Experience the best of Tokushima

Tokushima lies at the mouth of the Yoshino River on the east coast of Shikoku, a city of rivers and bridges. At its centre rises Mount Bizan, a forested hill reached by ropeway, with a view across the city and the sea to Awaji Island on clear days. The old stone walls of Tokushima Castle lie beside the station in a park with a garden.

In mid-August the Awa Odori festival turns the streets into a procession of dancers, drummers and flute players, one of Japan's most famous summer dance festivals, and a hall in the city lets visitors watch the dance at other times of year. The whirlpools of the Naruto strait lie to the north-east, and the first temple of Shikoku's eighty-eight temple pilgrimage stands in neighbouring Naruto.

Tokushima ramen is served in a rich pork-bone and soy broth, topped with raw egg and stewed pork. Sudachi, a tiny green citrus, is squeezed over fish and noodles, and Tokushima was long the centre of Japan's indigo dyeing, which still makes blue cloth and crafts.