Experience
Experience the charm of Shikoku.

  • Awa Washi: Create Your Own Paper Along the Yoshino River――A 1,300-Year-Old Craft Tradition

    Awa Washi: Create Your Own Paper Along the Yoshino River――A 1,300-Year-Old Craft Tradition

    Located in Yamakawa, Yoshinogawa City, Tokushima Prefecture, the Awa Washi Traditional Industry Hall preserves the heritage of Awa Washi, a traditional Japanese paper with roots dating back to the Nara period. Designated as both an Intangible Cultural Property of Tokushima Prefecture and a Traditional Craft of Japan, Awa Washi has a history spanning approximately 1,300 years. According to the Kogo Shūi (古事拾遺, 807), the Imbe clan (忌部族) cultivated hemp and mulberry trees and began producing paper and textiles in this region. Visitors can observe skilled artisans demonstrating the traditional hand-papermaking process and even create their own postcards or calligraphy paper through hands-on workshops.

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  • Class Quality in the Home of Imabari Towels

    Weave, Test, and Personalize Experience World――Class Quality in the Home of Imabari Towels

    Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture is Japan’s largest towel-producing region. Its towel industry has a history of more than 120 years, dating back to 1894. Since 1960, Imabari has continued to hold the top position in Japan in terms of towel production value.Located in the city center, Texport Imabari is home to the official Imabari Towel flagship store and the hands-on Imabari Towel LAB. Visitors can try the famous “five-second rule” absorbency test, experience towel weaving on a handloom free of charge, and have purchased towels embroidered with their names. It is a place where visitors can take home a one-of-a-kind towel.

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  • Drifting Beneath the Bridges of Japan’s Last Clear Stream A Houseboat Journey on the Shimanto River

    Drifting Beneath the Bridges of Japan’s Last Clear Stream A Houseboat Journey on the Shimanto River

    The Shimanto River is the longest river in Shikoku, stretching 196 kilometers. Because there are no large dams on its main stream, it is widely known as “Japan’s last clear stream.”In 1993, Kochi Prefecture decided to preserve the submersible bridges of the Shimanto River basin as part of the region’s living cultural heritage. In 2009, the landscape of the river basin, including these bridges, was designated an Important Cultural Landscape of Japan.A journey by roofed houseboat offers a quiet and distinctive way to experience the river. As the boat moves slowly across the water, visitors can view the famous chinka-bashi (沈下橋)—bridges without railings, designed to sink beneath the water when the river rises—up close.

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  • After Completing the Pilgrimage Encounter Monet’s Water Lilies in the Light of Chichu Art Museum, Naoshima

    After Completing the Pilgrimage Encounter Monet’s Water Lilies in the Light of Chichu Art Museum, Naoshima

    Chichu Art Museum is located on Naoshima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea, at 3449-1 Naoshima, Kagawa District, Kagawa Prefecture. It opened on July 18, 2004, as a place for contemplating the relationship between nature and humanity. Designed by architect Tadao Ando, the museum is built mostly underground so as not to disturb the beautiful landscape of the Seto Inland Sea. Its greatest feature is that, although it is underground, natural light pours into the museum. As a result, the artworks and the surrounding spaces change subtly depending on the time of day and the season.The museum permanently displays works by three artists: Claude Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria. It is operated by the Fukutake Foundation and is one of the major facilities of Benesse Art Site Naoshima.

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