Ochaen Observatory

At Naruto Park on the Tokushima coast, the Ochaen observation point looks out over the Naruto Strait, Onaruto Bridge, Awaji Island, and the small wild island of Tobishima. For several centuries, Hachisuka daimyo sailed from Tokushima Castle to enjoy the tidal whirlpools from this spot, building temporary tea houses that gave the site its name. During their absence, ordinary residents would come to watch the whirlpools, and in the late Edo period, wealthy visitors hired boats to get even closer, recording what they saw in poetry and paintings. The area served as a military installation until 1945 and has been open to the public as a park since.