# Takamatsu

> Gateway to Shikoku and the Setouchi art islands, famous for sanuki udon noodles and the magnificent Ritsurin Garden, one of Japan's finest landscape gardens.

- Prefecture: Kagawa
- Type: City
- Address: Kagawa, Japan
- Admission: Free
- Official site: https://www.art-takamatsu.com/en/

Shikoku's second-largest city and the port most people pass through on the way to the art islands, which sells it short. Two things here are worth stopping for.

Ritsurin Garden is the first. Seventy-five hectares, six ponds, thirteen landscaped hills, and Mount Shiun rising behind it as borrowed scenery so the garden appears to run into the mountain. Successive lords worked on it for about a hundred years and finished in 1745. The Kikugetsu-tei teahouse stands out over the water and serves matcha to anyone who sits down. Local opinion holds that it belongs on the list of Japan's three great gardens and was left off by accident of politics, and having walked it you will probably agree.

The second is udon. Kagawa eats more udon per head than anywhere in Japan, and Sanuki udon is a firm, square-edged noodle served in ways that make no sense elsewhere: at self-service shops you take a bowl, boil your own noodles in a basket, ladle on broth, add tempura from a tray, and pay a few hundred yen at the end. Some of the best shops are in sheds behind farmhouses and close when the day's dough runs out, usually by two in the afternoon.

Takamatsu Castle, by the station, is one of three castles in Japan with a moat of seawater. Sea bream swim in it and you can buy food to throw them.

Ferries leave the port for Naoshima, Teshima and Shodoshima, and during the Setouchi Triennale the whole city fills with people heading out to them. Yashima, the flat-topped hill east of the city, was where the Genpei war turned in 1185.

## FAQ

### How do I get to Takamatsu from Okayama or Tokyo?

From Okayama, take the JR Marine Liner rapid train across the Great Seto Bridge to Takamatsu in about 55 minutes (around ¥1,550). From Tokyo, direct flights to Takamatsu Airport take roughly 1 hour 20 minutes.

### What is Takamatsu famous for?

Takamatsu is the gateway to Shikoku and the Seto Inland Sea art islands such as Naoshima and Teshima. It is also known for Ritsurin Garden, one of Japan's finest landscape gardens, sanuki udon culture, the Yashima plateau, and the Tamamo Castle ruins.

### How much does Ritsurin Garden cost and when is the best time to visit?

Admission to Ritsurin Garden is ¥410 for adults. Spring cherry blossoms and autumn foliage are the most scenic seasons, though the garden is beautiful year-round.

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Source: Takamatsu — Japan Voyage