Getting Around Takamatsu

Getting Around Takamatsu

Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa Prefecture and the largest city on Shikoku, spread across a plain that faces the Seto Inland Sea. Its sights, its station, its port and its historic garden are not all clustered in one spot, so it pays to think about how you will move between them before you arrive. The good news is that the city has a compact, easy-to-use local rail network, a solid bus system, plentiful taxis, and one of the most visitor-friendly rental bicycle schemes in Japan.

Orientation and Walkability

Walking is a pleasant way to link up certain groups of nearby sights, but it is not a practical way to cover the city as a whole. Many of Takamatsu's attractions are spread out, so relying on foot alone will be slow and tiring for most travelers. Treat walking as your tool for exploring a single neighborhood or a cluster of sites, and use wheels for everything else.

Rental Bicycles

Takamatsu is extremely bike-friendly — the city was designed with bike travel in mind — and its rental cycle system is one of the best in Japan. It is so convenient and inexpensive that many locals use it too, rather than it being a purely tourist-oriented service.

• You can keep a rental bike overnight, and a rental covers a full 24-hour period from the moment you take the bike — not just until the end of the calendar day.
• The same bicycle can be rented for up to 72 hours if you tell the staff when you rent it.
• There are rental cycle stations around town, including one in the basement of the bicycle parking area in front of Takamatsu Station — look for the stairways leading underground with bike signs above them.
• Before your first rental you fill out a short application and show some form of official photo ID; you are then issued a renter ID card for future rentals.
• Filling out the paperwork and renting a bike generally works fine even if you have no Japanese.

Rail: JR and Kotoden

Takamatsu's main train station is Takamatsu Station, operated by JR Shikoku. It is the city's principal rail hub and the point where long-distance and local services meet. JR trains from here run to destinations around Shikoku, and across the Seto-Ōhashi Bridge to Okayama Station on Honshū — the only railway link between Honshū and Shikoku. The JR Yosan Line heads west toward places such as Marugame, Tadotsu, Matsuyama and Uwajima, while the JR Kōtoku Line runs to Tokushima via Yashima, Ikenotani and Sako.

For getting around town, however, JR lines are used more for inter-city travel: they do not run terribly often and are not well suited to moving around the city center. The local network that matters for sightseeing is the Kotoden — the Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad — which is a viable and convenient way to get around parts of downtown Takamatsu.

• The Kotoden is particularly handy for traveling between Ritsurin Park, Kawaramachi and the Takamatsu Station/castle area.
• Kawaramachi Station is the network's hub and also houses a department store; Takamatsu-Chikkō Station sits nearby Takamatsu Station.
• The Kotohira Line is the longest of the three Kotoden lines, running from Takamatsu Chikkō in the city center out to Kotoden-Kotohira via Kawaramachi and Ritsurin Station (the stop for Ritsurin Garden).
• The Nagao Line runs from Kawaramachi out to Nagao Station in Sanuki.
• The Shido Line runs from Kawaramachi toward the Yashima area.

Buses

Kotoden also operates bus routes, which cover the inner city area and reach places the rails do not, including Aji Onsen, Aeon Mall Takamatsu, Ritsurin Garden and the Sun Messe convention center. The main bus hubs are Takamatsu Station, Takamatsu Chikkō Station and Kawaramachi Station.

One route worth knowing is the Kotoden Bus that runs from JR Yashima Station to Kotoden Yashima Station on the Shido Line, and then continues up to Yashima — useful if you are heading for the plateau.

Takamatsu Station is also the terminus for a range of highway buses to destinations beyond Shikoku, including Shinjuku in Tokyo, Nagoya, Yokohama, Fukuoka, Namba and JR Osaka Station, Hiroshima and, within Shikoku, Kōchi and Matsuyama. These are booked online or through the operators.

Tickets and Payment

Buses and trains operated by Kotoden accept a contactless payment card for travel called an IruCa, which simplifies paying for individual rides across the Kotoden network. For JR services, standard JR ticketing applies, and a Japan Rail Pass covers JR trains.

Taxis and Ride-Hailing

Taxis are available in Takamatsu and are a straightforward option for short trips or when public transport does not line up with your plans, particularly in the evening or for reaching sights that sit away from rail and bus lines. As in most Japanese cities, you can hail one on the street or pick one up at a taxi rank, typically near the main stations.

Getting In from Takamatsu Airport

Takamatsu Airport is small, with a limited set of routes: JAL and ANA both fly there from Tokyo's Haneda Airport, JAL also serves Kagoshima, ANA also serves Okinawa, Asiana Airlines offers international service to Seoul Incheon, and Spring Airlines connects it with Shanghai. The practical link into the city is the limousine bus.

• A Kotoden limousine bus connects the airport with Takamatsu Station, taking about 40 minutes.
• From the city side, it departs from bus stop 3 at JR Takamatsu Station.
• The route also calls at the JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu, Takamatsu Chikkō, Hyōgomachi, Kenchōdōri Chūō-kōen-mae, Kawaramachi, Nakajinchō, Ritsurin Kōen-mae, Youme Town Takamatsu, Kagawa Daigaku Fuzoku Chūgakkō and Kūkōdōri Ichinomiya before reaching the airport.

If you are arriving from farther afield, note that there is also a direct bus between Kansai International Airport and Takamatsu, and JR Shikoku Bus runs a route from Kansai International Airport as well.

Arriving by Train or Ferry

Most visitors reach Takamatsu by rail from Okayama on Honshū, crossing the Seto Inland Sea on the Marine Liner, a rapid service that runs directly between Okayama Station and Takamatsu Station. Because it is classified as a rapid train, the Seishun 18 Ticket is valid on it, and reserved and Green car seating are available. The ride is covered by the Japan Rail Pass, and pass holders can make a free seat reservation for the reserved car. A limited express, the Uzushio, connects Takamatsu with Tokushima, and an overnight sleeper, the Sunrise Seto, runs between Takamatsu and Tokyo.

Takamatsu is also a port city, and ferries connect it with destinations across the Seto Inland Sea. The Jumbo Ferry runs between Kobe and Takamatsu, with connecting buses at both ends linking the ferry terminal to the nearest major station — San'nomiya Station on the Kobe side and Takamatsu Station on the Takamatsu side. Ferries and speedboats also link Takamatsu with Naoshima, and the Utaka-Kokudō Ferry connects the Uno area of Tamano in Okayama Prefecture with Takamatsu, with ferry boarding points at both ends close to the respective nearest train stations. Takamatsu also acts as a hub for reaching the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, including Megijima, Ogijima, Naoshima, Teshima and Shōdoshima.

Putting It Together

For a typical visit, base yourself around Takamatsu Station or Kawaramachi, use the Kotoden for downtown hops such as Ritsurin Garden and the castle area, fall back on Kotoden buses for the inner city and outlying sights, and take a rental bicycle for the flat, bike-friendly streets. Save JR for day trips beyond the city, and use the limousine bus from bus stop 3 at Takamatsu Station when it is time to catch your flight home.