Awaji Island is the largest island in the Seto Inland Sea. Nestled between mainland Japan and Shikoku, it’s a hotspot for anime enthusiasts, thanks to theme parks like Nijigen no Mori and Hello Kitty Smile. But that’s just the beginning!

Let’s talk flavors first. The island’s seafood—think sea bream, octopus, and pike conger—is top-notch, caught in strong ocean currents that give it a unique flavor. And it’s not just about the fish. Awaji is a foodie’s dream, boasting fertile areas that produce everything from Awaji beef to a unique three-year-bred pufferfish—drooling yet?

Now, onto the cities that make up this paradise. Starting up north, Awaji City is your gateway to the island. With killer access to Osaka and Kobe, it’s sprouting with attractions like the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. Heading inland, Sumoto City, once the realm of Sumoto Castle, now hosts a bevy of traditional inns at Sumoto Onsen—your ideal base for island exploration.

Finally, swing south to Minamiawaji City. This is where Awaji greets Shikoku, thanks to the Onarauto Bridge. Natural marvels like the Naruto Strait’s colossal whirlpools meet cultural gems like the 500-year-old Awaji Ningyo Joruri Puppet Theater here. Plus, it’s a hub for diverse farming, including dairy, making it the backbone of the island’s rich food culture.

Getting to Awaji Island from Osaka, Kobe, and Kansai Airport
As the island has no airport or train station, buses or cars will be your go-to options.
・From Osaka/Kobe: The main route is via the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. Optional: Ferries are available from the Akashi area.
・From Kansai Airport: The Kansai Airport Limousine Bus goes to the island's main bus terminal. Travel time: 90 minutes to Awaji Interchange, two hours to Sumoto Bus Center.
・From JR Osaka Station: Express buses are available. Travel time: 90 minutes to Nijigen no Mori, two hours to Sumoto Bus Center.
・From JR Kobe Station: Take an express bus from JR Kobe Station. Overall travel time: Around 90 minutes.

Getting around the island
If you aren't renting a car, be sure to plan your route from key bus stops in advance, as some hotels offer shuttle services.
・For local sightseeing, a loop-line bus is handy within Awaji City and Sumoto City.
・For more extensive trips, taxis or car rentals are best. There is also a 5-hour and 8-hour sightseeing taxi option that may fit your itinerary.
・If cycling's your thing, the 150-km Awaichi circuit has you covered. English routes are available, and new itineraries offer stops at attractions, hot springs, and food spots.

Awaji Highway Oasis is located right next to a rest area off the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, a bridge connecting mainland Japan with Awaji.

The area is popular for traveling back and forth between three facilities using the Awaji Highway Oasis, the Awaji Service Area Inbound Line, and the Awaji Service Area Outbound Line. Awaji Highway Oasis is known for its delicious eats, placing second in the 2019 “Best Eats at Service and Parking Areas Chosen by Drivers (Airtrip survey)”!

Here, you’ll find sushi and fresh pasta restaurants that use the best local ingredients, fusion restaurants that serve both Japanese and Western-style cuisine, hamburger specialty shops, beef bowls, and udon, thick noodles made from wheat flour. With so many delicious-sounding options, it’s hard to choose!

Menus are only in Japanese, but pictures of the food are available, letting non-Japanese speakers order easily! A variety of credit cards and electronic payment methods are accepted.

You can enjoy leisurely walks around the facility, located within the boundaries of a large park! On a sunny day, there are beautiful fields of flowers, grass squares, and an observation deck, giving you a sweeping view of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge.

Anime fans from around the world come to visit Nijigen no Mori (Awaji Island Anime Park)! Here, recreations of the worlds from famous Japanese anime and games such as Naruto, Godzilla, and Crayon Shin-Chan are extremely popular!

Limousine buses from Osaka International Airport (Itami Airport) take you down the Kobe-Awaji Naruto Expressway to the Awaji Interchange, where you can get off at either the Highway Oasis Nijigen no Mori Entrance or the Awaji Interchange stop. Expressway buses also leave from Kobe’s center, Sannomiya.

Two days isn’t enough time to enjoy all the attractions this massive park has to offer! Offering delicious eats and unique souvenirs, it’s a massive hit among foreign visitors!

What’s more, you can enter Nijigen no Mori for free! Tickets are sold at each attraction, and you can buy them on the day of your visit. However, we recommend buying them online in advance due to admission restrictions.

Nijigen no Mori is huge, so you’ll need to take either a tram car (fee required) or an excursion bus (free) that runs along the western coast of Awaji Island to get to the attraction of your choice.

Please check the official sites for more details. In addition to brochures in English, Chinese, and Korean, there are signboards in English. Park staff also speak basic English.

Hello Kitty has fans of all ages! Many foreign visitors make their way to Hello Kitty Smile to visit the special princess Hello Kitty only seen in this park. It’s a dreamy facility for Hello Kitty-lovers as there’s opportunities to take photos with Hello Kitty, enjoy a visually stunning restaurant, and an adorable souvenir shop.

Moreover, a free shuttle bus takes you on a mere three-minute ride to the theater restaurant, Hello Kitty Show Box. Here you can enjoy meals and an entertaining Hello Kitty show!

To access the park, you can take an express bus from Osaka and transfer onto a free shuttle bus that goes to Awaji Interchange on the Kobe-Awaji Naruto Expressway. It should take ten minutes after the transfer. For an option that doesn’t require transfers, you can take a toll bus from Kobe’s central area of Sannomiya that runs along Awaji Island’s western coast. A free parking lot is available to anyone who drives to the park.

Furthermore, you can enjoy unique buildings such as the Hello Kitty Show Box with a 360-degree theater and the Hello Kitty Apple House with an observation deck.

In July 2022, the Hello Kitty Apple House was designated as the world’s largest apple-shaped building and the world’s largest character roof, causing it to gain attention from around the globe. Summer events have been held since 2022, and there are signs in English around the facility. Park staff can also speak basic English.

Zen is a sitting meditation method said to have originated 2500 years ago in India, upon the enlightenment of the Buddha. Zen meditation spread throughout Japan approximately 700 years ago. Many samurai spent all their time fighting, and used zazen as a way to keep peace of mind. Recently, people worldwide have used mindfulness practices that implement zen ideology for a stress-free way of living.

At the zazen retreat, Zenbo Seinei, there are relaxing zen and yoga activities and healthy meals that nourish the body. It opened in April 2022, and reservations must be booked in advance. You can reserve either the day trip package (four hours) or the overnight packages on the official website (https://www.zenbo-seinei.com).

It’s located in the north of Awaji Island, surrounded by mountains on all sides and right on Japan’s meridian (135° East meridian).

The facility has a 100-meter-long wooden deck that gives a sweeping 360-degree view of the scenery. You can experience zazen and yoga while eating zenbo, cuisine that serves healthy meals, including rice porridge, tofu, and Awaji Island’s seasonal ingredients. What’s more, there are many English-speaking staff, providing a hassle-free stay for foreign visitors.

When driving, it takes 40 minutes from Shin-Kobe Station and Kobe Airport until you get to the Awaji Interchange on the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway. From here, it’s an additional five minutes. When using public transportation, take an express bus from Kobe Sannomiya Bus Terminal bound for “Kita-Awaji Nishi-Kaigan Line, Iwaya, Nojima, and Hokudan Interchange” and get off at the “Zenbo Seinei-Mae” stop.

Awaji Yumebutai is a complex resort facility that has an international conference hall, a hot spring, a restaurant, shops, and an amphitheater! It was built on grounds that were dug out for Kansai International Airport.

The facility’s concept is to bring nature back to barren land by creating a space where plants, animals, and people can all co-exist. Awaji Yumebutai is designed to be a combination of nature and modern architecture! It's also right next to Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park (entrance fee required), where seasonal plants and flowers can be enjoyed any time of the year.

The grounds are designed by the world-renowned architect, Tadao Ando. You can enjoy the circular public facility, sky garden, umikairo, a passageway opening to the ocean, and yamakairo, a passageway that gives sweeping views from the rooftop garden.

Guide maps (English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese) will be available.

It’s necessary to take both and a train (transfer at JR Sannomiya Station or JR Maiko Station) when traveling from Kobe and Osaka. If you want to stop by and see other works (Honpuku-ji Temple, TOTO Seawind Awaji etc.) by Tadao Ando, we recommend renting a car.

In the center of Awaji Island is Sumoto Onsen, the largest sightseeing base on Awaji. The Sumoto Castle Ruins are located atop Mt. Mikuma, and remnants of the old castle town are scattered throughout the hot spring village below.

There are many long-established traditional Japanese inns and large-scale resort hotels along the coastline. Hot springs are available at most facilities, enabling you to enjoy seascapes from open-air baths and delight in Awaji Island’s bounties through delicious meals.

Moreover, several hotels offer hot spring day-use packages! Many visitors come to Sumoto Onsen to enjoy bathing in the hot springs as well as swimming at the nearby Ohama Beach.

For visitors who have more time, exploring the town is highly recommended. The town has a traditional Japanese atmosphere abundant with shrines, temple towns, and retro shopping districts.

Sumoto Onsen can be accessed by taking an hour and 30-minute bus ride bound for “Sumoto Bus Center” from JR Sannomiya Station. Some direct buses take you straight to accommodation facilities. It takes 10 minutes when driving to the Sumoto Interchange on the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway.

The Sumoto Tourist Information Center inside of Sumoto Bus Center has brochures in multiple foreign languages and English guidance available. Moreover, there’s a telephone interpreter service with 13 language options. This interpreting service is also available at the Awaji Service Area Tourist Information Center, Iwaya Tourist Information Center, and Minamiawaji Tourist Information Center.

A beautiful field of seasonal flowers spreads from the top of northern Awaji’s mountains, with an altitude of 298 to 235 meters, all the way to the ocean.

The large field is approximately 15 hectares, enabling you to enjoy a flower panorama that stretches from the Akashi Strait to Osaka Bay. This carpet of flowers known as Awaji sajiki comes from the Japanese word for special viewing seats at festivals and firework displays, sajiki seki.

It takes 12 minutes when driving to the Sumoto Interchange on the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway. Admission is free,e and the parking fee is 200 yen per time. Spring and fall are especially crowded.

The highlight of a trip to Awaji Hanasajiki is finding your favorite spot in the large park and leisurely taking in the view. You can also relax at the restaurant with a cafe and a local shop that sells the region’s specialties.

There are English brochures in front of the park office, and staff have translation devices (Pocketalk) so that they can communicate in multiple languages.

The Awaji Puppet Theater has over a 500-year-long history of protecting the Awaji Puppet Narrative. The Awaji Puppet Narrative is a traditional art (Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property) representing Awaji Island.

During a performance, as three puppeteers move one puppet, the story is told by a gidayu-bush, a narrator who skillfully changes voices for each character, and music is played from Japan’s unique string instrument, futozao shamisen, a three stringed lute with a thick neck.

Though there used to be 40 puppet theaters of varying sizes throughout Japan, The Awaji Puppet Theater is now the only one left.

As times changed, the Awaji Puppet Theater started to add new features to its performances while keeping its essence pure. You can watch this precious production with English explanations and audio guides (English, Chinese, Korean) that walk you through the story before the show starts.

Powerful storytelling by a gidayu-bushi, the melodic futozao shamisen resounding in your body, and both dramatic and dainty movements of the puppets are absolutely enchanting.

The Awaji Puppet Theater can be accessed by taking a 15-minute drive to the Seidan-Mihara Interchange on the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway. The theater also has a shop popular for its original Japanese towels, picture postcards, and incense.

The Onaruto Bridge connects the Shikoku region and Awaji Island. Roadside Station Uzushio can be found at the end of the bridge, a five-minute drive toward the Awajishima-Minami Interchange on the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway. You’ll get a close-up view of one of the world’s most impressive whirlpools swirling in Naruto Strait at the observatory deck.

This roadside station is known for its delicious eats, and the most popular item on the menu is hamburgers! The National Local Burger Grand Prix is a competition held throughout Japan to choose the most delicious tasting burger.

The Awaji Island Onion Beef Burger (770 yen) placed first in 2013, while the Awaji Island Onion Gratin Burger (770 yen) placed second in 2014. Both burgers are sold at Roadside Station Uzushio.

The restaurant offers attractive and luxurious lunch options, including meals serving Awaji’s seasonal seafood or Awaji Beef. What’s more, the facility has fun surprises such as large, onion-shaped chairs!

JCB, VISA, and Mastercard are accepted. QR code payments include PayPay and Alipay.

Naruto Strait lies between Awaji Island and the Shikoku region. The ebb and flow of tides create a strong current, resulting in whirlpools. The whirlpools in the Naruto Strait are some of the most impressive in the world. Large and small whirlpools appear and then disappear again in a matter of seconds. What’s more, flood tides in the spring and fall create massive eddies 20 meters in diameter.

The Uzushio Cruise is a sightseeing cruise that takes you nearby the dynamic, large whirlpools. You can purchase a ticket on the first floor of Road Station Fukura at Uzushio Dome Nanairokan.

This facility is within Fukura Port, and tickets can be bought at vending machines that has guidance in multiple languages (English, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), and Korean).

However, you might not be able to get a ticket the day of your desired trip, so we recommend purchasing them in advance from the official website. (The official website is only in Japanese.)

Fukura Port can be accessed by taking a 15-minute drive for the Seidan-Mihara Interchange on the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway. It takes approximately an hour and 20 minutes from Kobe-Sannomiya Station and approximately two hours from Osaka-Umeda Station.

Awaji Island is a treasure trove of must-see locales, steeped in rich history and vibrant culture that'll keep you craving more. Plus, let's not forget the culinary hotspots that have foodies raving! We've just scratched the surface with our top ten attractions, so why not set out and uncover the island's hidden gems for yourself?

Text by: Hifumi Isokazu
*The information in this article is from August 2022. For updated information, please refer to the official website.