Shikoku Travel

[Tony Galiani]

As I was noting @RS18U and @chadbag's comments about Shikoku, I also spotted this article in Asahi Shimbun - it as about one of Japan's most disappointing sightseeing spots which happens to be in Kochi!

It is in Kochi and we missed it on our visit.  Judging from the pictures of people taking photos at the bridge, maybe it is not as disappointing as the article would have us believe?

 

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15677586

 

Ciao,

Tony

[bill937ca]

That is very close to the tram diamond crossing.  I think the bridge is back off the street a bit.

 

 

Edited April 2 by bill937ca

[Tony Galiani]

I enjoyed these videos from Shikoku.

 

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/6045046/  and  https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/6045060/   (from a Cat's Eye View of Japan)

 

Japan Navigator from NHK:  https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/japannavigator/  - there are 57 videos about areas in Shikoku.

 

Seven Days on Japan's Smallest Island:  

 

 

Travel through Ehime via NHK Train Cruise:  https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/2068032/

 

And on Japan Railway Journal:  https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/2049138/

 

Also, Solo Travel Japan has some videos on both his main channel and his food channel about train rides and dining around Shikoku.

 

I am going to stop here but will also post about some of the things we did and liked on our two trips to Shikoku.

 

Ciao,

Tony

 

[Tony Galiani]

@bill937ca  And I managed to miss that when we were there!  We saw the trams on the line to Ino Town and by JR Kochi station but managed to miss so much more including that train diamond which, if I understand correctly, is one of only three in Japan.  Though I am already planning a return trip.

Tony

[miyakoji]

Shikoku is underrated.  My only disappointment was that I didn't get to Tokushima or Kochi 🙂

[Tony Galiani]

@miyakoji - We really enjoyed Kochi.  Missed Tokushima but maybe on a future trip.  I have been thinking about what worked well for us and what we missed out on in our two visits to Shikoku and will write those up as well and post over the next few days.

Tony

[RS18U]

Thanks @Tony Galiani for setting this up, and all the great info so far.  Lots to look at.  What would you suggest for time?  Would 5 days be reasonable?  We do a lot of walking, but no hiking, we like historical places and museums.  and good food, but that should be a given for anyone going to Japan!  We will be using public transportation, no car rental.

[Tony Galiani]

I think five days would be great.  We have done that much over two trips and got a good taste for the island though more time would be good as well.  Planning to return there - hopefully later this year.

 

We too do a lot of walking and enjoy just wandering around places.  I have a list of things to do for both good and bad weather and we sort of wing it each day depending on the situation.  Having said that, a bit more planning would be better.  We missed out on some good things to do last trip as our approach was a bit too casual.  For example, we could have done more on our train trip along the coast had we researched it a bit more and noticed things like the museum in Nahiri which we completely overlooked.  Or the samurai houses in Aki which we only learned about on the way back from a conversation with an Australian woman we met on the train.

 

We got around fine with public transportation though that does limit you a bit in some of the more remote areas of Shikoku.

 

I have written about our trips in my travel threads but I am going to add posts to this thread mentioning some things to do that we missed or might have arranged differently.

 

Cheers,

Tony

[RS18U]

Thanks Tony,

 

Sounds like we travel very much the same, which is what I also gathered from your posts on your travels.  The missed opportunities are always good to know and I will be adding in both of the ones you mentioned above to a possible itinerary for our trip.

 

Our Japanese- Canadian friend highly recommends Takamatsu to Yawatahama for its great ocean side train ride so we will be looking into that.

[RS18U]

  On 4/2/2025 at 12:45 PM, Tony Galiani said:

museum in Nahiri

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@Tony Galiani did you mean something else?  'Nahiri' google maps to someplace in Mexico.

[Tony Galiani]

My bad - it is Nahari, not Nahiri.  Nahari is the last stop on the Tosa Kuroshio line from Gomen.

Tony

[RS18U]

Think I found it: https://maps.app.goo.gl/tuyv82WnfZEuLhkA9

[Ekiben]

  On 4/2/2025 at 2:05 PM, RS18U said:

Our Japanese- Canadian friend highly recommends Takamatsu to Yawatahama for its great ocean side train ride

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The Yosan Line, which runs between Takamatsu and Uwajima is Shikoku's main rail corridor. It has some very scenic stretches with both ocean and mountain views. An added bonus, in my opinion, is that it also passes trough some of the island's principal industrial areas (shipbuilding facilities in Imabari and a major LNG terminal in Sakaide, for example). I always enjoy discovering what the locals do, and these offer some insight about the local industries and economy.

 

The JR Shikoku rail pass is available in three-, four-, and five-day versions. The price is still relatively affordable in comparison to other Japanese rail passes so you needn't worry about getting a five-day pass and not maximizing every single day. This would give you ample time and flexibility to see the island. Many sights are easily accessible from the train lines. I am planning a kind of clockwise circumnavigation of Shikoku by rail in November. If you're curious, the gap between the end of the Mugi Line and Nahari along the Muroto Peninsula requires a short stretch by bus to link up the railways. It seems pretty straightforward, and I can include links to the schedules I've found in a future post. Alternatively, the Ltd. Express Tsurugi-san between Tokushima and Awa-Ikeda is a pleasant and much shorter way to reach Kochi from Tokushima.

 

I spend the vast majority of my time in Japan visiting family in Ehime Prefecture, so that kind of feels like a second home to me. Matsuyama castle is a gem, as is the city's tram network and the Dogo Hotspring area. Near Matsuyama is the historic town of Uchiko, which can be visited in a few hours in between trains. Ozu also has a nice castle, historic quarter and a very relaxing vibe. 

 

I had a chance to gather some intel at Marugame in Kagawa Prefecture during a transfer and discovered that there is a very noteworthy castle within walking distance of the station. I've added it to my list of things to see on my next trip, as it's in a good spot to break up the train trip and stretch the legs between Matsuyama and Takamatsu.

 

As @Tony Galiani accurately notes in his recent travelogue, Shikoku is a very low-key and understated destination. It lacks the mega-attractions found elsewhere in Japan, but it offers an unhurried and uncrowded tourist experience in return. A perfect place to just wander around and watch daily life in action. Of course, the food is great too. I look forward to seeing your trip take shape.

 

 

 

Edited April 3 by Ekiben

[Tony Galiani]

I thought I would post some thoughts about my recent trips to Shikoku with an eye to some of the things I could have done better.

 

In my previous life I was heavily involved in project development and management with things planned out years in advance.  And on a typical day, I would have walked the dogs, taken care of the cats, prepped for work and be in the office close to zero dark hundred.  So nowadays, I take a pretty relaxed approach to trip planning though I am working to get a bit more organized as I don't think I can always count on lucky finds like the castle illumination in Fukuoka or the festival in Kochi.

 

So on to our first trip which was to Takamatsu and Oboke Gorge and some of the things we could have done better.

 

We took the Marine Liner from Okayama over the Seto Ohashi Bridge.  Not sure if I mentioned this correctly in previous posts but I suggest sitting on the left side in either direction going over the bridge for the best views.  I should have gotten upper deck reserved seats in the lead car but missed out on that when I made my purchase.  Communication problem I think as we did get reserved tickets on the Shinkansen Osaka to Okayama so maybe the ticket seller thought that was all we wanted in terms of reserved seats.

 

I also did not have my camera ready and there are quite a few interesting photo opportunities as the train arrives on the Shikoku side.  There is a large JR Freight yard just east of the bridge with a lot of container freights.  Apparently, most freight arriving in Shikoku reaches this yard and then is distributed around the island - I saw container trucks in Takamatsu and in Oboke Gorge.  (Still looking for models of those - need to find a hobby shop on my next trip to Shikoku.)  On the route into Takamatsu, we also passed the Sunrise Seto stabled in some sidings and various maintenance of way trains.  All of which went unphotographed as I was not prepared.  Going west from the bridge, there is a station (who's name I forget unfortunately) where there is a plynthed steam loco and lots of Chikis loaded with rails - saw this every time we went by there on our train rides.  BTW, heading toward Matsuyama, the line passes the Daio Paper plant at Iyo Mishima where Kokis are shunted into an open sided building - hopefully I might go that way on a future trip.

 

In Takamatsu, we stayed near the station and were only a block from the castle ruins and the last stop on the Kotoden tram line.  Guidebooks tend to be a bit dismissive of the castle and we only saw it on our last day in a light rain when we had some time before heading to the airport - in hindsight, I would have allowed a bit more time for that and for wandering around down by the waterfront nearby.

 

Ritsorin Garden was great and included a chance to ride a 1500 series DMU the short distance to the entrance on the north side of the garden.  We spent several hours there before being chased out due to boar alert.  Allowing half a day would have been good if circumstances permitted.  We missed out on the aquarium and the museum as I had not factored them into our plans nor did we walk around the waterfront and shopping arcades  on the other side of  the JR Takamatsu station so several misses there.

 

One day we took the train to Oboke Gorge.  This was an enjoyable trip but, since we were winging it, we missed the bus connection to the boat ride area so we walked which took some time.  Not a bad thing as we enjoy our walks but it took time away from other opportunities in the area.  Late October, early November is a good time to go temperature wise but too early for the Fall foliage and too late for some of the small business in the area - both coffee shops near the JR station were closed.  In hindsight, we should have splurged on a taxi (available at the station) to see some of the other nearby sights.  BTW - the river boat ride is nice but not very long.

 

We also went to Naoshima from Takamatsu.  I think it can be reached from Honshu as well but most guidebooks seem to include it with Shikoku.  A pleasurable trip but, winging it again, we had to hustle to the ferry for the ride out.  Cash only!  Once on the island, and with only vague plans - Mira wanted to see some of the outside sculptures, we ended up walking the route on the coast towards the museum area.  Once we got there, we found out that you need to reserve a time slot - we had not been aware of that - and the only availability was late in the afternoon (which was too risky for me - late ferry times and the Princess of Procrastination are not a good combination!)  After checking out the linear garden, we took the free shuttle to an area on the east side of the island with more outdoor sculptures and then headed back to the port on the 100 yen bus.  We enjoyed coffee and sweets at a local shop up the hill - always like to find a local business if we can.  They did take credit cards  - thankfully - as we needed to hold on to our cash to buy return tickets.  (This is sort of odd to me - the island is a well know art destination but you can only buy one way tickets on the ferry and you can only pay with cash.)

 

So, we had a great time on our first Shikoku trip which definitely whetted our appetite for future visits.  A few miscues but live and learn.

Ciao,

Tony

 

[RS18U]

  On 4/3/2025 at 6:26 AM, Ekiben said:

The JR Shikoku rail pass is available in three-, four-, and five-day versions

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Their web site also notes a 7 day pass too, this is looking like the one for us at 20,000 yen.

 

Also JR Shikoku is now working with klook for a QR Code pass, details here: https://www.jr-shikoku.co.jp/global/en/news/pdf/20250402-qr-ticket-service.pdf

Edited Friday at 02:17 PM by RS18U

[Tony Galiani]

Have been planning to write some notes on my most recent trip to Shikoku but seem to keep getting distracted!  Finally have my thoughts organized, again around the themes of what we liked and what we might have done a bit better.  I noted what we did on my travel thread but here are some further thoughts about our second trip to Shikoku.

 

This trip was to Kochi though, to be honest, we sort of fell into that.  My original hope was to go to see the Shimanto River but the logistics seemed a bit challenging, especially if we were to rely on public transport.  Doable and something to aim for in the future as we continue to expand our comfort zone.

 

As I was planning the trip, I discovered a direct flight to Kochi from Fukuoka so that led me to focus on going there.  By default - since Kyushu was our first destination and we wanted to be back in Tokyo for a few days before heading home, we ended up going to Kochi on the weekend in the middle of our trip.

 

Looking for things to do, I discovered the Sunday Market so that became our first plan.  The Ino Paper Museum was also highly recommended so that became part of the plan as well.  Mira wanted to take a paper making class though it turned out the longer (half day) session was not available on the weekend.  We had to go on Sunday as the museum is closed on Mondays (as is typical in Japan) so she settled for the brief basic paper making session.  BTW - staff there were super friendly and seemed very happy to have tourists coming to the museum.

 

We hadn't make a plan for Saturday as our flight did not arrive until after 6:00 and we did not get to our hotel till close to 7:00.  It was just luck that we stumbled on a festival.  We saw more festival events on Sunday but also missed some performances as we did not have the schedule.  Next time I would put more effort into checking out options for that.

 

On Monday, we rode the train on the Gomen-Nahari line having purchased hop-on / hop-off tickets.  This worked out well though, again since this was last minute and not researched, we missed a few options.  We started late as well - taking the 10:13 train out of Kochi - with an earlier start, and a bit of planning - we could have added a stop at Aki to see the samurai houses and at Yasu for a beach walk.  And with hindsight (and the info recently posted on the forum), I would have explored the possibility of getting to Muroto and on to the ASA DMV line.

 

Definitely would like to get back to Kochi on a future trip to Shikoku.  Liked the city and the hotel was an excellent value. Kochi also a lot more to offer that we never got to - an art museum, the castle, a botanical garden, a day trip to the Niyodo River and the paper making class at the paper museum.  

 

Hope this is useful for anyone planning a Shikoku trip in the future.

Ciao,

Tony

[RS18U]

Thanks @Tony Galiani, this is super helpful.  Kochi has come up as key destination for us as well so will be considering the sites to add to the itinerary with consideration of your comments.  Funny though I had already noted the paper museum and the castle as well as the Chikurinji Temple and the Shikoku Automobile Museum.

 

Will

[Tony Galiani]

I missed the Shikoku Automobile Museum all together!  I will have to add that to my list as I do hope to return to Kochi.

Tony