Japan
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
18,297km²
Area
1,076km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
1,982m
Highest point
Mount Ishizuchi
3,845,534
People
27°C
Warmest sea
August
266km
To the mainland
When to go to Shikoku
Best for the beach from June to October.
The sea is warmest in August (27 °C) and coolest in February (16 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from June to November.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Fourth largest island of Japan
Shikoku is an island in Japan. It belongs to Japanese archipelago. It covers 18,297 km², with 1,076 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Ishizuchi, rises to 1,982 m. About 3,845,534 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 266 km away.
Getting there
- Kochi Ryoma Airport (KCZ)main airport (4 on the island with scheduled flights)Car hire at KCZ airport (Nankoku)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesKokudo Kyushi Ferry (Misaki - Saganoseki), Takamatsu-Oshima ferry, Imabari City Ferry, Takamatsu-Teshima (Ieura) ferry
- 266 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From June to Octoberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Shikoku.
- 277beachesShirahama Beach, Tainohama Beach and 275 more
- 251viewpointsNaruto Skyline Observation Parking Lot, Oku-Iya Niju Kazurabashi, Todoroki Waterfalls and 248 more
- 51lighthousesKanaezaki Lighthouse and 50 more
- 57ferry terminalsTokushima Port, Misaki Port, Imabari Port and 54 more
- 23marinasMinokoshi Coastline Nature Park and 22 more
- 695named peaksMt. Ishizuchi, Minamisenpou, Misen and 692 more
- 63waterfalls
- 26castles and fortsMatsuyama Castle, Marugame Castle, Takamatsu Castle and 23 more
- 118ruins and archaeological sitesInubi Castle Ruins, Seki-jō Castle Ruins, The former Bando POW Camp and 115 more
- 2dive centres
- 90waymarked walking routesShikoku Pilgrimage, Shikoku Pilgrimage, temples 10-11, Shikoku Pilgrimage, temples 8-9 and 87 more
- 142campsitesSameura Campsite, Camping area, Free camp ground and 139 more
- 893hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 2,619restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Shikoku in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Shikoku, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
5lakesLakeyas
30waterfallsCascadyas
Tallest waterfall
114m
Karakai Falls
according to Cascadyas
Largest lake
1.4km²
Nagase Reservoir
according to Lakeyas
Warmest lake
31.5°C
国市池
surface water, warmest month · according to Lakeyas
Beach with the warmest sea
27.7°C
Omurono-hama
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
5 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Nagase Reservoir1.4km²
- Mannō Lake1.4km²
- Oima Ike0.28km²
- 国市池0.25km²
- Ebigaike0.13km²
Lakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
30 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Goraikō Falls102m
- Shirai Falls96m
- Todoro Falls82m
- Yukiwa Falls80m
- Amagoi Falls45m
- Ōtaru Falls34m
- Ogama Falls20m
- Ryuo Falls20m
22 more on CascadyasCascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 413 m above the sea. 34 % of it is below 200 m.
- 14 %0–50 m
- 19 %50–200 m
- 32 %200–500 m
- 27 %500–1,000 m
- 7 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
200 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Matsuyama511,192 people
- Shinagawa422,488 people
- Takamatsu418,994 people
- Kochi332,059 people
- Tokushima267,345 people
- Imabari170,986 people
- Niihama123,059 people
- Marugame109,513 people
- Saijō104,791 people
- Shikokuchūō82,754 people
- Uwajima70,809 people
- Anan70,285 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 6 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 20 | 15 | 9 |
| Night low (°C) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 13 | 7 | 2 |
| Sea (°C) | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 19 |
| Rain (mm) | 59 | 86 | 119 | 137 | 176 | 253 | 264 | 197 | 245 | 166 | 87 | 77 |
| Wet days | 7 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Sun h/day | 3.9 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 3.6 |
| Wind (km/h) | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 15 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | −0.1 | −0.2 | −1.0 | −1.1 | −0.8 | −0.2 | −0.8 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.4 |
| 2021 | −0.5 | −0.4 | −0.6 | −0.3 | −0.4 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.8 | −0.3 | −0.7 |
| 2022 | −1.0 | −1.6 | −1.7 | −0.8 | −0.4 | −0.3 | +0.4 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| 2023 | −1.1 | −1.2 | −0.3 | −0.5 | −0.9 | −0.8 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.9 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | −0.3 |
| 2024 | −0.4 | −0.3 | −1.0 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.3 | +0.5 | +1.6 | +1.8 | +1.3 | +1.0 | −0.2 |
| 2025 | −1.0 | −1.6 | −1.4 | −1.3 | −0.9 | +0.1 | +1.5 | +0.8 | +1.5 | +1.6 | +1.1 | +0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q13991) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Lakeyas, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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