Awaji Island

A large island in the Seto Inland Sea linked by the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, with Tadao Ando's Awaji Yumebutai, the seaside flower fields of Hanasajiki, and the Naruto whirlpools; best explored by driving around the island from Kobe.

Awaji Island is the largest island in the Seto Inland Sea and belongs to Hyogo Prefecture. Its northern tip is connected to Kobe by the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, and its southern tip to Naruto in Tokushima by the Ōnaruto Bridge. The island is about 53 km long and divided into the cities of Awaji, Sumoto and Minamiawaji. Its climate is mild. Rapeseed, tulips and flower fields peak from March to May. Summer offers sea swimming. In autumn, cosmos bloom. From December to February, daffodils flower in the south, and winter is also the season for Awaji pufferfish and hot springs. The Naruto whirlpools are most spectacular during the spring and autumn spring tides.

The north is where most visitors go: Tadao Ando's Awaji Yumebutai, the national Akashi Kaikyō Park, Mizumido, the Hanasajiki seaside flower fields, the Anime Forest animation park, the Awaji Nojima Fault Preservation Museum, and the Awaji service area beside the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. The center has Izanagi Shrine, associated with the myth of the nation's creation, along with Sumoto Castle and Sumoto Onsen. In the south, you can take a tide-watching boat from Fukura Port to see the Naruto whirlpools and the Awaji puppet theatre (ningyō jōruri). At the island's southern tip are the Ōnaruto Bridge observation deck and Numajima island. Getting there: express buses from Sannomiya, Osaka and Shin-Kobe reach various parts of the island in about 1–2 hours. Island bus services run infrequently, so driving around the island is strongly recommended. Plan 1–2 days: one for the north, and one for the south and Sumoto, with an overnight stay at Sumoto Onsen.

Top sights

• Uzushio Cruise from Fukura Port – A large whirlpool-watching boat departs from Fukura Port on southern Awaji Island and sails to the Naruto whirlpools beneath the Oonaruto B…
• Awaji Yumebutai – A large complex designed by Tadao Ando, with the Hyakudan-en garden of 100 square flower terraces stepping down the hillside and the Shell…
• Awaji Hanasajiki – A free flower park on the hills of northern Awaji Island, with large flower fields backed by views of Osaka Bay and the Akashi Strait.
• Nijigen no Mori – A themed outdoor park in Hyogo Prefectural Awaji Island Park, featuring attractions from Naruto, Godzilla and Dragon Quest.
• Izanagi Shrine – The first-ranked shrine of Awaji Province, the legendary resting place of Izanagi, the deity said to have created the Japanese islands. It…
• Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park (Awaji) – A large national government garden at the northern tip of Awaji Island, with seasonal flower fields, seaside lawns and a location next to A…
• Honpuku-ji Water Temple – A Buddhist hall designed by Tadao Ando, with a vermilion-red sanctuary below a lotus pond. It is a must-visit for architecture fans.
• Nojima Fault Preservation Museum – A memorial museum preserving the surface fault line from the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, where you can see displaced rice paddy ridges a…
• Sumoto Castle – A castle ruin on Mount Mikuma with stone walls, offering views over Sumoto city and Osaka Bay, and listed among Japan's 100 Castles.
• Sumoto Onsen – A hot spring town below Sumoto Castle facing Osaka Bay. Ocean-view outdoor baths and Awaji seafood cuisine are the highlights of staying he…
• Awaji Puppet Theatre – Awaji puppet theater performing roughly 500-year-old Awaji Ningyo Joruri, a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Proper…
• Michi-no-Eki Uzushio & Uzu no Oka – A viewpoint on the Great Naruto Bridge at the southern tip of Awaji Island, overlooking the Naruto Strait. Its onion burger and giant onion…
• Awaji Service Area – An expressway service area at the Awaji end of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, where a Ferris wheel and observation deck give close-up views of t…
• Awaji Farm Park England Hill – A farm park in English countryside style, with koalas, flower fields and farming activities. A good choice for families.
• Nada Kuroiwa Narcissus Village – One of Japan's three great daffodil colonies, where about five million wild daffodils bloom on the sea-cliff slopes.
• Nushima Island – A small island south of Awaji, said to be Onogoro-jima, the first island created in myth. A giant rock called Kamitachi Rock stands by the…

Where to eat

• Uo no Kyowakoku Ebisumaru (Michi-no-Eki Awaji) – A popular seafood rice bowl shop in the Michi-no-Eki Awaji rest stop beneath the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. Its raw shirasu…
• Hayashiya Sushi – A sushi shop run by a century-old fresh fish store in Iwaya, using fish from Awaji's coastal waters. It often fills up…
• Awaji Gourmet Hall Miketsukuni – A restaurant in a converted Taisho-era red-brick mill in Sumoto, officially certified to sell Awaji beef. Awaji beef bo…
• Uzunooka Restaurant – A scenic restaurant on the second floor of the Uzunooka Onaruto Bridge Memorial Museum, overlooking the Naruto Strait…

Itineraries

• Awaji Island North-to-South – Cross the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge from Kobe to see Tadao Ando's architecture and flower fields, stay in Sumoto, and watch…