Anan

Anan (阿南市) is a coastal city in southern Tokushima Prefecture, on the Pacific side of the island of Shikoku. It sits where the prefecture's eastern plain meets a rugged, indented shoreline, and it is the largest city in the southern part of Tokushima. Anan combines an industrial base — it is well known as a centre of LED and electronics manufacturing — with a long coastline of beaches, fishing harbours and quiet capes.

For travellers, Anan is a gateway to the scenery of southern Tokushima rather than a major sightseeing city in its own right. Its coast includes pilgrimage temples on the Shikoku 88-temple route, sea-turtle nesting beaches and small harbours, and inland it gives access to river valleys and rural towns. The unhurried, off-the-beaten-path feel is part of its appeal.

The climate is mild and Pacific-influenced: warm, humid summers and gentle winters with little snow. Late spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons; the rainy season in early summer and the typhoon season of late summer and early autumn can bring heavy rain to this exposed coast.

By Train

Anan is served by stations on the JR Mugi Line, which runs south from Tokushima city along the coast. The line links Anan with Tokushima city to the north and continues toward the southern Tokushima coast.

By Car / Road

Anan is reached by road from Tokushima city via the coastal national highway and connecting expressway routes.

Anan is spread out along the coast, so a car is the most practical way to explore its beaches, capes and temples; local trains on the Mugi Line connect coastal points, and local buses serve some areas.

• Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage temples — Several temples on the famous 88-temple circuit lie in and around Anan, drawing white-clad pilgrims.
• Anan coastline and capes — A scenic, indented Pacific shoreline of beaches, fishing harbours and headlands.
• Hiwasa-direction sea-turtle beaches — The coast of southern Tokushima beyond Anan is known for loggerhead sea-turtle nesting; the famous turtle museum is at Hiwasa, south of the city.

Anan's appeal is its outdoors: walking the coast, visiting beaches, and exploring the pilgrimage temples that thread through the area. The southern Tokushima coast is good for swimming and watching the Pacific surf in the warmer months.

As a Pacific-coast fishing area, southern Tokushima is known for fresh seafood; Tokushima Prefecture more broadly is famous for Tokushima ramen, with its dark, sweet-savoury soy-based broth.

• Tokushima (north along the coast by train or road) — Prefectural capital, home of the Awa Odori dance.
• Hiwasa (Minami) (south along the Mugi Line) — Known for its sea-turtle museum and beaches.
• Mount Tsurugi (inland, via the mountains) — Shikoku's second-highest peak.
• Mima (inland to the west) — Historic town with the preserved Udatsu townscape.
• Naruto (north of Tokushima) — Famous for its tidal whirlpools.