Takamatsu
Introduction
Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. The city spreads across roughly 375 square kilometres and is home to a few hundred thousand residents, making it a mid-sized Japanese city rather than a sprawling metropolis.
Before you go
Takamatsu grew over many years as a port town at one of the main entry points into Shikoku, and it is known as the "Gateway to Shikoku". It has also come to be known as the "Udon Kingdom", so arrive ready to eat.
Time your trip with the seasons in mind. July and August can get quite warm, while January and February are the coldest months, with occasional nighttime freezing temperatures. For planning, Experience Takamatsu is the city's official multilingual guide site.
Getting there
Takamatsu sits on Shikoku, and the only railway link to Japan's main island of Honshū crosses the Seto Inland Sea via the Great Seto Bridge. The train to ride is the Marine Liner, which runs directly between Okayama Station and Takamatsu Station twice per hour in both directions. Because it is classified as a rapid service, the Seishun 18 Ticket is valid; reserved seating and Green car seating are available in a bi-level car, and the ride is free with a Japan Rail Pass. If you travel south and get lucky, you may sit in one of the Green car seats at the front, right behind the driver, and watch the view as the train crosses. Okayama is a convenient place to connect from the rest of Japan by bullet train, and a limited express called the Uzushio also runs hourly from Tokushima. An overnight sleeper, the Sunrise Seto, makes daily runs between Takamatsu and Tokyo Station.
By air, Takamatsu Airport is small, with JAL and ANA service from Tokyo's Haneda Airport, JAL to Kagoshima, ANA to Okinawa, and Asiana Airlines to Seoul Incheon; Spring Airlines flies from Shanghai twice a week. Limousine buses connect the airport to Takamatsu train station. From Kansai International Airport in Osaka, a curiously-named bus called the "Airport Limousine" runs directly to Takamatsu several times a day, though it is not a limo. Long-distance buses reach Honshū too: JR Shikoku Bus runs from Namba Station in Osaka, Kyoto Station, and Hiroshima, among other places, while Shinki Bus serves Sannomiya Station in Kobe. Willer Express runs overnight buses from Tokyo to Okayama, where you can pick up the Marine Liner. By sea, the Jumbo Ferry runs between Kobe and Takamatsu, with connecting buses at both ends, and sails under the Akashi Straits Bridge with udon available on board. Shikoku Kisen connects Naoshima by ferry and speedboat, and the Utaka-Kokudō Ferry crosses the Seto Inland Sea between the Uno area of Tamano in Okayama Prefecture and Takamatsu, passing several islands.
Getting around
Walking works well for linking a cluster of nearby sights, but it is not a practical way to cover Takamatsu as a whole — the attractions are spread out, so on foot alone you will be slow and tired. The city was designed with bike travel in mind, and its rental cycle system is one of the best in Japan: you can keep a bike overnight, a rental covers a full 24 hours from the moment you take it, and the same bicycle can be rented for up to 72 hours if you tell the staff when you rent. Stations are dotted around town, including one in the basement of the bicycle parking area in front of Takamatsu Station — look for stairways leading underground with bike signs above. Before your first rental you fill out a short application and show official photo ID, after which you are issued a renter ID card; the paperwork is manageable with no Japanese.
For downtown hops, the Kotoden (Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad) is the local network that matters, handy for travelling between Ritsurin Park, Kawaramachi and the Takamatsu Station/castle area. Kawaramachi Station is its hub and also houses a department store, while Takamatsu-Chikkō Station sits near Takamatsu Station. JR lines are better suited to inter-city travel — they do not run often and are awkward for the city centre. Kotoden also runs buses covering the inner city and places the rails do not reach, including Aji Onsen, Aeon Mall Takamatsu, Ritsurin Garden and the Sun Messe convention centre, with main hubs at Takamatsu Station, Takamatsu Chikkō Station and Kawaramachi Station. Kotoden buses and trains accept the IruCa contactless payment card; taxis are a straightforward option for short trips or when public transport does not line up with your plans. A typical approach is to base yourself around Takamatsu Station or Kawaramachi, use the Kotoden for downtown, fall back on Kotoden buses for outlying sights, and take a rental bicycle for the flat streets.
Where to stay
Most of Takamatsu's accommodation clusters around two points: JR Takamatsu Station and Ritsurin-koen, where you'll find plenty of cheap business hotels. The station area is the most convenient base, with several options within a short walk of the main gate. The Takamatsu Pearl Hotel sits about 100 metres to your right as you leave the station, a clean and affordable business hotel with free coin lockers in the lobby. A few blocks south-west, the Toyoko Inn Takamatsu Hyogomachi offers compact but comfortable rooms, a Japanese-style breakfast included, wired internet in each room and lobby computers. The Takamatsu Century Hotel is also a short walk from the station, a large Western-style business hotel with WiFi in all rooms that suits single travellers or large groups. Near Kotoden Kawaramachi Station, the Sanukinoyu Dormy Inn is a modern Western-style hotel with a pleasant open-air bath on its top floor.
For something cheaper, the Golden Time capsule hotel in Kawaramachi is men-only and offers several varieties of saunas. If you'd rather stay in a traditional setting, the Castle Hotel Takamatsu has Japanese-style rooms with a tea table, kettle, fridge, a separate sleeping area with futon and a real Japanese bath, plus yukata ready in every room; the owner speaks good English, though the building isn't marked in English and sits just past a railway crossing that beeps from early morning until midnight. Other business hotels include the Takamatsu Tokyu REI Hotel and Hotel AreaOne Takamatsu in Hyogomachi and Nishinomarucho, and the Business Hotel Parkside Takamatsu near Ritsurin-koen.
Food & drink
Udon is the dish that defines Takamatsu. The local style, known as Sanuki udon after the historical name of Kagawa prefecture, is white, thick and chewy, and it is so widely loved across Japan that it is often what people picture when they hear the word "udon" at all. Hundreds of udon shops operate within the city, and the local passion for the noodles is strong enough that visitors often plan chain-eating tours between famous shops. Ask locals for recommendations — they will have opinions. Udon here is cheap and simple, easy to eat even if Japanese food is not usually your thing, so make a point of trying it at least once.
Several standard bowls appear on most menus. Kake udon is the most basic: noodles in a hot dashi and soy-flavoured broth, usually with sliced onions and perhaps a slice of kamaboko, often with a pinch of ginger. Kitsune udon adds a large slab of fried tofu, while tempura udon comes with tempura — typically shrimp and a vegetable or two, though the cheapest places use kaki-age, a vegetable-shrimp patty. Zaru udon is served cold on a wooden tray, to be dipped in a soy-based broth, and kama'age udon is the same style of eating but with hot noodles. For something different, Tsurumaru specialises in curry udon and has an English menu. Other udon options include Kawafuku, Sakaeda, Udon Bakaichidai, Udon Honjin Yamadaya Sanuki Honten and Waraya, the last of these near Mount Yashima and operating since 1975. If you want a break from noodles, Ikkaku Takamatsu is a chicken restaurant.
For drinks, you will find The Craic Irish Pub near Takamatsu Train Station, Magic Pan, a Hawaiian bar, and MeloBar near Kawaramachi Station. Hidamari Coffee Stand is an option for coffee.
What to see and do
Ritsurin Park is the city's signature sight: a vast landscape garden built for the Sanuki and Sasuma lords, designated a National Treasure and filled with the Engetsu-kyō Bridge, the Okedoi-no-Taki waterfall, a red wall of rocks, a lotus pond and Japanese pines. It holds three tea houses, a restaurant and a folk craft museum, and you can try a simplified tea ceremony at the tea houses. Walking routes are marked on the map you receive with your ticket, including one designed for visitors with mobility difficulties. In the city centre, Tamamo Park occupies the former site of Takamatsu Castle, whose main tower is being rebuilt; its buildings and cherry blossoms make it a popular spring stop. The Kagawa Museum covers the history, traditions and people of the prefecture once known as Sanuki Province, with a free English audio guide for the permanent history exhibit, while the Takamatsu Art Museum pairs a small permanent collection with special exhibits that change every few months. The Takamatsu Symbol Tower has observation decks looking out over the sea and nearby peninsulas, plus a shopping mall with restaurants. A short train ride east brings you to Yashima, the peninsula where the Battle of Yashima was fought in 1185, and which rewards anyone interested in local history with Yashima Temple and its museum, Yashima Shrine, the New Yashima Aquarium and Shikokumura, an open-air museum of old houses gathered from around Shikoku that also contains a small art museum with Western works and a garden designed by Tadao Ando. Near Takamatsu Station, the Tamamo breakwater and its illuminated red lighthouse make a pleasant sunset stroll, and the Isamu Noguchi Museum, at the sculptor's former studio, can be visited by reservation only. The city's calendar is busy with festivals. The Sanuki Takamatsu Festival takes over the area in front of Takamatsu Station and the seafront in mid-August, opening with a ceremony, continuing with a fireworks festival and closing with a dance festival, with the central park, shopping arcade and Sunport district all part of the fun. In mid-to-late December the Winter Festival brings Christmas displays to the central park, the Shionoe Firefly Festival in mid-June celebrates the flying insect, and the Hyōge Festival falls on the second Sunday in September.When to go
Takamatsu has a warm summer peak and a cold winter trough, with the rest of the year falling between them. If you travel in July or August, expect the hottest stretch of the year, when the heat is likely to shape your daytime plans. January and February are the coldest months, and nighttime temperatures occasionally drop to freezing, so plan for cold evenings and pack accordingly.
Festivals & events
Takamatsu's event calendar turns on the seasons. In December, the city holds its Winter Festival, while June brings the Shionoe Firefly Festival, when the fireflies of the Shionoe area are the draw.Three days in Takamatsu
Day one: Arrive at Takamatsu Station on the Marine Liner from Okayama Station, or fly into Takamatsu Airport on a JAL or ANA flight from Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Once settled, get your bearings in Takamatsu itself, the gateway to Shikoku and the Seto Inland Sea. If you are coming from further afield, the Sunrise Seto connects Tokyo Station to Takamatsu, and the Great Seto Bridge carries you across the water into Kagawa Prefecture.
Day two: Give the day to the Udon Kingdom. Takamatsu is the base for exploring Kagawa Prefecture's noodle culture, and udon is the reason many travellers come. Time your visit for July or August if you want the warmest conditions, or accept that January and February are bitterly cold. For a wider view of the region, consider a Seishun 18 Ticket or a Japan Rail Pass if you plan to move around Shikoku and Honshu by train.
Day three: Use Takamatsu as a springboard. The Uzushio connects Takamatsu with Tokushima, and Okayama is a short hop back across the Seto Inland Sea. Experience Takamatsu at your own pace before you leave, whether you are returning to Tokyo or continuing through Japan.