Unique Accommodation of Shikoku

July 7, 2025August 1, 2025

Overview

Immerse yourself in Shikoku’s heart-warming hospitality with a tour focused on stays in its most characterful accommodation, including luxurious kominka country houses and ryokan inns. This tour is for those who want to enjoy Shikoku at a laid-back pace, and features two-night stays at two inns, allowing you to settle in and feel at home.

The tour takes you through mountain hamlets and historic towns to visit castles, gardens, and breweries, tea houses, temples, and more, with plenty of opportunities to meet and talk to the people of Shikoku. You travel on a comfortable minibus with an English-speaking driver, allowing you the flexibility to adjust the pace of your adventure and enjoy Shikoku without worrying about your luggage.

Who is this tour for?

This tour is for groups of two to four people. It’s ideal for families. The tour makes a good introduction to Shikoku (and Japan for that matter). Some of the places visited can only be accessed by climbing a lot of steps, so you’ll need to be reasonably fit.

Itinerary

STEP

Day 01 : Shimanami Kaidō

Your private vehicle picks you up in Matsuyama and takes you to explore the Shimanami Kaidō, crossing the dramatic bridges between the islands. On Ōmishima, you visit one of Japan’s most celebrated Shintō shrines. Tonight’s accommodation is Japanese-Western fusion ryokan, with an onsen rotenburo overlooking the Kurushima Straits. It’s known for its excellent seafood and friendly staff. Dinner is included.

STEP

Day 02 : Matsuyama and Uchiko

After breakfast (included), you drive to Matsuyama, where you visit the hilltop castle with its amazing view over the city. From here, you drive to Uchiko, with its lovely historic streets of merchant’s houses. Here you can try making washi paper by hand. You can choose to stay in a traditional home in town, or an old farmhouse out in the countryside. Dinner (included) is served at your accommodation.

STEP

Day 03 : Ōzu and the Shimanto river

After breakfast (included), you go to nearby Ōzu and visit Garyū Sansō, a villa whose elegant décor tells a story. Next stop is the Ehime Museum of History and Culture with its engaging recreations of Shikoku throughout the ages. Then the journey takes you to the idyllic Shimanto River where you embark on a covered boat to glide over the calm, reflective water. You stay at a luxurious ryokan on a hill above the river mouth where the Shimanto flows into the Pacific. Dinner (included) is at your accommodation.

STEP

Day 04 : Kōchi

After breakfast (included), you explore the southwestern coastline of Kōchi, with its dramatic rock formations, plunging cliffs, and pilgrimage temples. For a change of pace, you can try your hand at preparing Kōchi’s signature cuisine, katsuo no tataki. Lunch (included) is what you make. In the evening, you visit a popular local izakaya for dinner (not included). Your accommodation is the same as Day 3.

STEP

Day 05 : Kōchi and Tokushima

After breakfast (included), you travel along the coast of the vast Kōchi bay, visiting the fishing port of Kure with its traditional market. From here you drive into Kōchi city and visit pilgrimage temple No. 31 Chikurin-ji, a lovely leafy temple with a tall red pagoda. Then you head into Tokushima Prefecture, to stay at a remote farmhouse on the mountain slopes of Oku-Iya. If you like, you can help your hosts with chopping wood, harvesting vegetables, and preparing meals. Dinner (included) is at your accommodation.

STEP

Day 06 : Tokushima

After breakfast (included), you tour the sites of Iya from your base at the farmhouse, visiting the famed vine bridge, exploring the mountainside hamlet of Ochiai, and the deep gorge at Ōboke. You stay another night at the farmhouse. Dinner (included) is at your accommodation.

STEP

Day 07 : Kagawa

After breakfast (included), you say farewell to your hosts in Oku-Iya and head into Kagawa Prefecture, to Kotohira. Here you climb the many steps to Konpira Shrine, visit the Kinryō Sake Museum, and have fun making Kagawa’s favourite food, udon noodles. Tonight’s accommodation is a traditional townhouse in Tadotsu, which was once a geisha teahouse. Dinner (included) is at a local restaurant.

STEP

Day 08 : Kagawa

After breakfast (included), you visit Ritsurin, one of Japan’s most celebrated gardens, where the feudal lords of Takamatsu once took their leisure. Here you can enjoy tea overlooking one of the many lakes. From here, you head to Naruto, taking a boat out into the famous whirlpool under the massive Naruto Straits Bridge. The tour ends in Tokushima city.

FAQs

Are there vegetarian options?

Not really. Japanese cooking is based on fish stock, and the Japanese love their fish and meat. On this tour, you stay in traditional Japanese accommodation that is proud of its cuisine, especially the fish. For breakfast and dinner, it is possible to ask for ‘largely’ vegetarian food, but no guarantees are offered. You can generally find vegetarian options for lunch, but with limited choice.

There are eight of us. Can we do this tour?

No, not exactly as it is. But we can try to find you some alternative, characterful places that accommodate eight people.

What does the English-speaking driver do?

The English-speaking driver will drive, help with check-in, and offer advice on the smooth operation of your tour. This allows you the peace of mind that you won’t encounter a situation where you’re alone and helpless. However, the driver doesn’t provide guide services. If you want a guided tour, please let us know and we’ll provide a guide.

What’s your cancellation policy?

Our cancellation policy is as follows;

Cancelled more than 21 days prior to start: No charge
Cancelled between 20 and 8 days prior to start: 20% of the total fee
Cancelled between 7 days and 48 hours prior to start: 30% of the total fee
Cancelled between 48 and 24 hours prior to start: 40% of the total fee
Cancelled within 24 hours of start: 50% of the total fee
Cancelled on the day of start or failure to show: 100% of the total fee
No refunds will be given after the tour has commenced.

What are your payment terms?

When you book a tour, we ask for a 10% deposit, with the balance to be paid a month before the start of the tour. You can pay by credit card or bank transfer.

What is the ‘basic insurance’ mentioned in Inclusions?

When you purchase a tour from Shikoku Tours, we automatically enrol you in basic travel insurance as a legal requirement. The insurance pays out up to 300 million yen per incident. We also have insurance to cover our bicycle operations. Although we enrol you in basic travel insurance, you should still purchase your own general travel insurance in case our coverage is insufficient.