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Tokushima Hotel Guides · Anan Station
Best Hotels Near Anan Station: LED City &
the Road to the Surf Coast
JR Mugi Line · Kitanowaki Beach · Tairyuji Ropeway · Nichia’s LED Hometown · Gateway to Shishikui Surf
💡 The LED capital — the company town behind the blue LED lights half the world
🏖️ Kitanowaki — a long pine-backed swimming beach ranked among Japan’s best
🚡 Tairyuji ropeway — a spectacular cable ride to pilgrimage temple #21
🏄 The Mugi line rolls south toward Shikoku’s surf towns
On this page
What Kind of Area is Anan? A Local’s Honest Take
Anan is honest about what it is: a prosperous factory town — home turf of Nichia, the company whose blue LED changed world lighting — where most weeknight guests carry sample cases, not surfboards. But it happens to sit at the hinge where Tokushima’s plain gives way to the wild south coast, and that makes it a genuinely useful traveller’s base. Kitanowaki beach, fifteen minutes away, is a kilometre of clean sand and pines; the Tairyuji ropeway — one of the longest in western Japan — swings over river and forest to a mountaintop temple that pilgrims once reached by a punishing climb.
Head further down the Mugi line and the coast turns properly Pacific: sea-turtle beaches at Hiwasa (temple #23, Yakuoji, overlooks the town), then the surf breaks of Kaifu and Shishikui near the Kochi border. Anan’s hotel stock is business-grade and priced accordingly — think of it as the last reliable bed before the coast gets rural, or a quiet alternative when Tokushima city fills during festival week.
If you’re chasing the south coast with a JR pass, sleep in Anan and catch the first Mugi-line train — you’ll have Hiwasa’s temple and turtle beach to yourself before the day-trippers arrive from Tokushima.
Getting Around from Anan
🚆 Rail
Tokushima ~30 min by Mugi-line express or local; south to Hiwasa ~35 min and the surf coast beyond.
🚌 Bus
Direct highway buses run from Anan through Tokushima to Osaka/Kobe (~3 hr) — handy for factory visitors and travellers alike.
🚗 Road
Route 55 is the coast trunk road; rental cars make Tairyuji, Kitanowaki and the cape lighthouses easy.
What to See Around Anan
🚡 Tairyuji ropeway
A 2.7 km cable flight over the Naka river gorge to temple #21 — the most dramatic approach on the whole 88-temple circuit.
🏖️ Kitanowaki beach
Summer swimming, winter beachcombing, pines and clear water — one of Shikoku’s best urban-adjacent beaches.
🐢 Hiwasa & the surf coast
Sea-turtle nesting sands, the hilltop Yakuoji temple, and consistent Pacific surf at Shishikui further south.
Where Should You Actually Stay?
Business-hotel country: simple, clean, well-priced.
🏨 Station area: A handful of business hotels within a short walk — weeknights fill with industry visitors, so book ahead midweek.
🌊 Coast note: Surfers often push on to guesthouses in Hiwasa or Shishikui; Anan is the comfortable middle option.
Recommended hotels
- Royal Garden Hotel — Anan’s main full-service option, popular with LED-industry guests.
- Station-front business hotels — a small cluster of dependable budget stops near the west exit.
- Hiwasa minshuku & guesthouses — for turtle-beach mornings, sleep one town south.
Overall Rating: Anan Area
| Category | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Transport Access | ★★★☆☆ | 30 min to Tokushima; coast line south |
| Around the Station | ★★☆☆☆ | Working town, quiet evenings |
| Food & Sights | ★★★☆☆ | Beach, ropeway temple, surf nearby |
| Hotel Choice | ★★☆☆☆ | Business-grade, midweek demand |
| Charm & Atmosphere | ★★★☆☆ | Factory town with a Pacific back door |
Who Should Stay Here?
✔ Business travellers to the LED corridor
✔ Surfers and beach-goers staging for the south coast
✔ Pilgrims walking temples #19–23
✔ Budget travellers when Tokushima city is full
