Things to do in Tokushima Ken
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YRG Café
This super cute coffee shop down by the train tracks is run by super talented, English-speaking Takao. 'Yellow, Red, Green' sells hip jewellery and postcards and mix CDs, not to mention whopping cups of chai latte (¥400) and nutritious, comforting meals that change weekly.
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Wine
The pick of the all-you-can-drink joints in Tokushima is this three-floor number that offers the usual spread of well-presented Japanese staples in generous proportions. For ¥3500 you will get seven courses, including sashimi and delicious salads. Get there early on weekends.
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Tori-kō
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.
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Saffron
The huge Japanese omelettes (fried and folded egg filled with spiced rice and covered in sweet, brown sauce) at this very cosy lunch spot make delicious hangover food. Linger for a scoop of homemade ice cream and hang out with the friendly owner. It's around the corner from Sakura-sō guesthouse, with an English sign.
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Ray Charles
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 recently moved premises half a block south, but the old sign is still up.
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Masala
Sometimes all you need is a good, authentic curry. The Indian staff serve veggie curries and a range of enormous, piping hot naan breads. This branch of the small Shikoku-based chain is on the 5th floor of the Clement Plaza.
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Leaf Bar
This small 6th-floor bar diagonally opposite the ACTY 21 building is a gamer's fantasy with manga posters, Tekken on the big screen, groups of dolled-up Japanese girls drinking cocktails and squealing over the top of mainstream American R&B. Food is available and a (very) small beer costs ¥350.
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Kisuke
Named after an anime character who always arrives in the nick of time, Kisuke has built a reputation for imaginative seafood dishes over the past 16 years. Turning left into a side street off the north end of Ryōgoku Honchō – it's on the first corner. The exterior is a striking, modern design of wood and steel.
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Ingrid's International Lounge
Filipino Ingrid is Tokushima's go-to-girl for expatriate gossip and all-night karaoke. It's hard to find, tucked among the hostess clubs in the southwest of Akita-machi, but there's nothing duplicitous about this Tokushima travellers' institution. Beware: Ingrid never forgets a face!
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Chūō-kōen
Northeast of the train station, on the slopes of Shiroyama, is Chūō-kōen, where you'll find the scant ruins of Tokushima-jō (Tokushima Castle). Built in 1585 for Hachisuka Iemasa after he was granted the fiefdom of Awa by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, most of the castle was destroyed in 1875 following the Meiji Restoration. If you're having problems imagining the former grandeur of the site, Tokushima Castle Museum contains an impressive reconstruction of the castle town at its peak, as well as the daimyō's (domain lord's) boat, some displays of armour, and letters to the local lord from Hideyoshi and the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu. The displays are all in Japanese. The bea…
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Bizan
Bizan means 'eyebrow' and the site surrounding the 280m-high summit raises the interest of most visitors to Tokushima. As you arrive at the foot of Bizan, at the southwestern end of Shinmachibashi-dōri, you pass Awa Odori Kaikan, which features extensive exhibits relating to the Awa-odori Matsuri and dance. The dance is performed at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm daily (with an additional performance at 11am on weekends), with a nightly performance at 8pm (afternoon/evening performances ¥500/700). From the 5th floor, a cable car whizzes you to the top of Bizan for fine views over the city. A combined ticket covering the museum, cable car and dance show is ¥1500.
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Awa Puppet Theatre
For hundreds of years, puppet theatre thrived in the farming communities around Tokushima. The traditional dramas can still be seen at Awa Jūrobei Yashiki, in the former residence of Bandō Jūrobei, a samurai who allowed himself to be executed for a crime he didn't commit in order to preserve the good name of his master. The tale provided inspiration for the drama Keisei Awa no Naruto, first performed in 1768. Sections from the play are performed at 11am daily, and at 11am and 2pm on weekends. More puppets can be seen at nearby Awa Deko Ningyō Kaikan. To get to the museum, take a bus for Tomiyoshi Danchi (富吉団地) from Tokushima Station and get off at the Jūrobei Yashiki-…
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