Awakan on Awaji Island: Fish From Your Hotel and Eat Your Catch for Dinner (2026 Guide)

Want to try fishing in Japan without booking a boat, buying gear or hunting for a spot? Awakan, a hot spring ryokan in Sumoto on Awaji Island, has its own private fishing pier right outside the hotel. Guests can fish there for free, and the kitchen will cook your catch for dinner that same evening.

Awakan (formerly Awajishima Kanko Hotel) describes itself as an “experience-based inn for fishing and family.” I’m a local angler living near the Seto Inland Sea. I put this guide together from the hotel’s official information so you know how the pier, the cooking service, getting there and booking actually work before you go.

Awakan at a Glance

How the Private Fishing Pier Works

The pier is for hotel guests only, and you don’t need to book it. You can fish any time from 12:00 on your check-in day until 12:00 on your check-out day, so you can fish before you check in and after you check out. If you arrive early, the front desk will keep your luggage and show you to the pier.

Staff support: Hotel staff are at the pier from 8:00 to 23:00. They’ll show you how to fish, bait your hook and take a fish off the hook, so it works well for complete beginners.

The pier is divided into several areas:

• Family Area: Stable footing and staff close by, so it’s the easiest spot for kids. At night the lights come on, and the hotel says it becomes a good spot for light-lure fishing for horse mackerel (aji) and rockfish (mebaru). On Saturdays, the night before holidays and during school holidays, it can get busy and may run on time slots.
• Stone-Paved Area: Shallow, but good for rockfish with a burakuri rig (a weighted single hook dropped into gaps between rocks). At night you can target mebaru with small plugs.
• Tetrapod Area: Unstable footing, so it’s for experienced anglers. Rockfish and migratory fish. In spring the hotel recommends light-lure fishing and long-cast sabiki (a multi-hook rig with small flies).
• Jetty Area: In spring, drop a line into the gaps between rocks for marbled rockfish (kasago) and other rockfish.
• Cove Area: It looks empty because the water is shallow, but it holds plenty of rockfish. In spring you can target gunnel (ginpo) and several kinds of rockfish.

Good to know:

• The pier may close during storms or when weather warnings are in effect.
• The pier is non-smoking.
• You’re welcome to bring your own tackle. The hotel doesn’t sell worm bait, so bring your own if you want to use it.

Fish Empty-Handed: Free and Paid Rentals

The free gear is plenty for fishing right at your feet with a sabiki rig or a float. If you want to cast farther or go after bigger fish, rent a paid rod or bring your own.

Traveling with your own rods? Here’s how to bring them on the plane:
👉 How to Bring Fishing Rods to Japan

Eat Your Catch: How the Cooking Service Works

This is what makes Awakan special. Hand in the fish you catch, and the hotel will cook it for you.

• Cooking styles: Sashimi, simmered in soy sauce (nitsuke), salt-grilled or deep-fried
• Price: From ¥660 for up to five fish of 20 cm or less (the price depends on the type and number of fish)
• Deadline: 19:30 on the day of your stay. If your plan includes dinner, bring your fish to the 3rd-floor front desk at least one hour before your dinner time.
• How it’s served:
  • Plans with dinner: Your fish is served as an extra dish with your dinner.
  • Plans with breakfast only: Your fish is delivered to your room as room service.
  • Room-only plans: The hotel’s website doesn’t say, so ask the hotel before you book.
• Taking fish home: The hotel can also clean and fillet fish for you to take home, from ¥660.
• The cooking service is for hotel guests only.

If you don’t catch anything, dinner is still served as usual. Your catch just adds an extra dish.

What You Can Catch in Each Season

Based on the hotel’s official fish guide, here’s what you can target in each season:

Japanese fish names you’ll hear: aji (horse mackerel), mebaru (Japanese rockfish), kasago or gashira (marbled rockfish), murasoi (spotbelly rockfish), kujime (spotty belly greenling), ginpo (gunnel), mejina (largescale blackfish), kurodai or chinu (black sea bream), kisu (Japanese whiting), tachiuo (hairtail), aori-ika (bigfin reef squid), kawahagi (filefish), madai (red sea bream), hamachi (yellowtail), sawara (Japanese Spanish mackerel), akou or kijihata (red-spotted grouper)

The fish change with the season, tide and weather, and the hotel doesn’t guarantee a particular catch. For recent results, check the hotel’s catch blog, Toretore Tsuri Joho (in Japanese).

Want More? The Boat Trip and Charter Boats

If the pier isn’t enough, Awakan also runs trips out on the water.

Boat fishing trip

• A 50-passenger boat that rocks less than small boats and has a flush toilet. Hotel staff come aboard to help.
• Shared trips run every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday, plus spring break, Golden Week, summer holidays and the New Year period. They depart even with just one guest.
• Book at least 4 days ahead. Cancellation fees apply from 3 days before.
• Main targets: Rockfish (gashira) from April to June, horse mackerel and rockfish in July and August, hairtail from September to November, filefish in December, and rockfish from January to March. The actual target depends on how the fish are biting and the tide.
• Schedule (approx.): Briefing at 12:30, depart the hotel at 13:10, fish from about 14:00, back at the hotel around 16:45.
• Price for hotel guests (from September 1, 2026): ¥9,000 for adults 18 and over, ¥8,500 for under 18. Includes the boat fare and bait.
• Rod and reel: Reserve separately. A full rental set costs ¥4,000. Ask the hotel by phone or email.
• You can also join as a day visitor (¥10,000 for adults, including use of the hot spring baths). Bring a cooler to take your fish home. Only overnight guests can have their catch cooked.

Charter boats
You can also charter a whole boat. Check the hotel’s fishing page for prices and booking.

Want to compare sea fishing tours across Japan?
👉 The 8 Best Sea Fishing Tours in Japan

Good to Know for International Travelers

• Language: The hotel’s English page says it has multinational staff and that guests shouldn’t need to worry about communication. It doesn’t say when or where English help is available, so email any requests (fish cooking, pickup, dietary needs) before you arrive.
• Tattoos: Guests with tattoos worn for fashion or cultural reasons can generally use the baths and hotel facilities. You may be asked to keep them discreet.
• Hot springs: Two large baths, both with open-air baths. They switch between men and women in the morning and evening. The sauna is in the 2nd-floor Panorama bath. Bathing wear or a towel is allowed in the baths.
• Payment: Cash, credit cards and e-money are accepted. If your card has an IC chip, you’ll need to enter your PIN, so make sure you know it before you travel.
• Allergies: The hotel can cater for allergies if you tell them the ingredients and symptoms in advance by phone or email.
• Other details: You can walk around the hotel in the yukata and slippers provided. Bringing your own alcohol costs ¥550 per bottle under 500 ml and ¥1,100 per bottle of 500 ml or more. Pets are not allowed.
• Children’s rates: Ages 6 to 12 pay 70% of the adult rate, ages 3 to 5 pay 50%, and children under 3 stay free.
• Late check-out: Available up to 12:00 for an extra fee.

How to Get to Awakan

There are no trains on Awaji Island, so you’ll travel by highway bus or car.

By car (the hotel’s estimates)

• About 130 minutes from Kansai International Airport (KIX)
• About 90 minutes from central Osaka
• About 60 minutes from central Kobe
• Free parking at the hotel

By highway bus from Kobe or Osaka
The nearest main stop is Sumoto Bus Center. Honshi Kaikyo Bus runs the Kakehashi buses from Osaka and Kobe to Sumoto. Boarding points include:

• Osaka: Osaka Station JR Highway Bus Terminal, JR Namba (Minatomachi Bus Terminal), Osaka (Itami) Airport
• Kobe: Kobe Airport, Shin-Kobe Station, Sannomiya Bus Terminal, Shinki Bus Sannomiya Bus Terminal, Kosoku Maiko

The route also has a stop called “Awajishima Kanko Hotel-mae”, named after the hotel’s former name. Check the timetable to see which buses stop there.

From Kansai International Airport (KIX)

If you’re flying in from overseas, Kansai International Airport (KIX) is the main international gateway for the Osaka and Kobe area.
👉 Search flights to Kansai International Airport on Kiwi.com — enter “Osaka Kansai (KIX)” as your destination.

• Easiest option: Take the airport limousine bus to Kobe Sannomiya, then change to a bus for Sumoto Bus Center. A discounted through ticket for KIX to Sumoto Bus Center via Sannomiya costs ¥4,100 and is valid for 2 days, including the day you start.
• Direct bus: There’s also a reservation-only direct limousine bus from KIX toward Awaji Island and Tokushima (¥4,000 to Sumoto, about 2 hours). However, on Awaji Island it stops at Sumoto IC, not Sumoto Bus Center. If you want to use it, ask the hotel first whether they can pick you up at Sumoto IC.

Free hotel pickup
When you arrive at Sumoto Bus Center, call the hotel and wait at stop No. 1. The hotel van will come in about 5 to 8 minutes. They’ll also drop you back at the bus center when you leave.

⚠️ Can your phone make calls? Most travel eSIMs are data-only and can’t make regular phone calls. Email the hotel your arrival time in advance so you’re not stuck at the bus stop.
👉 Best eSIM for Fishing in Japan

Carrying lots of gear?
If changing buses with rods and luggage sounds like a hassle, renting a car at Kansai Airport may be easier. It’s about 130 minutes to the hotel by car, and parking at the hotel is free.

👉 Find a rental car at Kansai Airport on EconomyBookings

To drive in Japan, you’ll need an International Driving Permit (1949 Geneva Convention) or, for some countries, an official Japanese translation of your license.

How to Book Awakan

You can book direct on the official site, which has an English booking page, but you’ll need to create a member account first. The hotel says the official site offers exclusive plans, a best-rate guarantee and a members’ discount.

If you’d rather use an account you already have, Klook and KKday also list Awakan:

👉 Check rates for Awakan on Klook
👉 Check rates for Awakan on KKday

Whichever site you use, check whether your plan includes dinner. It decides how your catch is served: at dinner, or as room service. Cancellation policies also differ from site to site. When you book direct, the hotel’s policy is free cancellation up to 4 days before, 20% from 3 days before, 50% the day before and 100% on the day.

FAQ

Do I need a fishing license to fish at Awakan?
In the official sources I checked, I couldn’t find any license system for rod fishing in the sea in Japan, and the pier is free for hotel guests. For the full rules, see my guide:
👉 Do You Need a Fishing License in Japan?

I’ve never fished before. Is that OK?
Yes. Staff are at the pier from 8:00 to 23:00 and will show you how to fish, bait your hook and handle your catch.

Can I use the pier without staying at the hotel?
No. The pier and the cooking service are for overnight guests only. Day visitors can join the boat fishing trip.

What if I don’t catch anything?
Dinner is served as usual. Your catch is an extra dish on top of your normal meal.

Can I fish at night?
Yes, the pier is open 24 hours during your stay, and the lights come on at night in the Family Area. Staff are only there until 23:00, though.

Final Thoughts

At Awakan, you can borrow a rod and bait for free, learn from the staff, and eat what you catch the same evening. It’s a great fit for first-time anglers, families with kids, and anyone who wants an easy taste of fishing in Japan, with a hot spring bath to end the day.

Looking for a fishing charter elsewhere on the Seto Inland Sea?
👉 Seto Inland Sea Fishing Charter Guide

Official Sources

• Awakan official website – FAQ
• Awakan official website – Fishing
• Awakan official website – English
• Kansai Airport Transportation Enterprise – Tokushima/Awaji timetable
• Honshi Kaikyo Bus – Kakehashi bus stops