Japan Travel: Observation spots Naruto whirlpools, Boats, Park, Naruto city, Shikoku
Japan Travel: Observation spots Naruto whirlpools, Boats, Park, Naruto city, Shikoku
【★013★Tokushima Naruto Travel Guide Whirlpools】
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Naruto, part of Tokushima Prefecture, is the northeastern most city on Shikoku Island. The city is known for its swirling whirlpools. You can see them in the Strait of Naruto underneath the Onaruto Bridge which connects Tokushima to Awaji Island.
Naruto is also the starting point of the Shikoku Pilgrimage or Henro, which is a religious pilgrimage where one goes around visiting the 88 holy temples on Shikoku.
About Naruto whirlpools
The Naruto whirlpools are tidal whirlpools in the Naruto Strait, a channel between Naruto in Tokushima and Awaji Island in Hyōgo, Japan. They are created by the large volumes of water moving between the Seto Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean between high and low tide, combined with the unique underwater geography of the narrow strait.
Because of the change of tides, the whirlpools occur roughly every six hours and can typically be seen once in the morning and once in the afternoon for an hour or two. The whirlpools vary in size, depending on the strength of the tides. They tend to be larger in summer than in winter, and are largest during spring tides, which appear every two weeks.
Under ideal conditions, whirlpools of up to 20 meters in diameters can be seen. On the other hand, there is not much to see outside of the peak times or on calm days. So it always helps to check the tide schedule before heading out. (English and Chinese time table available on the internet.)
The whirlpools are not dangerous to boats. They are great ways to view from sightseeing cruises which get right up next to and among the whirlpools. Some companies run tours from nearby piers on Shikoku.
The next best views are from “Uzu no Michi”, an enclosed walkway that stretches under the Onaruto Bridge and overlooks the whirlpools. The walkway's observation room is placed 45 meters above the whirlpools below which can be observed through glass windows set in the floor.
Naruto Park, the park surrounding the attractions around the whirlpools, also has a number of walking trails and viewpoints found around it with views of the whirlpools and Onaruto Bridge. There are two good viewpoints. One is the Senjojiki Observatory. Another is Eska Hill, which accessible via a 68 meter long, a toll escalator with a cost of 400yen. It also has restaurants and shops.
Also found in the park is the Onaruto Bridge Museum Eddy, which is devoted to the construction of the Onaruto Bridge, its whirlpools and the strait. The Otsuka Museum of Art, Japan's largest museum stands out toward the park's southern edge.
Access Information
Naruto Park is placed about seven kilometers north of central Naruto City.
One or two buses per hour run between Naruto Station and Naruto Park. The one way ride takes 25 minutes with a cost of 310 yen. Buses stop near the Naruto Kosoku bus stop along the way, where it is possible to transfer to highway buses. Highway buses traveling in the direction of Tokushima (but not in the opposite direction) also stop at Naruto Koen-guchi bus stop in Naruto Park along the expressway.
Most attractions in Naruto Park are within walking distance of each other. Only the Uzushio Most buses between Naruto Station and Naruto Park stop at the sightseeing boat pier along the way, Kakosen sightseeing boat pier is not centrally located, and lies two kilometers away thought.
Uzushio Kankosen Boat Tours
Hours: 9:00 to 16:20 (boat tours depart every 30 to 40 minutes)
Closed: No closing days
Admission: Aqua Eddy: 2260 yen
Wonder Naruto: 1580 yen (2580 yen for the upper deck)
Variety of discounted combination tickets are available
Uzushio Kisen Boat Tours
Hours: 8:00 to 16:30 (boat tours depart every 30 minutes)
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 1550 yen
Variety of discounted combination tickets are available
Uzu no Michi - Bridge Observation Deck
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (entry until 16:30)
Longer hours during Golden Week and the summer holidays
Closed: The 2nd Monday of March, June, September and December
Admission: 510 yen
Variety of discounted combination tickets are available
Japan Travel: Naruto whirlpools Sightseeing cruises Naruto city, Shikoku Tokushima13 Moopon
Japan Travel: Naruto whirlpools Sightseeing cruises Naruto city, Shikoku Tokushima13 Moopon
Naruto, part of Tokushima Prefecture, is the northeastern most city on Shikoku Island. The city is known for its swirling whirlpools. You can see them in the Strait of Naruto underneath the Onaruto Bridge which connects Tokushima to Awaji Island.
Naruto is also the starting point of the Shikoku Pilgrimage or Henro, which is a religious pilgrimage where one goes around visiting the 88 holy temples on Shikoku.
About Naruto whirlpools
Because of the change of tides, the whirlpools occur roughly every six hours and can typically be seen once in the morning and once in the afternoon for an hour or two.
Under ideal conditions, whirlpools of up to 20 meters in diameters can be seen. On the other hand, there is not much to see outside of the peak times or on calm days. So it always helps to check the tide schedule before heading out. (English and Chinese time table available on the internet.)
The whirlpools are great ways to view from sightseeing cruises which get right up next to and among the whirlpools.
The next best views are from “Uzu no Michi”, an enclosed walkway that stretches under the Onaruto Bridge and overlooks the whirlpools. The walkway's observation room is placed 45 meters above the whirlpools below which can be observed through glass windows set in the floor.
Naruto Park has a number of walking trails and viewpoints found around it with views of the whirlpools and Onaruto Bridge. There are two good viewpoints. One is the Senjojiki Observatory. Another is Eska Hill.
Also found in the park is the Onaruto Bridge Museum Eddy, which is devoted to the construction of the Onaruto Bridge, its whirlpools and the strait.
Access Information
Naruto Park is placed about seven kilometers north of central Naruto City.
One or two buses per hour run between Naruto Station and Naruto Park. The one way ride takes 25 minutes with a cost of 310 yen. Buses stop near the “Naruto Kosoku” bus stop along the way, where it is possible to transfer to highway buses. Highway buses traveling in the direction of Tokushima also stop at “Naruto Koen-guchi” bus stop in Naruto Park along the expressway.
Uzushio Kankosen Boat Tours
Hours: 9:00am to 4:20pm (boat tours depart every 30 to 40 minutes)
Closed: Open year-round
Admission: Aqua Eddy: 2260 yen
Wonder Naruto: 1580 yen (2580 yen for the upper deck)
Uzushio Kisen Boat Tours
Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm (boat tours depart every 30 minutes)
Closed: Open year-round
Admission: 1550 yen
Uzu no Michi - Bridge Observation Deck
Hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm (entry until 4:30pm)
Longer hours during Golden Week and the summer holidays
Closed: The 2nd Monday of March, June, September and December
Admission: 510 yen
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【Our Sister YouTube Channel】
The Best Japan Trip ・Useful Information in Japan（English）：
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【Our Sister YouTube Channel】
The Best Japan Trip ・Useful Information in Japan（English）：
旅日首選旅館、飯店、餐飲及娛樂・旅日精選景點（中文繁体）：
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The biggest WHIRLPOOL in the world
The Naruto whirlpools occur along the Shikoku coast of the Naruto Straight, and are created by the large volumes of water moving between the Seto Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean between high and low tide, combined with the unique underwater geography of the narrow straight.
According to the change of tides, the whirlpools occur roughly every six hours and can typically be seen once in the morning and once in the afternoon for an hour or two. The whirlpools vary in size, depending on the intensity of the tides. They tend to be larger in summer than in winter, and are largest during spring tides, which occur every two weeks.
Under ideal conditions, whirlpools of up to 20 meters in diameters can be observed. On the other hand, there is not much to see on calm days or outside of the peak times. Therefore, it is of great importance to check the whirlpool schedules (see links below) before making a visit to Naruto.
The whirlpools are not dangerous to boats and are best viewed from sightseeing cruises which get right up next to and among the whirlpools. There are two companies that run tours from nearby piers on Shikoku and one that operates from Awaji Island on the opposite side of the straight.
On the Shikoku side, Uzushio Kisen operates small boats with water level decks from a pier just outside Naruto Park. A little bit further away lies the pier of Uzushio Kankosen, which operates the Aqua Eddy (medium sized boats with two decks and underwater windows) and Wonder Naruto (large sized boats with two decks) to the whirlpools.
As the whirlpools are best viewed from a higher vantage point, it is recommended to take a Wonder Naruto boat tour which offers the best views from its upper first-class deck at an additional charge. Boat tours by both companies last 20 to 30 minutes with two departures per hour.
The next best views are from Uzu no Michi, an enclosed walkway that extends under the Onaruto Bridge and overlooks the whirlpools. The walkway's observation room sits 45 meters above the whirlpools below which can be seen through glass windows set in the floor.
Naruto Park (Naruto Koen), the park encompassing the attractions around the whirlpools, also has a number of walking trails and viewpoints found around it with views of the whirlpools and Onaruto Bridge. The best views of the swirling water are from the Senjojiki Observatory. Another viewpoint, Eska Hill, is accessible via a 68 meter long, paid escalator, but its restaurants and shops appear rather run down.
Also found in the park is the Onaruto Bridge Museum Eddy, which is devoted to the construction of the Onaruto Bridge, the straight and its whirlpools. And last but not least, the Otsuka Museum of Art, Japan's largest museum, stands out toward the southern edge of the park and displays nothing but reproductions of Western Art.