The Setouchi region’s rich natural environment and temperate climate make it a prime destination for experiencing the wild and wonderful outdoors. Here are some of the top activities that allow travellers to mindfully engage with their surroundings from trawling, swimming, and rafting to trekking around an ancient island and witnessing powerful whirlpools.
Teshima Beach Seine Fishing
The Teshima Beach Seine Fishing Experience offers anyone a hands-on opportunity to get close-up with the bounty of the sea. In this immersive program guided by local fishermen, traditional seine net fishing is adapted into an experience suitable for a wide range of ages, right off the beach of Teshima Island in Kagawa Prefecture.
Participants use a specialised mini beach trawl net, which can be handled by groups as small as two people, from children to adults. After learning more about local fishing methods and the various species of fish caught, participants have the option of cooking and eating their catch in traditional Teshima style with the locals. Enjoy a fresh seafood meal of sashimi and grilled fish, along with rice cooked in an iron pot.
Chichibugahama Beach
At low tide, Chichibugahama Beach is a place where people appear to walk on water and the sea mirrors the sky. On the coast of Mitoyo, Kagawa Prefecture, this gentle, shallow beach stretches approximately 1 kilometer along the coast, offering unparalleled views of the sun sinking into the horizon at dusk.
When low tide coincides with particularly calm conditions, the sandy beach creates a surreal landscape resembling vast salt flats. Mitoyo invites visitors to stay overnight at a wide range of lodgings in a surrounding area that’s home to peaceful temples and shrines and restaurants serving the region’s renowned Sanuki udon, among other gourmet delights.
Nushima Island
In Hyogo Prefecture, just south of Awaji Island in the Seto Inland Sea, the tiny green island of Nushima invites travellers to discover various spots revered for their history and culture as the birthplace of Japan, such as the sacred Onokoro Shrine at the foot of the mountain.
Nushima’s southern coastline is punctuated by distinctive rock formations and reefs that can be seen from the sea: Shitatategami-iwa, the flat Hirabae-iwa, and the 30-meter-tall Kamitategami-iwa.
Yoshino River Rafting
One of Shikoku’s most thrilling outdoor activities is wild whitewater rafting in the rapids of the Oboke and Koboke gorges. The Yoshino River flows through Miyoshi in Tokushima Prefecture, winding its way past lush natural scenery and dramatic cliffsides.
GoGo Adventure prioritizes safety, so even beginners with no swimming skills can participate with full flotation gear and complete confidence. Every tour offers English-speaking certified rafting guides, clean family-friendly facilities, and even a hot lunch on full-day tours.
In addition to navigating and riding the rapids, participants can also enjoy swimming and cliff jumping.
Uzushio Cruise
This sightseeing cruise departs from Fukura Port in Minami-Awaji, Hyogo prefecture, and heads out into the famous Naruto Strait where passengers can observe up close some of the world’s largest and most powerful whirlpools created by the tides.
The roughly hour-long cruise immerses passengers in the majestic scenery of the strait, passing under the Great Naruto Bridge before they witness the Naruto Strait whirlpools.
An onboard guide accompanies every cruise so guests can learn more about the whirlpools and the environment that creates this natural phenomenon in the Seto Inland Sea.
Visitors can explore the best of the Setouchi Region by choosing from one of 23 ‘Setouchi Journeys’, where curated routes take travellers on three to five-night journeys across the region.
