Getting there
Awaji has no train line — the way in is by direct highway bus from Osaka or Kobe (Sannomiya), crossing the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, one of the longest suspension bridge spans ever built, with the crossing itself a genuine highlight of the trip. Total travel time from central Osaka runs a little over an hour each way.
The Naruto whirlpools
At the island's southern tip, tidal currents through the Naruto Strait create powerful, genuinely visible whirlpools, best seen from a sightseeing boat timed around the tide schedule, or from an observation deck built onto the underside of the connecting bridge itself.
Awaji Yumebutai
Designed by architect Tadao Ando, Awaji Yumebutai is a large complex of gardens, a greenhouse and concrete architecture built into a hillside, constructed in part to restore land quarried to build the artificial island Kansai Airport sits on — a quiet, design-focused counterpoint to the rest of the day.
Onions, the island's other claim to fame
Awaji is one of Japan's best-known onion-growing regions, and the sweet local variety turns up in everything from soft-serve ice cream to curry across the island's roadside restaurants — a small, specific thing to try if you're passing through.