Kamikatsu: A Day Trip to Japan’s Zero-Waste Town from Tokushima — Zero Waste Center WHY, Rice Terraces, RISE & WIN Brewery and a Hot Spring

Quick answer: Kamikatsu is a small mountain town about 55 minutes by car from Tokushima city, famous across Japan for its zero-waste policy — it sorts its rubbish into 45 categories (44 since March 2026). For a day trip, book the individual tour of the Zero Waste Center WHY (¥1,650, 16:30–17:00 only), have lunch and a beer at RISE & WIN Brewing (now closed Sundays and Mondays), see the Kashihara rice terraces and soak at the town’s hot spring. By bus it takes about 1½ hours with a change, and connection times changed on 1 April 2026, so check before you go.

I’ve been to Kamikatsu a few times. I’ve had a beer at RISE & WIN and soaked in a hot spring in Kamikatsu. I haven’t been inside the Zero Waste Center WHY or seen the Kashihara rice terraces, so those sections are what I’ve researched.

Why Kamikatsu is famous

Kamikatsu made Japan’s first Zero Waste Declaration in 2003. Instead of burning or burying rubbish, residents bring it to the town’s garbage station and sort it themselves. The town is famous for its 45 categories — the official Zero Waste Center site now says 44 categories since March 2026. The recycling rate was 81% in 2019.

For visitors, the zero-waste story is something you learn about at the Zero Waste Center rather than a sight in itself.

Zero Waste Center WHY

The Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center (上勝町ゼロ・ウェイストセンター), known as WHY, opened on 30 May 2020. Seen from above, the building is shaped like a question mark: the curved part holds the garbage station, and the “dot” is HOTEL WHY. It was built with windows reclaimed from old houses and local Kamikatsu cedar. There’s also the KURU KURU Shop, a reuse shop where residents leave things they no longer need and take things they can use.

• Hours: 9:00–17:00.
• Closed: the first Tuesday of each month, and 31 December–2 January.
• Parking: a small car park (15 spaces).

The individual tour

To see how the sorting works, join the individual tour (個人見学):

The late start matters for planning: if you’re relying on buses, check the last bus back before you book.

Groups of 11–50 people can book a 45-minute tour (¥27,500 for up to 25 people, ¥55,000 for up to 50). The centre also runs a 24-hour stay programme, the Kamikatz Circular Tour, about once a month with limited places — check the official site for dates and fees.

The irodori leaf business

Kamikatsu is also known for irodori, the “leaf business” (葉っぱビジネス). After a cold wave in 1981 killed the town’s mandarin trade, Yokoishi Tomoji proposed selling leaves and flowers as tsumamono — the seasonal garnishes on plates at high-end Japanese restaurants. The business started in 1986. Today about 200 growers sell about 300 products, worth about ¥260 million a year. The average grower is about 70, and about 80% are women.

Kashihara rice terraces

The Kashihara rice terraces (樫原の棚田) sit at 500–700 metres. They’re one of Japan’s 100 Best Rice Terraces (1999) and were made a national Important Cultural Landscape in 2010.

• Seasons: water reflections in the flooded paddies in spring, rice drying on racks in late summer, autumn colours, and sometimes snow in winter.
• Best viewpoint: lower Kashihara (下樫原) is the main photo spot.
• Food and rest: Asakage-tei (朝陰亭), a restaurant, café and guesthouse in lower Kashihara, and a small rest house in middle Kashihara. Check opening times before you rely on them for lunch.
• Getting there: about 47 km from Tokushima IC. There’s a dedicated car park shared with the Yamainudake moss trail. Public transport to the terraces couldn’t be confirmed, so plan on a car. Roads in the hills are narrow — see Driving in Rural Shikoku.

RISE & WIN Brewing

RISE & WIN Brewing Co. BBQ & General Store stands at the entrance to Kamikatsu. It opened in 2015 and has a brewery, a BBQ restaurant using Kamikatsu produce, and a shop. I’ve had a beer here.

• New hours from 1 April 2026: Tuesday–Saturday 10:00–17:30. Last orders: food 16:30, drinks 17:00.
• Closed: Sundays and Mondays (open on national holidays). Older guides say it’s open at weekends — that’s no longer right, and some booking sites still show different closing days, so check the official site before you go.
• Beers to look for: Kamikatz Stout, which won gold at the Japan Great Beer Awards 2026, and YATTTOSA BEER, a sudachi lager sold only in Tokushima Prefecture.

If you’re driving, the driver can’t drink at all — Japan’s drink-driving rules are strict. For more breweries in the region, see Craft Beer in Setouchi.

Tsukigatani Onsen

Tsukigatani Onsen (月ヶ谷温泉 月の宿) is the town’s hot spring, and you can bathe as a day visitor. The spring water is cold, so it’s heated with wood-chip boilers that burn thinned timber from local forests — a good fit with the zero-waste theme.

Hours, fees and closing days couldn’t be confirmed on an official site, so check before you go.

Getting to Kamikatsu

Buses: both buses run infrequently, and the town bus’s connection times changed on 1 April 2026. Check the Tokushima Bus Katsuura Line and Kamikatsu Town timetables before you go, and don’t use older timetables. The WHY website also links to an airport flat-rate taxi and other taxi options.

Car: with only a day, a car makes it much easier to combine WHY, the rice terraces, the brewery and the hot spring.

Staying overnight

HOTEL WHY is the “dot” of the question mark. Check-in is 15:00–16:30 and check-out 9:00–10:30, there are no staff from 17:00 to 8:30, and guests sort their own rubbish. Breakfast is supplied by RISE & WIN. Room rates aren’t shown on the official page, so check when booking. Staying the night also solves the problem of the late tour and the last bus.

Or base yourself in the city — see Where to Stay in Tokushima.

A simple one-day plan

Go on a Tuesday to Saturday (not the first Tuesday of the month, when WHY is closed).

1. Morning: drive from Tokushima city.
2. Late morning: the Kashihara rice terraces.
3. Lunch: RISE & WIN (food from 11:00, last order 16:30).
4. Afternoon: a soak at Tsukigatani Onsen.
5. 16:30: the WHY individual tour (booked ahead).
6. Evening: back to Tokushima city, about an hour.

Without a car, cut the rice terraces and plan the day around the bus times.

See also Kamiyama, Tokushima, another mountain town for a day trip, One Day in Tokushima City and Indigo Dyeing in Tokushima.

FAQ

How many rubbish categories does Kamikatsu have?
It’s famous for 45 categories. The official Zero Waste Center site says 44 since March 2026.

Can I visit the Zero Waste Center WHY without booking?
The centre is open 9:00–17:00 (closed the first Tuesday of the month), but the individual tour must be booked. It runs 16:30–17:00 only and costs ¥1,650 for adults.

Is RISE & WIN open at weekends?
Saturdays yes, Sundays no. Since 1 April 2026 it’s open Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00–17:30, and closed Sundays and Mondays (open on national holidays).

Can I get to Kamikatsu without a car?
Yes, by Tokushima Bus to Yokose-nishi and then the Kamikatsu Town Bus, about 1½ hours in total. Buses are infrequent and connection times changed on 1 April 2026, so check both timetables.

How long should I spend there?
Half a day covers WHY and RISE & WIN. Allow a full day to add the rice terraces and the hot spring.

Fees, hours and bus information checked on the official Zero Waste Center WHY, RISE & WIN (Kamikatz) and Kamikatsu Town websites on 1 November 2026.

Kaz

Tokushima local with family roots in Hiroshima

I live in Tokushima and my family is from Hiroshima, where I also used to live. I still go back several times a year. The guides here come from places I have actually been. Where I haven't tried something myself, I say so.