Shikoku · Day Tour
One of Japan's great gardens, a castle with a saltwater moat, and the country's best udon.
From
¥25,000 per person
approx. US$158
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmation
A guided tour of Takamatsu on Shikoku. Ritsurin Garden, the saltwater moats of Takamatsu Castle at Tamamo Park, the converted warehouses of Kitahama Alley and the city art museum. Everything is close to the port, which makes it a straightforward day or a cruise call.
The garden took over a century to complete and is frequently ranked with the three famous ones, which it is not officially counted among. Six ponds, thirteen landscaped hills and around a thousand pines shaped by hand, with a wooded mountain behind used as part of the composition. There is a teahouse on the water where you can sit with a bowl of matcha.
Takamatsu Castle was built on the shoreline and its moats are filled with seawater, which is unusual enough that there are sea bream living in them. The keep is gone, but the stonework, the gates and the turrets remain, and the grounds are now Tamamo Park by the harbour.
A row of old timber and corrugated warehouses on the waterfront, left derelict and then taken over by cafés, galleries and small shops without being tidied up. It is the part of the city where people actually spend their evenings.
Kagawa eats more udon per head than anywhere else in Japan and treats it as a matter of local pride. The good places are often canteens where you carry your own tray and add your own toppings. Your guide will take you to one and explain the procedure, which is not obvious the first time.
Meet your guide at the 7-Eleven by the Symbol Tower.
The ponds, the pines and the teahouse.
Takamatsu Castle and its saltwater moats.
Converted warehouses by the water.
Sanuki udon, or the city collection.
7-Eleven at Takamatsu Symbol Tower, Sunport, Takamatsu. Your guide will contact you on WhatsApp beforehand.
The price covers your English-speaking guide. Entry fees, transport and meals are paid as you go, and by convention you also cover your guide's. Bring cash.
Yes. The sites are all within a short ride of the port and the day is timed around your ship.
Yes. Ferries to Naoshima leave from Takamatsu port. Tell us when you book if you want the day arranged around a sailing.
Yes. It is a different kind of garden — larger, wilder at the edges, and built against a mountain rather than in a city.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time. Bookings are confirmed instantly.
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