Japan: Shikoku - 7 days Itinerary and Reviews

Japan: Shikoku - 7 days Itinerary and Expenses

If you bump into this page and are still planning for your first visit in Japan, you may go to this separate entry instead.  Or visit the bottom section of this page for more itinerary options. 

This year's spring trip is a 7-day stay in Shikoku island, which is a separate island from the main Honshu island (where you can find Tokyo or Osaka). Shikoku is accessible by air, ferry, trains, or buses from Fukuoka or Osaka.

My route is from Fukuoka airport, transfer to Hakata station. Booked the night bus going to Takamatsu, roam for a day.  Then, I headed to Kotohira for a night and Kochi for two nights.  I ended my stay in Shikoku island in Matsuyama for two more nights before going back to Hakata station for Fukuoka airport.

Travel Date: 13-21 March 2024

How did I reach the island?

I've been taking buses for long haul trips rather than taking Shinkansen or JR trains.  You can search tickets in advance from Willer Express or in Japan Bus Online.  There are more other websites depending on which region you are going.

Be there at the pick-up point, not just in time, but be there 15-30 minutes before the boarding time.   

The bus is a three-seater row with curtains for privacy.  They also provide a blanket during cold spring nights.  

When booking the ticket, a system assigns seats in order not to have men and women sit next to each other.

Although sleeper buses included a toilet, I did leave the bus once for a bathroom break.  At 5am, we had a  brief stop at the Dannoura parking area in Yamaguchi.  It was totally dark, like near a mountain wall.  Apart from our bus, all the rest are huge vans and trucks.  The toilet is huge and clean.  I looked it up on Google, and in the morning it used to have souvenir shops and restaurants.

However, this will be my first night bus trip in Japan.  If you ask me if I'll do it again, yes, but not  anytime soon.  It was a tiring journey if you are a light sleeper.  Whenever the bus is moving, I can sleep.  But when it slows down and turns to the rest-stop, I keep on being awake until the next ride.  Although, what I commend on this process, every after an hour of moving, I realized that the bus stops for safety purposes so that the driver can also take some rest. 

Itinerary: Places to go, Things to see, What to do?

Day	Places to See	Food and Restaurants	Accommodation	Others
1	Bus to Takamatsu station	Mo's Burger	n/a
2	Shikoku Village Cathedral of the Assumption Ritsurin Garden Marugamemachi Shopping St	Shikoku Village Café Matsuya Starbucks - JR Takamatsu Station	JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu	Takamatsu Castle Ruins Tamamo Park
3	Konpira-san Izutama Shrine Kotohira Maritime Museum	Cafe Mori to Yama Kamitsubaki Crispy JIJI Chicken	Onyado Shikishimakan Kotohira Hotspring	Kinryo Sake Museum
4	Kotohira Post Office Shikoku Mannaka Sennen Monogatari Ino Town Paper Museum	AceOne Supermarket	JR Clement Inn Kochi	Kochi Tsutaya Books
5	Yusuhara Community Library Town station Yusuhara Kochi Central Post Office	Coffee Flag King of Gyoza (Kochi station)	same	Sakawa Makino Park Ro481 Railway Carriage Exhibition Uemachi Station Hirome Market
6	Makino Botanical Garden Bus to Matsuyama Iyotetsu Takashimaya	CL Garden Café	REF Matsuyama City Station by VESSEL HOTELS	Kochi Castle Ogaya Bridge OR Horikawa Canal
7	Garyu Sanso Ozu Redbrick Hall Baishinji Station Baishinji Garden Dogo Onsen area Botchan Karakuri Clock Ferris Wheel Kururin	ozu lecrin Mican Café Park Dogo pudding dessert shop Shirasagi Coffee	same	Cafe Bleu Amanda Coffees Garyu Brewing Uchiko Buena Vista Baishinji Dogo-no Machiya
8	Ride Botchan train Matsuyama Castle Saka No Ue No Kumo Museum	Starbucks - Dogo Onsen Station Matcha Kugoro Soseki Coffee Shop	media cafe Popeye Hakata	Dogo Park Yuzuki Castle Ruins
9	Bus to Hakata terminal Hakata Canal Mall		n/a	Fuglen Fukuoka Uminonakamichi Seaside Park

Things to consider

• There are other major cities in Honshu island such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Kyoto; and in Kyushu like Fukuoka or Oita which can be easily accessed or you may want to prioritize.
• This is a risky plan especially to consider if arriving via CEB flights in case there will be delays in time for your night bus schedule.
• You need to limit your base cities to enjoy the trip.  Otherwise, you'll just keep on packing your things and rushing up to the next destination without enjoying the scenery.
• You need to plan where you will freshen up or take a shower when arriving in the next city.
• Plan your route, use Google maps or fare calculator to decide if buying the All Shikoku Pass is worth-it or will it still be better to manually buy a single journey ticket.

• If you are visiting during a holiday, you may also want to buy tickets in advance as bus seats may be sold out.
• For sakura viewing, please be more understanding that blooming forecast consider too many factors affecting the buds and the flowers.  Even if you see only one or two trees blooming be more thankful for that.  Check-out more other flora that are blooming on the streets and parks. 

Random Thoughts

• There are a lot of locals who are willing to help and who were able to speak to me in English.  Ensure to download the Translator app as well.
• The locals in Shikoku are very commendable for being more patient, than the exhausted Guides in the city due to over tourism.  
• This may be very far from the capital, but there is a good civilization, office work is much visible, tourism is emerging, food is great.  
• Not crowded unlike Tokyo and Kyoto.  
• Transportation has a limited schedule but surely can reach places.
• Morning breakfast set meals with cafe americano are way much affordable. 
• Most of the postcards I have seen are sketched by local artists.  Was able to send some from each city I've been to back to my home city.
• Go to their grocery or local market to buy any fruit like strawberries, etc.
• I only know Doraemon, Kenshin Himura and some Ghibli characters.  But there is a famous Anpanman who is Japan's national superhero.  I saw him printed on a full cover of the train, taxi.  There is even a moving diorama in Kochi station.
• Before your trip know the regional dish or must try for that city you are visiting. 
• One sign that you got tired during your trip, when the driver of the Limited Express wakes you up when you reach the last station.  Lucky me, the last station was my intended destination. 
• Apart from the shoe you are wearing, bring another pair of shoes.  After a few days of hiking my long time Merrel just got tired, lucky me that I still have other shoes to use for the following day.  This will also ease the pain of suddenly doing a shoe hunting if not planned on your itinerary.  
• Good things happen for those who wait. I visited a few ABC-mart stores in Shikoku looking for New Balance, but the size I was looking for the design I saw last December is no longer available.  But just a few minutes of roaming around Hakata, I bump into On Cloud in Canal City.
• This trip filled-up my stamping booklet.  I did see some who are also collectors like me.
• There are other flowers to see apart from sakura.
• When walking to the street markets, try to divert and visit a pachinko just for the sake of it.  I did play on a driving activity on Mario Kart arcade game, and spent some yen enjoying it.  

Expense Report: Budget Travel Guide

Returning Gifts / Personal expenses

• Apart from Don Quijote, you can also visit drugstores and convenience stores as an option to buy chocolates, biscuits and coffee.
• You can also buy beans or drift coffee bags from actual cafes.  I already tried the sakura spring season blend from Starbucks last year.  Thus, I bought the seasonal sakura blend (Ethiopian and Guatemalan beans) from Doutor this time. 
• Can't miss a visit to Uniqlo, GU, Muji, and some shoe shops. 
• Also visit Hyaku-en shops (100 yen store) apart from known Daiso, there are also Seria or CanDo. 

Other sample itineraries and expense reports:
For my further sample itinerary, expense, trip reports and PDF guides, please visit links below:

Japan: Traveling for the First Time
Fukuoka: Spring Itinerary (2016 May)
Fukuoka: Spring Itinerary (2017 May)
Fukuoka and Saga: Autumn Itinerary (2022 Dec)
Nagano, Hakone to Tokyo: Autumn Itinerary (2019 Dec)
Nagoya: Autumn Itinerary (2015 Nov)
Nagoya: Spring Itinerary (2019 Mar-Apr)
Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka: Autumn Itinerary (2023 Nov)
Osaka, Kyoto: Autumn Itinerary (2012 Dec)
Osaka, Okayama, Kobe, Kyoto, Japan: Spring Itinerary (2014 May)
Sasebo, Oita and Fukuoka: Spring Itinerary (2023 Apr)
Tokyo: Autumn Itinerary (2014 Oct)

*Remember, you still need to decide for yourself based upon your attraction and fascination over a place or activity.  As well as to consider the pace you want to have while traveling.  Planning too many targets on a day will either exhaust you rather than give you peace and joy on the culture and tradition.

Create your own road, rather than taking someone else's path.  

It can only be a road when one passes it.