tokushima city overview -- ++ 徳島

s h i k o k u ... t o k u s h i m a - c i t y

Tokushima City ---- TOKUSHIMA, the capital of Tokushima Prefecture in Shikoku, is famous for its Awa Odori Dance Festival in midsummer. In very early January 2006 I made my first official visit to the southern Japanese city, and took these photos (the ones on the left) during a hectic drivethrough. It seems and looks by all accounts a typical Japanese city, all karaoke bars and cubelike department stores, and pachinko parlours -- plenty of pachinko parlours. The natural surroundings are good though -- this is Shikoku after all. Nonetheless, pachinko parlours and department stores aren't what draw the tourists to Tokushima -- they are here for the festivals, and they are here to dance. The city's website puts it thus: "Tokushima City is blessed with a mild climate and rich agricultural products. The Yoshino River, the longest on Shikoku, and other rivers running across the city and the elegant green of Mt. Bizan provide spiritual comfort for the citizens and relaxation for the visitors. Tokushima’s natural features and history created a distinctive culture: Awa Odori dance, puppet theatre (Ningyo Joruri), indigo dyeing (Aizome) / textile manufacturing (shijira-ori ), wooden products, Sudachi (citrus fruit) etc."

The foundation for the present-day urban area was laid in 1587, when Hachisuka Iemasa, a feudal lord, built a castle. Under the rule of the fourteen generations of Hachisuka family, Tokushima prospered as an administrative and economic center. In 1889, municipal administration was established. By the late 1920s neighboring towns and villages were merged into Tokushima City and the administrative area was expanded.



	s h i k o k u ... t o k u s h i m a - c i t y Tokushima City ---- TOKUSHIMA, the capital of Tokushima Prefecture in Shikoku, is famous for its Awa Odori Dance Festival in midsummer. In very early January 2006 I made my first official visit to the southern Japanese city, and took these photos (the ones on the left) during a hectic drivethrough. It seems and looks by all accounts a typical Japanese city, all karaoke bars and cubelike department stores, and pachinko parlours -- plenty of pachinko parlours. The natural surroundings are good though -- this is Shikoku after all. Nonetheless, pachinko parlours and department stores aren't what draw the tourists to Tokushima -- they are here for the festivals, and they are here to dance. The city's website puts it thus: "Tokushima City is blessed with a mild climate and rich agricultural products. The Yoshino River, the longest on Shikoku, and other rivers running across the city and the elegant green of Mt. Bizan provide spiritual comfort for the citizens and relaxation for the visitors. Tokushima’s natural features and history created a distinctive culture: Awa Odori dance, puppet theatre (Ningyo Joruri), indigo dyeing (Aizome) / textile manufacturing (shijira-ori ), wooden products, Sudachi (citrus fruit) etc." The foundation for the present-day urban area was laid in 1587, when Hachisuka Iemasa, a feudal lord, built a castle. Under the rule of the fourteen generations of Hachisuka family, Tokushima prospered as an administrative and economic center. In 1889, municipal administration was established. By the late 1920s neighboring towns and villages were merged into Tokushima City and the administrative area was expanded.
	[driving -- tokushima city] shikoku japan 2006 copyright rob sullivan 1996-2005 and beyond!