Takamatsu

Getting Here and Around

It takes one hour to get here from Okayama by JR. Buses from Tokyo are 10 hours; Nagoya 7 hours; Osaka, 4 hours; Kyoto or Shin-Kobe 3 hours 30 minutes; Sannomiya 2 hours 25 minutes; Matsuyama 2 hours 30 minutes; Kochi 2 hours; and Tokushima 1 hour 30 minutes. Ferries from Osaka and Kobe arrive in 2 hours 20 minutes.

You're most likely to set off exploring from Takamatsu's northern tip, where the JR station, bus platforms, and ferry port bracket a wide piazza around the Clement Hotel. At the northwest corner of the grassy, highly missable Tamamo castle park, continue straight along the park's edge towards the Kagawa Museum and Kitahama Alley, or turn left down broad Chuo Dori to hit the city. Ten minutes will bring you to the covered Hyogo-Machi shopping arcade and within easy striking distance of the city's other sights. The city's biggest draw, the 120-acre Ritsurin Garden, is 20 minutes farther south.

The east-lying districts Yashima and Mure are home to two more captivating attractions: the historical preserve Shikoku Mura and the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum, a superb sculpture park in a studio of the late master. Just outside of the main city, both sites are easy to access by car or local train.

A squat Information Office in front of the JR station is the place for maps, time tables, and travel advice. Some staff speak English quite well, so use them to help plan your next move. If you need more multilingual help or local events info, try IPAL, a cultural exchange office in the central Chuo-koen. Ask for their city map, better than the standard one, the latest Kagawa Journal events newsletter, and a Kagawa Welcome Card, great for discounts on sights. You can print the card off their Web site, too.