a region of japan
Shikoku
Shikoku is the smallest of Japan's four main islands, four prefectures across the Seto Inland Sea from Honshu: the Iya Valley, Ritsurin Garden at Takamatsu, Dogo Onsen at Matsuyama, and the art islands of Naoshima.
The Oboke Gorge, Iya Valley
- Prefectures
- Kagawa, Tokushima, Ehime and Kochi
- Places
- Seven places
- Journeys
- The Custom Tour of Japan
overview
Shikoku, at a glance
Shikoku's four prefectures gave the island its name, which means four provinces. It is mountainous and green, ringed by the Inland Sea to the north and the Pacific to the south, and known across Japan for the pilgrimage of eighty-eight temples that circles it, walked in honour of the monk Kukai.
Takamatsu, in Kagawa, has Ritsurin, one of the most beautiful strolling gardens in Japan, and is the harbour for Naoshima and the other art islands of the Inland Sea. At Kotohira the shrine of Konpira-san is reached by 785 stone steps up the wooded flank of Mount Zozu. In Tokushima the Iya Valley cuts deep between forested peaks, crossed by bridges of woven vine, and the whirlpools of Naruto turn beneath the bridge to Awaji. Matsuyama, in Ehime, has a hilltop castle and Dogo Onsen, one of the oldest onsen in Japan, and Kochi, on the Pacific coast, keeps one of the twelve castles in Japan whose keep has stood since the Edo period.
Three bridges join Shikoku to Honshu, and Takamatsu is under an hour by train from Okayama on the Sanyo Shinkansen.
places
Where to go in Shikoku
Our tours stay overnightOur tours visit for the dayOn a Custom Tour of Japan
- Iya ValleyVine bridges, thatched farmhouses, and green water far below the road.Tokushima
- KochiA castle city on the Pacific, its market under the trees every Sunday.Kochi
- Kotohira and TakamatsuA lord's garden by the sea, and a mountain shrine for those who sail.Kagawa
- Matsuyama and ImabariAn onsen town of wooden bathhouses beneath a castle on its hill.Ehime
- MurotoA cape of black rock facing the Pacific, where a monk once sat looking at sky and sea.Kochi
- Naoshima and the Seto Inland SeaAndo's concrete, Monet's water lilies, and the calm of the Inland Sea around them.Kagawa
- NarutoThe sea turns in great whirlpools beneath the bridge to Awaji.Tokushima
journeys
Shikoku on a private journey
We bring guests to Shikoku on the Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director.
questions
Shikoku: questions answered
Is Naoshima in Shikoku?
Yes. Naoshima belongs to Kagawa prefecture, in Shikoku, and is reached by ferry from Takamatsu or from Uno, on the Okayama shore of Honshu.
How do you get to Shikoku?
By train from Okayama to Takamatsu across the Seto Ohashi bridge, under an hour; by air to Takamatsu, Matsuyama, Kochi or Tokushima; or by car over the bridges from Kobe or Onomichi.
What is Shikoku known for?
The pilgrimage of eighty-eight temples, the Iya Valley and its vine bridges, Ritsurin Garden, Dogo Onsen, the art islands of the Inland Sea, the Naruto whirlpools and the udon of Kagawa.
Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Shikoku?
We bring guests to Shikoku on the Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director.
the regions of japan
The rest of Japan
Reading on Shikoku
Shikoku, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and which places in Shikoku draw you, and we will answer with a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone, or, if you would rather travel independently, an Expert Japan Itinerary that plans every day for you.