Tokushima Prefecture occupies the northeastern corner of Shikoku island, facing Osaka Bay and the Kii Channel across the Naruto Strait. It is best known for two very different natural spectacles: the Naruto whirlpools, where powerful tidal currents collide to form swirling vortices up to 20 meters across, and the remote Iya Valley, a steep, cedar-forested gorge in the prefecture's mountainous interior where vine suspension bridges have carried travelers across the Iya River for centuries. Tokushima City, the capital, is famous nationwide for the Awa Odori, Japan's largest traditional dance festival, held every August since the Edo period and drawing over a million spectators. The prefecture was historically Awa Province, ruled for nearly 300 years by the Hachisuka clan from Tokushima Castle, and its Edo-period wealth was built on the cultivation and trade of Awa-ai indigo dye, a craft still practiced today.
Best souvenirs
Authentic items worth bringing home.
Awa-ai indigo-dyed textiles, scarves, and tenugui (Ai no Yakata or Konya-machi shops, ¥800–15,000)
Otani-yaki pottery, from small cups to enormous storage jars (¥1,000–30,000 at Naruto kilns)
Sudachi citrus products — ponzu, juice, soft-serve, and dried peel (¥300–2,500, best sourced from Kamiyama)
Awa Odori festival goods — kasa hats, happi coats, taiko and kane charm keychains (¥500–5,000)
Awa washi handmade paper stationery and lampshades (¥300–5,000, Yamakawa studios)
Naruto wakame seaweed and Naruto-dai sea bream products (¥400–3,000 at Uzu-no-Michi shop)
Iya soba noodle gift sets and deer jerky from Iya Valley roadside stalls (¥500–3,000)
Naruto kintoki sweet potato products — dried imo-kenpi chips, purple-fleshed sweet potato pudding and baked snacks (¥300–1,800, roadside stands and Naruto farm shops)
Tsurugi somen — thin, hand-stretched wheat noodles from the Tsurugi mountain area, sold in gift boxes with dashi packets (¥600–3,000)
Awa-cha fermented tea — a rare post-fermented dark tea unique to the mountain villages of Tokushima, sold loose-leaf or in tea bags (¥800–4,000)
Traditional markets
Where locals shop and travellers find treasures.
Sudachi-kan Farmers Market
Kamiyama farmers market specializing in sudachi citrus and other local mountain produce
Hours: 9:00 am–5:00 pm (closed Wednesdays in winter)
Oboke Michi-no-Eki Roadside Station
Gateway market for the Oboke/Koboke gorges and Iya Valley, selling mountain vegetables and regional food gifts
Hours: 8:30 am–5:00 pm