Takamatsu in Shikoku’s north-eastern part is most famous for the historical Ritsurin Garden. After visiting it, we understood the hype, as it’s one of the most beautiful gardens we’ve ever been to. That said, we also found plenty of other things to like about the city.

We also enjoyed the pretty location by the sea, the cool art scene, and the many affordable Ramen shops, where we tried the famous regional variation of Udon Noodles. Here are my recommendations for the best things to see in Takamatsu.

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What to See and Do in Takamatsu

We spent a day in the city, which was a good amount of time to visit Ritsurin Garden, check out some of the less famous sights, have a nice longish walk around the centre and try some local food.

Ritsurin Garden

This beautiful historical garden is Takamatsu’s undisputed number-one sight and I found it very easy to see why. For me, the park is pretty much the epitome of Japanese landscaping with its cute little lakes, small streams, gnarled pine trees and historical wooden buildings in between.

Ritsurin Kōen was originally built in the mid-18^th century for Takamatsu’s Sanuki and Sasuma Lords and was later opened to the public in 1875. It’s one of Japans biggest gardens, and we spent almost three hours exploring the place.

We really liked just strolling around the place without a concrete destination, but there are several spots worth checking out, including a small waterfall, a large pond full of lotus flowers and several viewpoints on small hills around the small lakes.

As per usual in Japan, the architectural features blend perfectly with the natural surroundings. One example for this is the Engetsu-kyō Bridge (Crescent Moon Bridge), which is also the symbol of the park.

The same goes for several small pagodas, from where we watched loads of Kois and Turtles swimming around the water.

Apart from that, there are a few small museum buildings with art exhibitions and displays on historical folk-craft. We also liked the two pretty tea houses and we chose one of them to have our first Japanese Tea Ceremony in the country with an awesome view over the surrounding ponds.

The park sits at the south-western edge of the city centre. The entrance fee is only 500¥, which we thought really low for what you get. You can check the current opening times here.

Takamatsu Art Museum

Stefanie and I are both art fans and we always like to check out the local scene, when we’re traveling. We were really glad to have stumbled across this modern art museum in Takamatsu’s centre.

The permanent exhibition is pretty small, but there are a few works by famous Japanese and international artists (including Atsuko Tanaka and Wassily Kandinsky).

There are also some rotating exhibitions. When we were there, there was a surprisingly beautiful display of everyday objects formed from tree resin. The Entrance Fee is 200¥ and you can check the current opening times here.

Tamamo Park and the Remains of Takamatsu Castle

This cute park sits inside the walls of Takamatsu’s former castle. There are just a few remaining buildings, but the grounds are very nice for a short stroll and the views over the moat to the Sento Inland Sea are amazing.

The moat is famous for the fact that it’s filled with seawater, which is apparently quite unusual in Japanese castle architecture. The main part of the castle’s keep was destroyed during the Meiji Era, but there are a few watchtowers and sections of castle wall to check out.

There’s also a small Bonsai Garden. Watch out for plucky cicadas in the trees while you’re walking through the garden. They seem to be territorial and were dive-bombing us when we walked too close. The entrance fee is 200¥ and you can check the opening times here.

Try Sankuki Udon

There are loads of affordable places to eat in Takamatsu’s city centre and we were really spoiled for choice here. The city is a good place to try the Kagawa Province’s famous Sanuki Udon, which are the regional take on the more common Udon (broad wheat noodles) that you can find all over Japan.

The Sanuki Udon are prepared in a different way and have a more chewy texture. We tried them at the small Kawafuku Honten restaurant, which is located in Lion-dōri street between Hyakkenmachi street in the north and Daikumachi street in the south.

Map of Takamatsu’s Sights

You can find all the places described above in this map of Takamatsu.

Practicalities

How to Get to Takamatsu and Away

By far the best way to get around Japan is by using the country’s perfect train system, which is fast, comfortable and efficient. A regional JR-Railway pass allows for unlimited use of Shikoku’s JR railways for 3 (12,000¥/91$), 4 (15,000¥/113$), 5 (17,000¥/127$) or 7 days (20,000¥/149$), which is altogether a fantastic deal. You can order your pass online on this site.

Takamatsu’s railway station is located at the western end of the city centre near Tamamo Park. There are several daily train connections to Okayama on Honshu (about 1 hour / 2,000 ¥), where you can connect to faster Shinkansen trains to Kyoto, Osaka and beyond. 

Otherwise, there are trains to other cities on Shikoku, like Tokushima (about 70 minutes), Kochi (about 2.5 hours) and Matsuyama (about 2.5 hours).

If you want to travel to Kotohira, you can either take the JR-System (about 45 minutes / 900 ¥ — with some JR-connections, you’ll have to change trains in Tadotsu) or take the private Kotoden Line (about 1 hour). If you choose the latter option, note that the line is not part of the JR network, so you can’t use a regional JR Pass in case you’ve got one.

There’s also a ferry service by Jumbo Ferry from Takamatsu port to Kobe in southern Honshu (four daily / about 4 hours).

Where to Stay in Takamatsu

There are a couple of decent budget options in the centre of town, like Setouchi Mangetsuso, as well as some mid-range hotels, like Sunny Day Hostel and a few luxury hotels, like Royal Park Hotel Takamatsu. You can have a look at the map for more options.

Where to Go Next

Kotohira, home to the important Konpira Shrine

The Iya Valley, the best place to get seriously off the beaten path