Kagawa
Japan's smallest prefecture, Kagawa, may take up just a small corner of Shikoku, but it has grown increasingly popular with the recognition of Naoshima, its "art island" in the Seto Inland Sea between Shikoku and Honshu. Just a stone's throw from the islands, mainland Kagawa's prefectural capital, Takamatsu, holds history in its castle ruins and its pride and joy, Ritsurin Garden, known as one of the country's best gardens.
Kagawa Overviews
Annual weather
- Jan
-
- Warm Cloth
- Feb
-
- Warm Cloth
- Mar
-
- Jacket
- Apr
-
- Long
- May
-
- Long
- Jun
-
- Long
- Jul
-
- Short
- Aug
-
- Short
- Sep
-
- Short
- Oct
-
- Long
- Nov
-
- Jacket
- Dec
-
- Warm Cloth
Based on the Meteorological Agency "past weather data", created NAVITIME
Travel Plans
View more >-
- Indulge yourself in art! A Naoshima cycling plan
- 1days
- This is a cycling plan around Naoshima Island, the art island in the Seto Inland Sea that is visited by people from all over the world. Visitors can enjoy the delicious cuisine and rice of the island, including “red pumpkin,” the symbol of the island, the art museum designed by Tadao Ando, as well as public art baths! Enjoy the leisurely rhythm of island life and the warmth of the local islanders.
-
- A one-day sightseeing plan for Shodoshima that includes a visit to some popular noodle shops
- 1days
- A visit from Takamatsu in Kagawa Prefecture to Shodoshima for a day of sightseeing. Having tasted the famous udon noodles at Hashigo in Takamatsu, you board the ferry for Shodoshima, a laid-back island with some superb scenery to photograph. Driving around the island, you get to visit an old soy sauce warehouse and a resort and taste some of Kagawa's best food.
-
- Enjoy the blessings of the island! Shodoshima one day driving plan
- 1days
- Shodoshima Island is the second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, after Awaji Island. If you don’t have much time it is recommended to sightsee by car which can use time effectively! This plan fully introduces the blessings of the island, such as magnificent natural scenery, a photogenic road station, and exquisite tasting rice bowl dishes. The times of low tide on Angel Road change depending on the day, so please check the homepage beforehand.
- Create your own Travel Plan
ARTICLE
View more >
Best Events
SPOT
View more >-
- Sun Olive Onsen
-
- This is an onsen facility located on Kagawa Prefecture’s Shodoshima Island. It is built on a tall spot overlooking the peninsula that was used as a location for the film Twenty-Four Eyes. In addition to the natural hot springs with eight different types of baths, the facility also has a restaurant, multi-purpose hall, meeting room, and tennis court, and serves as a place for interaction. Overnight stays are also possible at the lodge or facility campsite.
-
- Marukin Soy Sauce Museum
-
- This museum was constructed in 1987 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of Marukin Shoyu. The gassho-zukuri (a traditional style of Japanese architecture with a steep thatched roof) building has been designated as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Inside the museum are panels that introduce the soy sauce manufacturing process and displays of tools that were actually used in the production of soy sauce since the company was founded. Visitors can try soy sauce soft cream in the adjacent production building and this unique flavor can only be had here. Tours of the press factory that is currently still in use are also possible.
-
- Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Studio
-
- This is a theme park that has repurposed the open set that served as the filming location in the 1987 movie Twenty-Four Eyes. Homes, the school and fishermen’s residences that stand side-by-side harken back to the early Showa period and convey the appearance of the film’s world. In addition to the Tsuboi Sakae Memorial Museum dedicated to the author of the novel the film was based on, the Shochikuza Movie Theater that regularly screens Twenty-Four Eyes, and the “Kinema no Iori” gallery that introduces various Japanese films of the 1950s, there is also a restaurant and cafe on site.
-
- Misaki no Bunkyojo
-
- This is a spot that is famous for serving as a location for the filming of the 1954movie Twenty-Four Eyes. Ever since it was built in 1902 it was used as the Noma Elementary School Tanoura Branch for approximately 70 years. The classrooms remain as they were at the time with desks, an organ and creations by schoolchildren left behind, and there is no end to the visits by fans of the film and original novel.
-
- Kankakei
-
- Shodoshima offers scenery to enjoy in all four seasons. Kankakei, located nearly in the center of the island, is a valley located between the island’s highest peak of Mt. Hoshigajo and Shihozashi. Andesite and agglomerate, which formed approximately 13 million years ago due to volcanic activity, have turned over a long period of time into strangely shaped rocks and bizarre stones. From the ropeway visitors can enjoy fresh green foliage in the early summer, the intense colors of the leaves in the autumn, and the beauty of the Seto Inland Sea, and even encounter unusual flora and fauna on the hiking trail. It is ranked as one of Japan’s three most beautiful gorges, and this valley offers some of Shodoshima’s most picturesque scenery.
-
- Kankakei Ropeway
-
- The Kankakei Ropeway runs across Kankakei Gorge, which is considered to be one of the three most beautiful gorges in Japan; the Ropeway extends from the foothills right up to the mountain peak. Visitors can enjoy spectacular views of the beautiful scenery in the Gorge, which changes with the seasons. The views of the Seto Inland Sea in the distance provide a marvelous contrast to the mountain vistas. The journey up the Ropeway takes approximately five minutes to complete.
-
- Senmaida Terraced Rice Fields, Nakayama
-
- The Senmaida terraced rice fields are located in Nakayama district in the center of Shodoshima (Shodo Island). They are the only terraced rice fields in Kagawa Prefecture selected for inclusion in the “Top 100 Most Beautiful Terraced Rice Fields in Japan.” There are around 800 individual fields, which appear to climb in “waves” up the slopes of the hills, to a height of 200 meters above sea-level. This area is famous as the location for many scenes in the award-winning movie Rebirth (Yokame no Semi). The Nakayama Mushi-okuri Festival, a traditional festival with a history going back around 300 years, is held locally every year in July.
-
- Cafe Salon Nakaoku
-
- Located in the Honmura district of Naoshima Town, Cafe Salon Nakaoku is a secluded, home-like café in a refurbished traditional farmhouse. The café owner is a native-born Naoshima islander. The café is renowned for its coffee, particularly its original-blend coffees with a “fruity” flavor that are the house specialty, but there is also a wide range of alcoholic beverages available. Cafe Salon Nakoku is located about three minutes’ walk from Minamidera with its Art House Project, in which a vacant house has been repurposed as an art museum. The café is a great place to unwind in a relaxing atmosphere.
-
- Aisunao
-
- Aisunao is a Japanese restaurant located in a converted traditional house (built around 80 years ago) in the Honmura district of Naoshima Town. The restaurant is easily recognized by the blue entrance curtain featuring a stylized and very cute depiction of a rice bowl. The house specials include a wide range of flavorful dishes featuring organically-grown unpolished rice (with a pleasantly chewy consistency) and vegetables. Many of the dishes served here are suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and the restaurant also offers a range of vegan-friendly desserts made without eggs or dairy products.
Getting Around
Takamatsu, the capital of Kagawa, is one of the easiest places to access on Shikoku: The Sanyo-Tokaido Shinkansen takes just three hours to travel from Shinagawa Station in Tokyo to Okayama Station, from which the JR Seto-Ohashi and Yosan lines take passengers across the Seto Inland Sea to Takamatsu Station in less than an hour. For a faster journey, there are flights from both Narita Airport and Haneda Airport to Takamatsu Airport, just a 50-minute limousine bus ride to Takamatsu city center.
Access
-
Access to Takamatsu Airport -
- Tokyo Narita International Airport → Takamatsu Airport
- Time : 1h 25min
- Tokyo Haneda International Airport → Takamatsu Airport
- Time : 1h 15min