First-Time Takamatsu: Ritsurin Garden, Yashima & Demon Island — 2 Days

One of the great stroll gardens of Japan, laid out over roughly a century by the Matsudaira lords who ruled Takamatsu and completed in 1745, set against the wooded slope of Mount Shiun as 'borrowed scenery'. Six ponds and thirteen landscaped hills are threaded by paths that reframe the view at every turn — the arched Engetsu-kyo bridge, the Kikugetsu-tei teahouse where you can take a bowl of matcha over the water, pine groves clipped for three hundred years. Larger and arguably lovelier than many gardens on the official 'three great gardens' list, it is the single best reason to come to Takamatsu and deserves a slow morning.

Open from 07:00, closing time varies by season (roughly sunset); admission about ¥500 adult (approx., 2026). A few minutes' walk from Ritsurin-koen-kitaguchi (JR) or a Kotoden ride. Enter the South Garden first for the classic views; a bowl of matcha at Kikugetsu-tei is worth the small extra fee.

A beloved self-serve udon shop a short walk from Ritsurin's east side, the right place to learn how Kagawa actually eats its noodles: take a tray, choose your bowl, point at the tempura and side dishes on the counter, ladle your own dashi, and pay at the end for a few hundred yen. The udon is classic Sanuki — square-cut, springy, with a firm chew the locals prize — and the kakiage and croquette toppings are famous in their own right. Fast, cheap, unpretentious and completely authentic.

Open roughly 09:30-14:30, closed Sundays (approx., 2026). About a 10-minute walk from Ritsurin's east gate, near Ritsurin-koen-kitaguchi. Cash is easiest. Watch how the regulars assemble a bowl and follow suit; sells out of some toppings if you arrive late.

One of only a handful of Japanese castles whose moats are filled with seawater drawn straight from the Inland Sea, so that sea bream rather than carp swim beneath the walls — you can feed them, and a small boat will row you around the inner moat. Built in 1590 by Ikoma Chikamasa, the keep is gone but the handsome Tsukimi and Ushitora turrets, the great stone walls and the Hiunkaku villa remain, set in the Tamamo Park gardens by the ferry terminal. A short, atmospheric stop between the garden and the waterfront.

Open from early morning, closing varies by season; admission about ¥400 (raised April 2026; approx.). Beside Takamatsu-Chikko station and the ferry port. The moat boat (wasen) runs in fair weather for a small extra fee. Allow 45-60 minutes.

A row of disused waterfront warehouses near the port, rescued from demolition and reborn as a cluster of cafes, galleries, vintage shops and bars that keep the rust, brick and harbour patina intact. It is the most design-conscious corner of Takamatsu, good for an afternoon coffee with a view across the moored boats, a browse through homeware and craft, and a sense of the city's contemporary side after a morning among its history. Quiet by day, livelier as the bars open toward evening.

Individual shop hours vary; most cafes open afternoons, bars later. A short walk or taxi from the castle and port. Free to wander. A relaxed place to pause before dinner; some shops close on weekdays, so a weekend or late afternoon is liveliest.

Takamatsu's other great food obsession after udon: honetsuki-dori, a whole bone-in chicken leg marinated in garlic and spices and roasted hard until the skin crackles, served sizzling and eaten with your hands. Ikkaku, founded in 1953, is the dish's most famous name — order the oya-dori (a chewy, intensely savoury older bird) or the softer wakadori (young chicken), mop the peppery juices with cabbage and rice, and pair it with a beer. Loud, smoky and quintessentially Takamatsu.

Takamatsu (Kajiyamachi) branch open evenings (weekends from late morning), closed Tuesdays; oya-dori roughly ¥1,100, waka-dori similar (approx., 2026). Central, near the Hyogomachi arcade. No reservations — expect a wait at peak; eat early to skip the queue.

A small island twenty minutes off Takamatsu, traditionally identified with Onigashima — 'Demon Island' — the ogres' stronghold that the peach-boy hero Momotaro storms in Japan's most famous folk tale. A bus climbs to a large artificial cavern bored into the hillside in the 1910s, now lined with painted ogre figures and offering a wide view back over the Inland Sea from the summit. The port village, ringed by old stone walls called ote built against the sea wind, is a pleasant short wander while you wait for the boat back.

Ferries run from Takamatsu port roughly every two hours, about 20 min each way (around ¥370 one-way; approx., 2026); a connecting island bus to the cave is a few hundred yen. Cave admission is small. Plan around the timetable — check the last return boat before you set out. Allow about 3 hours round-trip.

A famous udon restaurant in a relocated thatched Edo-era farmhouse at the foot of Yashima, beside the Shikoku Mura museum gate. The house specialty is kama-age udon served in a giant wooden tub for a group to share, with hot dashi poured from a heavy ceramic jug — theatrical, communal and delicious. The setting, with its dark beams, water-wheel and garden, makes the most ordinary of meals feel like an occasion. A perfect lunch before or after the open-air museum next door.

Open daytime, generally following the museum's hours (commonly closed Tuesdays in the off-season — confirm); the big-tub kama-age is the thing to order (approx., 2026). At the Shikoku Mura entrance, a short bus or taxi from Yashima station. Can be busy at peak lunch; go early or late.

An open-air museum on the wooded lower slope of Yashima where thirty-odd vernacular buildings from across Shikoku — thatched farmhouses, a sugar-press hut, a stilted kabuki stage from the Shodoshima islands, a fishing-village storehouse — have been moved and reassembled along a hillside trail. A swaying vine bridge near the entrance and a Tadao Ando-designed gallery add to the walk. It is a quiet, hour-or-two stroll through how rural Shikoku actually lived and built, beautifully sited among the trees.

Open 09:30-17:00 (last entry 16:30), closed Tuesdays; admission about ¥1,600 adult (approx., 2026). At the foot of Yashima beside Waraya, a short bus or taxi from Yashima station. The paths are sloping and unpaved in places — wear comfortable shoes.

Temple 84 of the 88-temple Shikoku pilgrimage, founded in the 8th century and sitting on the flat summit of Yashima, the table-top lava mountain that rises straight from the sea east of the city. The vermilion Hondo holds a celebrated Heian-era image, and the precinct is guarded by Tasaburo, a comic raccoon-dog deity whose statue and shrine recall the island's tanuki legends. Pilgrims in white still climb the old stone path; for everyone else a road and bus reach the top, where the temple anchors a breezy plateau of viewpoints.

Precinct open daytime, free to enter (a small fee for the treasure hall); on the Yashima plateau, reached by the Yashima Drive bus from Yashima station or by car. Combine with the Yashimaru observatory a short walk away. Allow 30-45 minutes.

A low, snaking glass-and-timber observation gallery opened in 2022 on the summit of Yashima, its curving 200-metre interior walk framing the Inland Sea, the islands and the city in turn through full-height windows. Free to enter, with a cafe and an open lawn beside it, it has quickly become the place to watch the sun drop behind the archipelago — the calm Seto water turning silver, the ferries threading between islands. Time the visit for late afternoon and stay for sunset to end the day on the mountain.

Open daytime into the evening (hours vary by season), free; a short walk from Yashima-ji on the plateau. Last buses down the mountain run early-evening — check the return timetable if you stay for sunset. A jacket helps; the summit is breezy.