Taking The Time To Travel Together Can Lead To Playful Moments, Perfectly In Sync
A date in Tokushima city offers those exploring romance in Japan a preserved charm, a cultural depth, and a natural rhythm that speaks directly to the heart. For couples taking the leap with a new love, or on a fresh adventure with a long-term partner, Tokushima’s traditions, natural sights, and calm riverside paths invite a slower pace, and the chance to truly see one another. This jaunt across the sea can reveal new facets of love and compatibility with someone who might just be your soulmate.
The Kyoto teamLab Date
Location:
Tokushima city, Shikoku
Time:
Year round though August, during Awa Odori, is most expensive and crowded
Good for:
- Active types
- Testing out dance moves
- Stepping back in time
Quick points:
- Only accessible via highway bus (from Osaka or Kyoto) or Nankai ferry (from Wakayama)
- Longer trips can include visits to the Iya Valley vine bridges or village of the dolls
- Reserve tickets to popular attractions in advance to avoid disappointment
Tokushima Maelstroms And Rhythms
Age and energy. Few places in Japan have both.
Umeda has energy: the rush of bodies across scrambles and train platforms; or in the glow of megatowers rising into the night. Rural Japan has age. Miyama, and other villages that have been preserved with care, are wonderful examples of this. Tokushima, a seaside settlement and gateway to Shikoku, somehow has both – maintaining an atmosphere of activity and vitality, even if that air is sepia coloured and steeped in time. A visit to Tokushima offers a fun mix of experiences that engage the senses and is easily enjoyed as a day-trip, an overnighter, or as part of a larger exploration of the region. Ride a boat into the swirling maelstrom of the Naruto strait, rent a bike and cycle along the river, or even challenge yourself to performing the rhythmic dance the region is known for: Awa Odori.
It said that more than 1 million visitors descend each year on Tokushima during the Awa Odori, held from August 12th to 15th.
Two Hearts Dancing To The Same Rhythm
Famous across Japan for its Obon celebration, Awa Odori, the image that springs to many minds when they hear “Tokushima” is that of perfectly synchronised lines of dancers, dressed in yukata and crowned with distinctive straw hats, top-tapping their geta down the street.
But couples need not fight for a hotel, or pay a premium to sit in the front row seats to enjoy this festival highlight when the Awaodori Kaikan is open almost every day. The museum mixes the educational and interactive, with floors dedicated to the four-hundred-year-old history of the festival, and an auditorium where an audience can watch and also take part in the dance themselves.
Available both during the day, and at night, the museum troupe’s performance comes with an explanation of the history of this long-running cultural pastime.
Loosening up together, allowing for missteps, and most of all laughter, are such important elements in long lasting relationships and moments like these will form the basis of core relationship memories.
A ropeway from the 5th floor of the centre stretches up to the top of Mt Bizan, with stunning views at any time of day, but undoubtedly the most romantic at night with a sparkling view of Tokushima city spreading below.
A Whirl Of Romance
Where the sea swirls and the heart spins even faster.
Dioramas illustrate the incredible shift of water between Awaji island and Shikoku.
Slower Paths To Love
Flat and criss-crossed with cycle paths, explore Tokushima city (and beyond!) by bicycle.
The city is flat and easy to navigate. Some points of interest for cycling sweethearts include the Shinmachi river front, with its boat taxi quays and remodeled port authority which offers many tasty coffee shops for rest stops.
Cross the stone bridge into Tokushima castle.
The castle too is accessible to cyclists. While the main keep has long been lost, the paths around the ruins are suitably windy, and filled with modern art sculptures, sleepy stray cats, and (most importantly?) ice cream vendors.
A cool spot to ride on a hot summer’s day.
Take The Time-Machine Home
The Nankai ferry runs between Tokushima and Wakayama cities 8 times a day.
Nothing says 90s nostalgia more than riding a 30-year-old ferry back to the mainland. Though the introduction of wifi terminals on the boat means travellers are still connected to the world, unlike the complete reception blackout of years past, couples can take the opportunity to switch off their phones, stretch out, and enjoy the time with each other.
While the highway bus is a very convenient way to travel, connecting directly with terminals in Osaka and Kyoto, they can’t compete with the amount of space the ferry provides.
Spending time together, making memories, and sharing experiences creates a quiet glue that holds relationships close. When couples slow down, explore, and let the old and the new mingle, they start to understand each other on a deeper level. That’s the real magic of dating in Japan: love grows naturally in the spaces you choose to share. Whether enjoying a Classic Kyoto Date or wandering the backstreets of old Nara, this is your signal to slip back in time on a trip with your special someone.
Whether you are dating with a Japanese person, or visiting from overseas with an established partner, venturing into new dating experiences yields the chance for love to flow into deeper parts of the heart through the experiences shared and your feelings around them. There are so many places that can bring a greater flow of love between people in Japan, Shikoku and the diverse themes that flow through it are just some options. Getting out there and doing something different, wherever that may be, can bring huge benefits to a healthy relationship, and help raise your love, whether you’re in the early stages of dating or married for many years, to greater heights. Tokushima, and the beauty that is inherent within it, is just one great recommendation for how you can enjoy a romantic time with the one you love.