Three days in Tokushima: Naruto or Wakimachi?
For city performances, views and the strait, take a Naruto bus day trip from your Tokushima hotel. For historic streets, choose a rental-car return trip to Wakimachi. Its facility subtotal excludes rental, refuelling and parking.
Choose a 3 days, 2 nights itinerary
A: two nights in Tokushima with a Naruto day trip
Stay in Tokushima for a performance day and a Naruto Strait day. Visit Naruto by return bus, then Bizan on the final day.
A: two nights in Tokushima with a Naruto day trip →3 days, 2 nightsB: two nights in Tokushima with Wakimachi on day two
If historic streets appeal more than the strait, take a rental-car day trip to Wakimachi on day two. Stay two nights in Tokushima, see a show on day one and choose Bizan on the final day around your departure. Car costs are separate from the facility subtotal.
B: two nights in Tokushima with Wakimachi on day two →A: two nights in Tokushima with a Naruto day trip
Stay in Tokushima for a performance day and a Naruto Strait day. Visit Naruto by return bus, then Bizan on the final day.
Day 1: central Tokushima
Stay two nights at the same hotel near Tokushima Station. Choose the first-day show around your arrival time; include Bizan on the final day only if you have enough time before leaving.
- JR Tokushima Station → Your booked Tokushima hotel
Travel from Tokushima Station to your booked hotel.
- Tokushima hotel → Awa Odori Kaikan entrance
Walk to Awa Odori Kaikan. The theatre is on the second floor of the same building.
- Awa Odori Kaikan entrance → Second-floor theatre
See one daytime show in the second-floor theatre. Regular shows start at 11:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00 and last 40 minutes, so account for your hotel stop and ticket purchase as well as station arrival. If you miss the daytime shows, compare the 20:00 evening show at JPY 1,600 per adult—JPY 300 more. This itinerary cannot be followed unchanged on closure days or during the August 11–15 regular-show suspension.
Kaikan show and ropeway fees and operationsOfficial price list
- Awa Odori Kaikan → Dinner near the station or Kaikan, then the same hotel
After the show, choose an open restaurant near Kaikan or the station for dinner, then return to the same hotel. For an evening show, check restaurant last-order times.
Day 2: a return trip to Naruto Strait
View Naruto Strait from Uzunomichi’s walkway. Take a return bus trip to Naruto Park around the tidal times.
- Tokushima hotel and bay 16 outside Tokushima Station → Naruto Park stop
Take a Naruto Park-bound bus from bay 16 outside Tokushima Station and get off at the park. Adult fares are JPY 870 one way or JPY 1,740 return. Choose both buses around your date’s tide table and Uzunomichi’s admission deadline. Allow extra time for the walk from your hotel to the bay and bus waits.
October weekday timetableHoliday timetableFares and payment guidance
- Naruto Park stop → Uzunomichi entrance and strait walkway
Walk about five minutes from the stop to the entrance and buy the JPY 510 adult ticket. Explore the walkway beneath the bridge. Whirlpools may be absent at some times, so choose buses around your date’s tide table. Last admission is 16:30 from October through February and 17:30 from March through September.
Directions to the entranceCheck admission and closuresTide table for your visit date
- Uzunomichi and Naruto Park stop → Tokushima Station and the same hotel
After visiting, take a Tokushima Station-bound bus from Naruto Park and return to the same hotel. If eating lunch in the park, fit it around your return bus; if no shops are open, eat near the station. Choose the return service before sightseeing.
October weekday timetableHoliday timetableCheck admission and closures
Day 3: Bizan before departure
Leave your hotel near Tokushima Station and walk to Awa Odori Kaikan. Go to the fifth-floor ropeway base station, ride up for Bizan’s views, then take the same ropeway down.
- Fifth-floor base station at Awa Odori Kaikan → Bizan summit station
Buy a return ticket at Kaikan’s fifth-floor Bizan Ropeway base station and ride to the summit. Adult return admission is JPY 1,500; the ride takes about six minutes and usually starts operating at 09:00. Allow extra time for tickets, queues and a summit walk. Recheck seasonal closing times and maintenance or bad-weather suspensions for your date.
Kaikan show and ropeway fees and operationsOfficial price list
- Bizan summit station → Base station
After enjoying the views, take the same ropeway down.
- Base station and Tokushima hotel → Your actual departure boarding point
Beyond the roughly six-minute ropeway ride, allow time to reach your hotel and departure boarding point. Shorten the Bizan visit for an early departure.
Included costs: Daytime show JPY 1,300 + Uzunomichi JPY 510 + Bizan JPY 1,500 + Tokushima Station–park return bus JPY 1,740
Extra costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, airport or onward travel, travel between your hotel and boarding points, and luggage storage cost extra.
The evening show adds JPY 300; omitting Bizan deducts JPY 1,500. Bus tickets do not include facility admission.
Official price listKaikan show and ropeway fees and operationsCheck admission and closuresFares and payment guidance
B: two nights in Tokushima with Wakimachi on day two
If historic streets appeal more than the strait, take a rental-car day trip to Wakimachi on day two. Stay two nights in Tokushima, see a show on day one and choose Bizan on the final day around your departure. Car costs are separate from the facility subtotal.
Day 1: central Tokushima
Stay two nights near Tokushima Station and rent a car only for the Wakimachi day trip. Choose pickup and return locations near your hotel and check the return deadline and fuel policy. Rental, insurance, fuel and expressway tolls are outside the facility subtotal.
- JR Tokushima Station → Your booked Tokushima hotel
Travel from Tokushima Station to your booked hotel.
- Tokushima hotel → Awa Odori Kaikan entrance
Walk to Awa Odori Kaikan. The theatre is on the second floor of the same building.
- Awa Odori Kaikan entrance → Second-floor theatre
See one daytime show in the second-floor theatre. Shows start at 11:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00 and last 40 minutes. For a late arrival, consider the 20:00 evening show, but adult admission rises from JPY 1,300 to JPY 1,600. Do not include the first-day show on Kaikan closure days or during the August 11–15 regular-show suspension.
Kaikan show and ropeway fees and operationsOfficial price list
- Awa Odori Kaikan → Dinner near the station or Kaikan, then the same hotel
After the show, choose an open restaurant near Kaikan or the station for dinner, then return to the same hotel. For an evening show, check restaurant last-order times.
Day 2: the journey to Wakimachi
Walk Wakimachi’s streets and look at historic homes with udatsu walls. Decide separately whether to visit inside the Yoshida Residence.
- Tokushima hotel → Ai Land Udatsu passenger-car parking
Drive to Ai Land Udatsu’s passenger-car parking. Official tourist guidance gives about one hour five minutes from Tokushima city or seven minutes from Wakimachi IC. Allow extra time for car pickup and parking. The passenger-car lot has 39 spaces and differs from the tour-bus lot. Ask the facility about parking fees and conditions that day.
Ai Land Udatsu location and operationsDistinguish passenger-car and tour-bus parking
- Ai Land Udatsu passenger-car parking → Wakimachi Udatsu Townscape
Park and walk towards the Yoshida Residence connected to Ai Land Udatsu to enter the old streets. The basic itinerary explores lanes and historic exteriors, so no separate street admission is added. For the Yoshida Residence interior, adult admission is JPY 510; open 09:00–17:00, last admission 16:30. Choose an open shop for lunch. Ai Land Udatsu’s information facility opens 09:00–17:30 and closes December 27–January 1; individual street shops do not all follow those hours.
Ai Land Udatsu location and operationsYoshida Residence fees and hours
- Wakimachi Udatsu Townscape → Tokushima hotel
Retrace your steps to the parking lot and drive to your booked return location in Tokushima. Follow the fuel policy and return deadline, then head to your hotel. About one hour five minutes each way is general road guidance, so add traffic and refuelling time. If you cannot rent a car, choose the Naruto bus itinerary. The Wakimachi driving route cannot be replaced with a bus itinerary on the same schedule.
Ai Land Udatsu location and operationsOctober weekday timetableHoliday timetableFares and payment guidance
Day 3: Bizan before departure
Leave your hotel near Tokushima Station and walk to Awa Odori Kaikan. Go to the fifth-floor ropeway base station, ride up for Bizan’s views, then take the same ropeway down.
- Fifth-floor base station at Awa Odori Kaikan → Bizan summit station
Buy a return ticket at Kaikan’s fifth-floor Bizan Ropeway base station and ride to the summit. Adult return admission is JPY 1,500; the ride takes about six minutes and usually starts operating at 09:00. Allow extra time for tickets, queues and a summit walk. Recheck seasonal closing times and maintenance or bad-weather suspensions for your date.
Kaikan show and ropeway fees and operationsOfficial price list
- Bizan summit station → Base station
After enjoying the views, take the same ropeway down.
- Base station and Tokushima hotel → Your actual departure boarding point
You returned the car yesterday, so travel on foot today. Beyond the roughly six-minute ropeway ride, allow time to reach your hotel and departure boarding point. Omit Bizan for an early departure.
Included costs: Daytime show JPY 1,300 + optional Bizan return ride JPY 1,500
Extra costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, airport or onward travel, hotel–boarding-point journeys and luggage storage cost extra. Rental, insurance, fuel, expressway tolls and parking are excluded. Adding the Yoshida Residence interior costs JPY 510.
Without Bizan, the subtotal is JPY 1,300. Add JPY 510 for the Yoshida Residence interior. Calculate car rental and parking separately using your booking quote.
Official price listKaikan show and ropeway fees and operationsYoshida Residence fees and hoursParking fees and guidance
Before departure, on-the-day checks and FAQ
Will a morning bus let me see the whirlpools?
Morning alone does not ensure whirlpool views. Find good viewing times in your date’s tide table and choose both outbound and park-origin return buses in the operator’s timetable. Check that you can arrive before Uzunomichi’s admission cutoff.
October weekday timetableHoliday timetableTide table for your visit dateCheck admission and closures
Does the Wakimachi facility budget include a rental car?
No. Three-day B’s JPY 2,800 covers the daytime show and optional Bizan return ride. Without Bizan it is JPY 1,300. Rental, insurance, fuel, expressway tolls and parking cost extra. Add JPY 510 per adult for the Yoshida Residence interior.
Official price listKaikan show and ropeway fees and operationsYoshida Residence fees and hours
Official sources and check dates
- Kaikan show and ropeway fees and operations ·
- Check admission and closures ·
- Directions to the entrance ·
- Tide table for your visit date ·
- Parking fees and guidance ·
- Ai Land Udatsu location and operations ·
- Yoshida Residence fees and hours ·
- Distinguish passenger-car and tour-bus parking ·
- October weekday timetable ·
- Holiday timetable ·
- Fares and payment guidance ·
- Official price list ·