Awaji Island

Awaji Island is the largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, located in Hyōgo Prefecture between the Japanese main island Honshu and Shikoku. It is connected by the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge to Kobe on Honshu and by the Ōnaruto Bridge to Shikoku, making it an accessible island gateway.

The island combines coastal scenery, agricultural production and cultural attractions; it is known locally for horticulture including onion cultivation and for landscaped sites such as Awaji Yumebutai. The southern coastline faces the Naruto Strait, where strong tidal currents produce the well-known Naruto whirlpools.

Awaji supports several towns and transport links, with vehicle and pedestrian access across the major bridges and regional ferry/road connections to nearby ports. The island’s terrain is a mix of low mountains, cultivated plains and indented coastline.

Administratively it is part of Hyōgo Prefecture and lies off the eastern edge of the Seto Inland Sea, south of Kobe and north of Tokushima across the Naruto Strait.

• Bridge connection: Linked to Honshu by the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge main span, providing road access to Kobe and the Kansai region.

What to See #

• Awaji Yumebutai: Awaji Yumebutai is a hilltop complex of gardens, terraces and a conference centre designed by architect Tadao Ando, built on reclaimed quarry land and completed in the early 2000s.
• Naruto Strait and bridges: The Naruto Strait coastline on the island's southern side provides viewpoints for the Naruto whirlpools and the Ōnaruto Bridge cable-stayed crossings to Shikoku.