News On Japan

Giant Whirlpools Thrill Tourists in Naruto Strait

TOKUSHIMA - Giant whirlpools measuring more than 15 meters in diameter have appeared in the Naruto Strait in Tokushima Prefecture, drawing crowds of tourists as the autumn spring tide season brings some of the year's most spectacular tidal displays.

The strait, located off Naruto City, is known for its powerful whirlpools, which churn through the water and send large sprays of white foam into the air. Autumn is one of the best times to witness the phenomenon, when particularly large differences between high and low tides can produce whirlpools exceeding 15 meters in diameter.

Sightseeing boats carrying large numbers of tourists have been taking visitors close to the swirling waters, offering dramatic views of the giant whirlpools forming directly in front of them.

Visitors expressed amazement at the spectacle. "Amazing! Very beautiful!" said one tourist, while another remarked, "The power is incredible. I was really surprised. It was my first time seeing them." Another visitor described the experience as both exciting and impressive.

The autumn whirlpool season is expected to continue until around mid-October, giving visitors several more weeks to enjoy one of Japan's most dramatic natural attractions.

Source: KTV NEWS

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Typhoon No. 27 is forecast to approach the Ogasawara Islands around October 6 as a very strong storm capable of bringing destructive winds and dangerous waves, with its predicted path shifting slightly eastward, while Hokkaido recorded Japan's first snowfall of the season on Mount Asahidake as cold air spread across northern Japan.

Time magazine has named Shoko Kawata, the 36-year-old mayor of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture, among its 100 most influential emerging figures worldwide, recognizing her decision to become Japan's first sitting mayor to take maternity leave and highlighting a political career that has taken her from municipal administration to national politics and the leadership of a city of nearly 70,000 people.

Hokkaido's highest peak, Mount Asahidake in the Daisetsuzan mountain range, recorded its first snow cover of the season on October 2, with the area around the Asahidake Ropeway's Sugatami Station, at an elevation of approximately 1,600 meters, blanketed in snow.

Tokyo authorities carried out the capital's first emergency shooting of a captured bear in Hachioji after an adult Asiatic black bear was found caught in a trap near a residential area about 8 kilometers from Takao Station.

Japan's total population, including foreign residents, stood at 122.97 million as of October 1, 2025, down 3.17 million from the previous census in 2020, marking only the third decline since the national census began in 1920.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Travel NEWS

Osaka will launch regular nighttime sightseeing cruises on October 3, offering visitors a new way to enjoy the city's illuminated waterfront, including the historic architecture of Nakanoshima and the skyline surrounding Osaka Castle.

The 2026 Kishiwada Danjiri Festival brought generations together in Sakai-cho, where young men hauling a four-ton wooden float, veteran organizers guiding its course and a first-year rooftop performer worked side by side to carry forward a tradition dating back more than 300 years.

A spectacular sea of clouds appeared over Mount Oe in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto Prefecture, on the morning of September 30, creating a breathtaking landscape as the rising sun gradually turned the mist a deep crimson.

Tokyo recorded rain for a 34th consecutive day on September 29, setting a new all-time record for the capital, but the prolonged wet spell could finally end after Typhoon No. 26 passes the Izu Islands between the night of September 30 and the morning of October 1.

A popular temple in Fukuoka Prefecture has introduced a 500 yen admission fee for foreign tourists while allowing Japanese residents and foreigners living in Japan to enter free, a measure aimed at reducing disruptive behavior and helping protect the religious site.

Nagoya Castle welcomed crowds of domestic and international visitors on September 27, the final holiday before its adult admission fee doubles from 500 yen to 1,000 yen in October.

A new 220-meter suspension bridge has opened at Biwako Valley in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, offering visitors a thrilling walk high above the mountains with panoramic views of Lake Biwa.

Giant whirlpools measuring more than 15 meters in diameter have appeared in the Naruto Strait in Tokushima Prefecture, drawing crowds of tourists as the autumn spring tide season brings some of the year's most spectacular tidal displays.