Naruto City is home to one of the world’s largest naturally occurring whirlpools, the Naruto Whirlpools. About 100 years ago, the first performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Asia took place here, at the former Bando Prisoner of War Camp.
Since olden times, Naruto has prospered as a gateway to Shikoku, a starting point where people, goods, technology, and information come and go. The city is a treasure trove of history, culture and art.
You can visit attractive spots in half a day, even when you come to Naruto on a business trip.
First on the list of sites aimed to be registered as World Heritages are the powerful Whirlpools of the Naruto Strait. Then there’s a collection of documents and materials related to the Bando Prisoner of War Camp, who tell us about the history of a friendship born from the friendly interactions between German soldiers captured in World War I and the local people. These documents are aimed to be registered as a UNESCO Memory of the World Heritage.
And finally, there’s the registration of the “Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage Sites” as a World Cultural Heritage. Ryozenji Temple, the starting point of the pilgrimage, is famous as a place where people pray for good and safe new beginnings.
On June 1, 1918, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 was performed in full length for the first time in Asia by German prisoners at the Bando Prisoner of War Camp in Naruto City. The cross-border bond of friendship fostered amid war, which led to this milestone, has been handed down for generations now by the citizens of Naruto. It is an asset unique to Naruto City given by the German prisoners, which the city feels should be shared with and conveyed to the world.
Growing up in the strong currents of the Naruto Strait, the Naruto Tai sea bream is the finest of its kind with firm-textured meat.
Wakame seaweed grown in Naruto’s fierce tidal currents has a crisp texture and flavor.
The Naruto Kintoki sweet potato is cultivated in the sandy-soil fields of Naruto, which is rich in sea minerals, resulting in its quality sweetness and texture.
Cultivated in the good-quality clay soil, the renkon lotus roots are fair-colored, crispy, and tender.
The Naruchuru udon noodles are the signature food beloved by the people of Naruto.
The dish uses a golden soup stock and incredibly soft noodles, topped with fluffy thin deep-fried tofu bean curd, resulting in a distinctive mild flavor.