Mt. Bizan, the symbol of Tokushima City
Right next to the city of Tokushima, the 290m Mt. Bizan is its symbol. The mountain was given its name since no matter from which direction you looked, it looked like an eyebrow (bi) so it has been called Bizan (eyebrow mountain) since ancient times. You can reach the top of the mountain by car over the driveway, the ropeway which departs from Awaodori Kaikan, and by a hike to the top on a mountain path which takes 1 hour one way.
Recommended is the trip through the sky with the great view
The most recommended route to get to the top is the Bizan Ropeway. It takes about 6 minutes one way to go from the station on the 5th floor of Awaodori Kaikan to the peak station on Mt. Bizan, and from the gondola, you can see the lush green of Mt. Bizan and the streets of Tokushima below. From April to October, the ropeway also operates at night so that it is also popular as the No. 1 night viewing spot in Shikoku.
A restful park at the peak bustling with activity
The top of the mountain is known as Bizan Park from where you can get a full view of Tokushima City and Onaruto Bridge, and on good days, you can even see as far as Awaji Island and Wakayama Prefecture’s Kii Peninsula. There is a free observation rest area and an observatory restaurant known as Restaurant Bizan from where you can enjoy a meal while taking in the wonderful view of the city; also, there is an amusement plaza. Furthermore, there is a Burmese pagoda which exists as a symbol of the peak of Mt. Bizan. In the park, there is a wild bird observation plaza and a wild bird observation garden path, and from mid-March to early April, the peak time for cherry blossoms arrives so that the area is alive with people enjoying the Ohanami (flower-viewing) season. There is also a Lovers’ Spot where couples holding padlocks can affirm their love for each other, and the 6m-tall Mayuge-kyo Bridge which is an LED kaleidoscope with 4,100 LED lights whose lovely interweaving light patterns can also be seen during the daytime. Near the peak of Mt. Bizan, there is a hotel, Kanpo-no-Yado, with an open-air bath, and its observatory restaurant can be enjoyed for its wonderful view of Tokushima.