It is that time of year once again in western Japan for viewing large whirlpools in the Naruto Strait.
The natural phenomenon off the coast of Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture is caused when large volumes of water are churned by the difference of the water level between the Seto Inland Sea and the Kii Channel.
Especially in spring, visitors can see how the spring tide contributes to large whirlpools of up to 20 meters in diameter.
On Saturday, local tourism organizations celebrated the opening of the tourism season by throwing a 1.8-meter long key-shaped model into the whirlpools.
The event was cancelled for the last two years due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Tourists were excited to see whirlpools of more than 10 meters in diameter.
One elementary school student from neighboring Kagawa Prefecture said that it was exciting to see large whirlpools swirling.
A couple from Okayama Prefecture said they were lucky to see the famous whirlpools during good weather, and were impressed by the magnificence of the natural phenomena.