes nothing more than a tiny railing on one side.
Nagoro scarecrow village was amazing. We saw about 6 other tourists there. Everyone was respectful and kind. It was really emotional and poetic to see. If you haven’t heard of it, check out Abroad in Japan or an episode of James May our man in Japan. Really was so worth it.
Another 40 mins down the road were the vine bridges. They were scary if you’re scared of heights but peacefully set in a mountainside near a beautiful river. There were 2, plus you could go down and check out the water.
Drive to Tokushima took about another 3 hrs. We ended up passing through many more cool little villages and towns namely Oboke town which was all about yokai! They had lots of restaurants and places to stop and I was sad we didn’t have more time to spend the night there and explore as I love anything with Japanese folklore.
Tokushima after dark was pretty quiet. We walked to the main downtown strip from our air bnb and found a nomihodai place with great food. I think it was 25$ CAD roughly for 120 mins all you can drink plus the food which was really well priced. Tokushima was extremely walkable and I wish we had more time but our flight back to Tokyo was the next day at 11am.
We experienced that English was not as prevalent on the island (obviously), but we were able to get by with Google translate and the little Japanese we know without an issues. Our pocket wifi worked like a charm the entire way with no isses. All in all we loved everything about Shikoku and would recommend to anyone who is looking to escape the city and see some gems of Japan. I can’t wait to visit again! Thanks for reading this, if you got this far!
by daniraven844888