#Takamatsu

The Ritsurin-kōen landscape park is in the city of Takamatsu on the island of Shikoku. It is one of Japan’s designated places of scenic beauty and, at nearly 75 hectares, it’s also the largest of its kind.

You’ll be impressed right at the entrance. The greenery of the garden blends seamlessly into the densely wooded Mount Shiun. This “borrowed scenery” (shakkei) gives visitors the impression that the park stretches all the way to the horizon.

There are several ponds where you can take a stroll along the banks, or even explore some of them by boat. You can order a tea in the teahouses and enjoy it in peace with a fantastic view of the garden. And of course, there are plenty of photo ops waiting to be discovered.

You can easily reach Ritsurin-kōen on foot in about 20 minutes from Takamatsu Station. On the way, you’ll pass the ruins of Takamatsu Castle and the city’s shopping street. Alternatively, you can take the Tokushima Line from the station to Ritsurin-Kōen-Kitaguchi (栗林公園北口駅) station. Entry costs 410¥ (excluding the boat ride and teahouse visit).

In the north of the island of Shikoku, you’ll find the city of Takamatsu, the capital of Japan’s smallest prefecture, Kagawa.

A massive tourist highlight in town is the grounds of the old Takamatsujō castle. It was built in 1590 and kept being expanded right up until the end of the 17th century. Then, in 1884, the castle tower and other buildings were torn down. Today, all you can admire from the original site is the castle’s stone base, a gate, and a couple of corner turrets. There are plans to rebuild the castle from scratch, though.

In the park grounds right next to it is the Hiunkaku building. Originally built as a government building, its inviting tatami rooms are now used for exhibitions.

You can easily walk to the site from JR Takamatsu Station in just a few minutes. Entry costs 200¥.

This cute manga tells the story of how a fish became a Shachihoko. We found the manga on a lantern at the Takamatsu Castle grounds.

You’ll often spot Shachihoko at temples and castles at the ends of roof ridges. They’re supposed to symbolically protect the building from fire.

After arriving at Takamatsu’s smiling Shikoku Smile Station, we kicked off our trip at Takamatsu Castle. The castle itself isn’t standing anymore, but you can still check out the foundations, a park, and some admin buildings. Right after that, we headed to Ritsurin Koen, one of Japan’s most beautiful landscape gardens. Our last stop was the 282-metre-high Yashima table mountain with its amazing view over Takamatsu. The Yashima Temple up there is the 84th of 88 temples on the Shikoku Pilgrimage route.

We also wanted to go on a boat ride to Ogijima island and try the famous Sanuki Udon noodles, but the day went by way too fast.