On May 26, 9:40 am, mtfes...@netMAPSONscape.net wrote:
> Declan Murphy <declan_mur...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > On May 24, 10:23 pm, mtfes...@netMAPSONscape.net wrote:
> > > Declan Murphy <declan_mur...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > > On May 21, 8:43 am, alty <altyalty...@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
> > > > > On May 21, 6:21 am, "Marvel" <mar...@helpcarl.com> wrote:
> > > > Was driving through Shikoku late last week. Beautiful places, but not
> > > > somewhere I can imagine living in, especially without the language
> > > > skills required.
>
> > > Where in Shikoku?
> > Came over from Awaji island into Tokushima. Bummed around there then
> > drove up into the Iya valley area. Went through that gorge I can't
> > remember the name of
> >http://www.declan.tv/images/iya_gorge_600.jpg
>
> I can ask She who must be obeyed about that.
>
> > and to that over rated "vine" bridge, then down to Kochi. Hadn't been
> > to Kochi before. After that over to Matsuyama.
> > You know Kochi pretty well right? I'd like to follow the coast from
> > Kochi to Matsuyama next time. Any suggestions?
>
> There's not a single road that hugs the coast all the way, but there's a
> highway that drops you down to Tosa, and goes down through Susaki, to
> Nakamura (where you'll see Shimanto Gawa, which was the largest undammed
> river in Japan). From there, we usually cut across to Sukumo, then to
> down to Otsuki, on the far west of Kochi-ken. You could continue on the
> same road, instead of cutting across, and this would take you all the
> way down into Ashizuri-misaki, then swing back around to Otsuki and up to
> Sukumo. The road into Ehime will take you past some very nice coast,
> including Ashizuri National Park. There are coral reefs all along the
> coast, though not shoal reefs. The best ones are ledge reefs, so you'll
> need scuba gear. Once you hit a little past Yawatahama, though, there's
> no really good road right along the coast, so add an extra 2 hours
> to your expected travel time.
>
> Very pretty, all in all. You'll see lots of the Osenro walking along the
> highways, and the road's are very good. We usually stay at the Belle
> Reef in Otsuki, and if you're really taking the coast route all the
> way, this is at least 2 days of driving.
>
> Have fun.
>
> Mike
> Mike

And I would very much recommend Awa Odori in Tokushima.  It is one of
the best festivals I have seen and you'll be humming the song for days
afterwards :)     Yes - there are a lot of wonderful experiences to be
had in Nippon I think.