徳島市街 Tokushima city
Tokushima City is the capital of the prefecture with the same name. It is located on the delta of the largest river in Shikoku Island, the Yoshino. The city has long been the center of industry and culture in the area, and is known for its agriculture. The roots of the city go back to 1587 when the feudal lord Hachisuka Iemasa built a castle there, and the area thrived under his family’s rule for many generations.
Today the original castle no longer remains, though there is a public park on the site. The city is most famous for its annual Awa Odori dance festival in August, but there are many interesting things to see and do throughout the year. Mt. Bizan has a beautiful viewpoint which you can reach via cable car, and there are museums and hands-on experiences related to the traditional crafts, such as woodworking, puppet theater which is called ningyo joruri, Otani-style pottery, and aizome indigo dyeing. There is also a rather cool museum for Awa Odori called the Awa Odori Kaikan Museum which has live performances as well.
Shikoku tourism put together a nice video overview of the island subtitled in English. Looks fun!
Tokushima can be reached by train from other prefectures on Shikoku, or by highway bus from major cities throughout Japan. The closest access point on the main island of Honshu is Kobe; Osaka and Kansai International Airport can easily be reached by highway bus. For more information: http://www.city.tokushima.tokushima.jp/english/index.html
