Takamatsu

Takamatsu => (??) is the largest city in Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan.

Get in

By plane

Takamatsu's airport is served by both of Japan's major airlines. JAL offers nonstop service from Tokyo Haneda Airport, Sendai and Kagoshima. ANA offers nonstop service from Tokyo Haneda and from Sapporo Chitose Airport.

Buses connect the airport to Takamatsu station (40 minutes, ¥740).

Limousine buses make seven round trips per day between Takamatsu and Kansai International Airport in Osaka, via the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (¥3750; 3 1/2 hours).

By train

Since 1988, Takamatsu and the rest of the island of Shikoku have been connected to mainland Honshu by way of the Seto-Ohashi Bridge, which serves both rail and vehicular traffic.

The most frequent train services from Honshu to Takamatsu are on the Marine Liner (???????), a rapid train service which runs from Okayama about twice an hour. The one-way ride takes around 55 minutes and costs ¥1470. (Free with the Japan Rail Pass)

Connections to the Marine Liner can be made from the rest of the country via Shinkansen (Hiroshima, 1 hr 40 mins; Osaka, 2 hrs; Tokyo, 4 1/2 hrs).

An overnight sleeper train, the Sunrise Seto (???????), makes daily runs to Takamatsu out of Tokyo Station. The train ride lasts about 9 1/2 hours.

By bus

A daily overnight bus service runs from Tokyo and Shinjuku stations (9 1/2 hours, ¥10000 one-way).

See

Takamatsu is known for its garden, Ritsurin Koen (adult: ¥400), and to a lesser extent, for the ruins of a small seaside castle. It also houses a modest art museum with rotating shows of modern art, and a plethora of small temples and shrines.

Ten minutes by train to the east is Yashima peninsula with Shikoku-mura an interesting open-air museum showing old houses collected from all around Shikoku. (adult: ¥800) Inside the open-air museum there is a small art museum with works of Western artist including Pablo Picasso. The building has a nice garden with a nice panorama and was designed by Tadao Ando.

Buy

Takamatsu has an extremely long shotengai (shopping arcade).

Sleep

There is a youth hostel somewhere.

There are cheap business hotels around Ritsurin-koen (double/twin room from around ¥7000).

Get out

Takamatsu is the main entry point for Shikoku and from here the entire island is your oyster.

Kotohira, site of the famed Kompira Shrine, is an hour away by train.
Mount Ishizuchi, the tallest peak in Shikoku, is about two hours away.
Naoshima, a small island on Seto Inland Sea with superb contemporary art museums, is one hour away by boat.
Yashima peninsula, offering a panorama over Takamatsu and Shikoku-mura open-air museum, is about ten minutes away by train (JR or Kintetsu).