“Awaji Island (淡路島 Awajishima in Japanese) is a not-terribly-large island – about the same size as Singapore – that marks the eastern boundary of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Thanks to a set of new bridges and a cross-island expressway, most visitors just zip through on their way from Honshu to Shikoku.”
“to see
-To see the Naruto whirlpools, stop at the expressway rest area at the southernmost tip of the island near the Onaruto bridge. If you have money to spare, you can take a little boat cruise to see them up close; note that whirlpools only appear when the tide is coming in or out.
– Aside from whirlpools and burial mounds and onions, Awajishima’s main claim to fame are its beaches, especially on the more sparsely settled northern coast. They’re nothing spectacular by international standards, but a popular nearby summer getaway for Kansai-ites just the same, and Awajishima has many campgrounds that cater to the budget traveller.
-There are also a number of hot springs (onsen), the best known of which are Awaji’s largest town Sumoto and the mildly radioactive(!) waters of Iwaya adjacent to the northern bridge.
-The Sumoto Castle [5] requires quite a hike but is a small beautiful castle at the top of a hill and can be seen from all over Sumoto. The view from the top is extraordinary.
-There are two buildings designed by famous Japanese architect Tadao Ando on Awaji Shima: Water Temple [6] and Yume no Butai.
– A section of the Nojima Fault, responsible for the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake, preserved at Nojima Fault Preservation Museum.
– The Kiseki no Hoshi Botanical Museum [7]is a beautiful stop on the bus line. There are numerous exhibits indoor and out. It is connected to the Westin Hotel.
-Scattered here and there are a number of herb and biwa (loquat) farms. The southern coast, however, is essentially one long semi-urban sprawl filled with the (stink/scent) of ripening onions; the only breaks in the monotony are a fairly hideous (but huge) concrete statue of the Buddhist deity Kannon and the inevitable Onokoro Amusement Park.”
Above information all copy pasted from wikitravel.org Click below for more detailed info.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Awaji_Island