Takamatsu: Garden Art, Islands and Cultural Heritage

For travelers interested in garden art, cultural heritage, and islands, Takamatsu offers several distinct themes. There are also hikes, bonsai, and a covered shopping arcade—a range of options that lets you assess the destination according to your own travel interests.

Garden Art and Cultural Heritage

Ritsurin Garden is a strolling garden in the style of a daimyō garden; its appearance from the early Edo period has been preserved to this day. Six ponds and 13 landscaped hills shape the grounds. You can also view the garden from a traditional wasen boat. Check the availability of this boat option before your trip.

Takamatsu Castle Ruins Tamamo Park contains towers and Hiunkaku, which are designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The garden at Hiunkaku is designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty; the park also has a Japanese garden. Shikoku Mura is Shikoku’s only open-air museum. The site includes 31 buildings relocated from different parts of Shikoku, including cultural properties designated at the national or prefectural level. The buildings, farming equipment, and household items illustrate life in the past. The green grounds, seasonal flowers, and a woodland-like walk add a nature perspective to the museum visit.

Yashima and the Islands

Yashima is a flat-topped lava plateau. From its heights, you can look out over the calm Seto Inland Sea, its many islands, and the Takamatsu urban area. You can hike a mountain trail and stop at three viewpoints. History is also part of what defines the place: Yashima was a battlefield in the Genpei War, and the entire area is designated a historic site.

You can reach Ogijima by ferry in 40 minutes from Takamatsu Port; check the schedule before your trip. Built in 1895, Ogijima Lighthouse is still in service to ensure safe navigation. It was made from granite from Aji in Takamatsu, is one of the “50 Selected Lighthouses of Japan,” and is one of only two unpainted lighthouses in the country. Visitors from outside the island also come to Ogijima for hiking in winter.

Megijima is known for its beach, and many beachgoers visit the island in summer. The grand festival at Sumiyoshi Shrine takes place every two years in summer. Dedicated to the island deities, it is a men’s festival from which women are excluded. Long-standing rules and island customs are preserved through the festival. If you would like to include it in your travel plans, check the specific dates.

Shopping and Bonsai

Takamatsu Central Shopping Arcade is a covered shopping street about 2.7 kilometers long. Its eight shopping arcades include around 1,000 shops across various industries, making it possible to shop and browse all day, whatever the weather. The approximate number of shops may change over time.

Kinashi–Kokubunji is Japan’s leading region for growing pine bonsai. As of December 2025, the area had around 60 bonsai nurseries that visitors could freely visit. Opened in April 2020, the Takamatsu Bonsai no Sato facility also caters to beginners and tourists. There, you can view and buy bonsai and take part in bonsai activities.

Discover more destinations: Naoshima, Tadotsu, Furue, Higashikagawa, Zentsūji, Shozu District, Manno, Mime

For the broader travel overview: Kagawa Prefecture.