Shikoku

Shikoku (四国^?, "four provinces") is the smallest and least populous (4,141,955 as of 2005) of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū.

Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima (伊予之二名島), Iyo-shima (伊予島), and Futana-shima (二名島). The current name refers to the four former provinces which made up the island: Awa, Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo.

The Shikoku region, comprising Shikoku and its surrounding islets, covers about 18,800 square kilometres (7,259 sq mi) and consists of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kōchi, and Tokushima.

The largest city is Matsuyama, the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku.

The major river in Shikoku is the Yoshino River.

Unlike the other three major islands of Japan, Shikoku has no volcanoes.^[1]

Shikoku is also famous for its 88-temple pilgrimage of temples associated with the priest Kūkai.

Tokushima Prefecture also has its annual Awa Odori running in August at the time of the Obon festival, which attracts thousands of tourists each year from all over Japan and from abroad.

The Awa Dance Festival (阿波踊り Awa Odori^?) is held from 12 to 15 August as part of the Obon festival in Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku in Japan. Awa Odori is the largest dance festival in Japan, attracting over 1.3 million tourists every year.^[1]