Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [502]
Hotel Clement Tokushima (656-3111; www.hotelclement.co.jp; 1-61 Terashima-honchō-nishi; s/d ¥10,164/19,635; ) Directly on top of the station building, luxurious Hotel Clement boasts 18 floors and 250 comfortable, spacious Western-style rooms. Although it’s more expensive than other business hotels, the extra yen gets you a whole smattering of amenities including a spa and a range of restaurants and bars.
Eating & Drinking
Tokushima’s main entertainment district is in Akita-machi across the river, along the streets around the landmark ACTY 21 Building.
Masala (654-7122; Terashima-honchō-nishi; 11am-9.30pm) On the 5th floor of the Clement Plaza, this curry restaurant has Indian staff and cheap lunches (from ¥750). There is an English menu.
Tori-kō (657-0125; 2-19 Ryōgoku Honchō; 4-10.30pm, closed Mon) This atmospheric spot is thick with the smell of delicious local chicken grilling on coals. Orders like tsukune (chicken meat balls) and tebasaki (chicken wings) are ¥300 for two sticks; the Awa-odori Sanmai course (a selection of different cuts of the local gourmet chicken) is ¥3000. Look for the wooden menu boards covering the walls outside.
Honchō (; 622-1239; 1-25-1 Chūō-dōri; 4-11pm, closed Sun) A traditional izakaya (pub-eatery) specialising in local sake and fresh seafood, with half a dozen seats at the counter and a tiny tatami area to the side. Otsukuri moriawase (a selection of seasonal sashimi; ¥2000) goes well with a glass of Hōsui or one of the other jizake (local sake) options from the fridge behind the bar. From the Ryōgoku bridge, take the third left after the ACTY 21 Building, then left again. Look for the sign on the left that advertises the restaurant’s name in Japanese.
Uoroman (657-7477; 12-1 Konya-machi; 5pm-1am) A cheerful place not far from ACTY 21, and popular with crowds of young people. It specialises in reasonably priced fish. There is no English menu, but most of the waitstaff are young and speak some English. Honjitsu no sashimi san-shu mori (a daily selection of sashimi) is ¥980. Look for the wooden exterior with big photos of fish and a cartoon of a mischievous-looking fisherman.
Akaoni (; 652-5099; 2-34 Akita-machi; 5pm-3am) The name of this friendly izakaya means ‘Red Devil’, and you’ll know you’ve come to the right place when you see the plastic statue of a particularly vicious-looking devil standing outside. The usual izakaya dishes start at around ¥600; some English is spoken here.
Ray Charles (652-0878; 3F Tōjō Bldg, 20-1 Ryōgokubashi; 7pm-3am, to 4am Fri & Sat) A dimly lit bar where people drift in to shoot the breeze with the bow-tied bartenders and listen to American oldies. Draft Carlsberg is ¥700. It’s in a building diagonally across from ACTY 21.
Hung Loose (623-3255; 3F Tōjō Bldg, 20-1 Ryōgokubashi; cocktails ¥650; 9am-6am) On the 2nd floor of the building that houses Ray Charles (see above), this surfers’ bar comes complete with surfboards and tables that have escaped from a tropical beach somewhere.
Getting There & Away
Tokushima’s airport (699-2831; www.tokushima-airport.co.jp) is reached by bus (¥430, 25 minutes, buses timed to coincide with flights) from in front of the station. There are flights to Tokyo (¥29,600, one hour and 15 minutes, six daily), Nagoya (¥19,900, one hour, two daily) and Fukuoka (¥24,700, one hour and 10 minutes, two daily).
Tokushima is just over an hour by train from Takamatsu (¥2560 by tokkyū – limited express). For the Iya Valley and Kōchi, change trains at Awa Ikeda (, ¥1580, 1½ hours).
JR highway buses connect Tokushima with Tokyo (¥10,000, nine hours) and Nagoya (¥6600, 4½ hours); there are also buses to Takamatsu (¥1600, 1½ hours), Hiroshima (¥6000, 3¾ hours, two daily) and Kansai airport (¥4000, 2¾ hours).
There are daily connections between Tokushima and Wakayama (¥2400, two hours, eight daily) with Nankai Ferry (; 636-0750; www.nankai-ferry.co.jp). There is one sailing daily to/from Tokyo with Ocean Tōkyū Ferry (; 662-0489; www.otf.jp), with 1st class/2nd class/private cabin costing ¥19,290/9900/22,350 (18 hours). Ferries