What to do and see in , Shikoku: The Best Free Things to do

Reviewed By suesE2149AT - Irvine, United States

The station is barebones -- it doesn't even have a ticket window at which you can purchase assigned seats for your express trains. However, don't let that fool you. Make sure you open the sliding door to the "waiting room" inside so that you can meet the wonderful people there. We had 4.5 hours in the area, so we took several walks that they recommended and ended up walking about 10 miles. One of the routes took us along the gorgeous Yoshino River and into the mountains, where a dozen or so statues of ancient Japanese monsters adorned the paths. The gorge alone, of course, makes for gorgeous Instagram-worthy photos, but if you enjoy the grotesque, the monster route may be for you. At the end of the third route, as I ran down a paved road, I took a pretty bad fall and got all bruised up. Once I hobbled back to the station, however, the ladies there took super-good care of me. They patched me up in no time, made sure I was okay, and gave me extra bandages and stuff to last several days. One of the ladies, Yukiko Yamaguchi, the de facto tourism ambassador of the area, was insanely dynamic! She and her husband own and run the local stores. She knew all about the area and was extremely generous with her knowledge. You won't miss her -- she's the one shown in posters with the famous "Boke-age," a local delicacy (it's one big fried tofu). While you're there, you should try the Iya Soba with Boke-age, which is also available at her shop/restaurant up the hill from the station. You'll get a wonderful, filling meal for a very reasonable price! Yamashita-san at the station will answer any question you have. While you're at it, talk to her about movies (she loves them -- especially American ones). And Hashida-san, the JR attendant, rounds out the personalities at the station. All kind, hospitable, lovely people. Get to the station for the scenery; stay for the people. You won't regret it!