Japan's hidden island: Temples & festivals in Shikoku

Travel by bus to Tokushima via Awaji-jima Island and across the world's longest suspension bridge that links the main island of Honshu to Shikoku.

Explore Tokushima town. We recommend incorporating a visit to Tokushima's most famous export to the rest of the country, the Bunraku puppet theater, to see a performance.

Take a scenic coastal train ride to Takamatsu, home to one of Japan's most beautiful gardens the Ritsurin-Koen and regarded as one of the top three.

Today, take a short ferry ride to visit nearby Naoshima Island and its world-class art museums. If time allows, there are other modern art installations of the surrounding smaller islands.

Pick up your hire car and drive from Takamatsu to the rural and remote Iya Valley. In the afternoon, explore the area by car and on foot, helped by the advanced GPS system provided with all rental cars. Depending on the season, you can enjoy some breathtaking mountainous scenery, complete with beautiful waterfalls.

Start this morning with some light activity — white-water rafting in the Oboke Gorge. The course is suitable for beginners and children.

Drive to the small town of Kannonji and drop the car off here. Then, take the train west to Matsuyama, Shikoku's principal city and oldest hot spring resort in Japan. The west of Shikoku has a different feel than the east.

Explore the castle and gardens or relax and rewind in the hot springs of your hotel.

Travel by train across to Okayama, stopping to see other top-rated gardens, including the Korakuen Garden, before continuing east to Tokyo. The evening is at leisure to catch up on any last-minute sightseeing or enjoy your final evening in Japan wining and dining.

You will be taken to the airport by shared transfer.