A Walking Tour of Kagawa's Port City, Takamatsu, Japan

Kagawa may be the smallest prefecture in Japan, but it has a lot to offer. It’s home to 26 of the 88 temples on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, the art islands Naoshima and Teshima, “olive island” Shodoshima, and the vibrant port city of Takamatsu. Just an hour by train from Okayama, Takamatsu provides visitors an easy gateway to the lesser-known of Japan’s four main islands. Here’s a quick guide.

Kagawa prefecture is connected to Okayama by the Seto Ohashi Bridge. Built in 1988, it’s the longest combined rail-road bridge in the world. The double decker design, with a highway on top and railway below, spans about 13 km (8 mi) across the Seto Inland Sea. From JR Okayama Station, you can take the Seto-Ohashi Line over the bridge right to Takamatsu Station. The journey takes just under an hour and costs 2,500 yen.

From Takamatsu Station, it’s a quick ride over to the 400-year-old Ritsurin Garden, one of the city’s biggest attractions. There are a couple of ways to get there, but one of the easiest is to take the Local Hiketa on the Kotoku Line to Ritsurin-Koen-Kitaguchi Station. The train ride takes just 5 minutes (240 yen) and the North Gate of the garden is just a 3-minute walk from there. You could also take the Rainbow Loop bus (25 min; 200 yen) or walk (30 min) from the station to the garden. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).