No opening hours or admission are shown: the sources we checked on 2026-09-15 were used for the route only. Check the official site
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Our guide
The Naruto whirlpools form in the Naruto Strait, the 1.3-km-wide channel between Naruto in Tokushima and Awaji Island. Twice a day the tide pushes huge volumes of water into and out of the Seto Inland Sea, and because the strait is so narrow, the water races through it at about 13–15 km/h four times a day, twice in each direction, with a difference in level of up to 1.5 m between the Inland Sea and the Pacific.
That timing is the key to a visit: the whirlpools depend on the tide, so check the tide times for your day before you go. From JR Tokushima or Naruto Station, take a local bus to Naruto Kōen; Uzu no Michi, the walkway over the whirlpools, is a 5-minute walk from there, about 0.3 km away. Highway buses from the Kansai area stop at Naruto Kōen-guchi.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- Naruto Whirlpools taken 4-21-2008 — Hellbuny · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- NarutoStraitFlow — Chris 73 (uploader on Commons) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- The whirling current in Naruto — "EMPe" · Public domain · source · resized
- Naruto Whirlpools from the Uzunomichi — Kounosu · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Utagawa Hiroshige (1857) Awa Naruto no fuukei — Utagawa Hiroshige · Public domain · source · resized
- Naruto - panoramio (1) — Munvar Miya Shaik · CC BY 3.0 · source · resized
- Awa no Naruto — Utagawa Hiroshige · CC0 · source · resized
- Naruto whirlpools 20170609-2 — Suicasmo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Naruto whirlpools 20170609-1 — Suicasmo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Naruto whirlpools 20170609-3 — Suicasmo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
What this place is
The Naruto whirlpools (鳴門の渦潮, Naruto no Uzushio) are tidal whirlpools in the Naruto Strait, a channel between Naruto in Tokushima and Awaji Island in Hyōgo, Japan. The strait between Naruto and Awaji island has a width of about 1.3 km (0.81 miles). The strait is one of the connections between the Pacific Ocean and the Inland Sea, a body of water separating Honshū and Shikoku, two of the main islands of Japan. The tide moves large amounts of water into and out of the Inland Sea twice a day. With a range of up to 1.7 m (5.6 ft), the tide creates a difference in the water level of up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) between the Inland Sea and the Pacific. Due to the narrowness of the strait, the water rushes through the Naruto channel at a speed of about 13–15 km/h (8–9 mph) four times a day, twice flowing in and twice flowing out.
Visitor information checked: 2026-09-15 · Uzu-no-michi (Naruto whirlpool walkway): access
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Landmark
Getting there by public transport
- From JR Tokushima Station or JR Naruto Station, take a local bus to Naruto Kōen; Uzu-no-michi, the walkway over the whirlpools, is a 5-minute walk.
- Highway buses from the Kansai area stop at Naruto Kōen-guchi.
Route checked: 2026-09-15 · Uzu-no-michi (Naruto whirlpool walkway): access · Timetables change — check the operator before you travel.
Where to stay nearby
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