This guide covers Tamamo Park, the old castle site beside the station, and Ritsurin Garden, with the routes, times and prices you need.
Takamatsu rewards an unhurried pace. The day below spends its first half on the castle grounds next to the station and its second half in a large garden a short ride away, with the moat, the turrets, the ponds and the bridges all taken in one at a time.
The notes follow that order, then explain how to get there. Practical details sit in the tables, so you can compare hours, prices and walking times at a glance and decide how much of each place to fit into your day.
Arriving in Takamatsu
From Okayama Station, the Marine Liner takes about one hour to reach Takamatsu Station. Visitors flying in can take the flight from Haneda Airport to Takamatsu Airport, which takes about one hour and twenty minutes.
From Takamatsu Airport, the limousine bus to Takamatsu Station takes about forty-five minutes. Visitors arriving at Takamatsu Port are about five minutes on foot from the station. Either way, Takamatsu Station is the base for the day.
Tamamo Park, the Castle Beside the Station
Tamamo Park is a five-minute walk from Takamatsu Station. From Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station it is a two-minute walk. The park is described as one of Japan's three great water castles, set in the middle of the city.
Guidebooks describe the moat as drawn directly from the sea, so sea bream can be seen swimming in the inner moat. The castle boat costs five hundred yen for an adult, high school age and older.
No keep survives, but the Ushitora Turret, the Tsukimi Turret and Hiunkaku are described as Important Cultural Properties that can be seen inside the park.
The west gate is the one on the side of Takamatsu Station and Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station. The east gate is on the side of the park car park and the Kagawa Prefectural Museum. Each gate keeps its own hours, and they change through the year, as the table shows.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tamamo Park gate hours, April to the end of May | West gate 5:30 to 18:30, east gate 7:00 to 18:00 |
| Tamamo Park gate hours, June to the end of August | West gate 5:30 to 19:00, east gate 7:00 to 18:00 |
| Tamamo Park gate hours, September | West gate 5:30 to 18:30, east gate 7:00 to 18:00 |
| Tamamo Park gate hours, October | West gate 6:00 to 17:30, east gate 8:30 to 17:00 |
| Tamamo Park gate hours, November | West gate 6:30 to 17:00, east gate 8:30 to 17:00 |
| Tamamo Park gate hours, December through January | West gate 7:00 to 17:00, east gate 8:30 to 17:00 |
| Tamamo Park gate hours, February | West gate 7:00 to 17:30, east gate 8:30 to 17:00 |
| Tamamo Park gate hours, March | West gate 6:30 to 18:00, east gate 8:30 to 17:00 |
From the Castle to the Garden
From Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station, the Kotoden Kotohira Line takes about seven minutes to reach Kotoden Ritsurin-koen Station. Transportation IC cards and IruCa can be used at all Kotoden stations. The ride is the simplest link between the two halves of the day.
From Kotoden Ritsurin-koen Station it is a seven-minute walk to Ritsurin Garden. From Takamatsu Station the garden is about seven minutes by car. From JR Ritsurin-koen-kitaguchi Station it is a three-minute walk to the garden.
Where to stay
Places to stay near Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan →
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Ritsurin Garden and Its South Lake
Ritsurin Garden is described as a stroll garden in the middle of Takamatsu, and the only place in Shikoku to hold the rank of Special Place of Scenic Beauty, with the largest area of any such place.
Engetsu-kyo Bridge is described as the largest wooden bridge in the garden, named for the arch that mirrors a half moon on the water of the South Lake. Guidebooks describe a heart-shaped azalea on an island in the lake, and the usual place to see it is from the bridge.
The garden is described in guidebooks as colourful through the seasons, with cherry trees in spring, irises in May and June and autumn leaves from mid-November to early December.
Opening hours change month by month. In October, Ritsurin Garden is open from six in the morning to half past five in the afternoon.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ritsurin Garden hours, January | 7:00 to 17:00 |
| Ritsurin Garden hours, February | 7:00 to 17:30 |
| Ritsurin Garden hours, March | 6:30 to 18:00 |
| Ritsurin Garden hours, April | 5:30 to 18:30 |
| Ritsurin Garden hours, May | 5:30 to 18:30 |
| Ritsurin Garden hours, June | 5:30 to 19:00 |
| Ritsurin Garden hours, July | 5:30 to 19:00 |
| Ritsurin Garden hours, October | 6:00 to 17:30 |
| Ritsurin Garden hours, December | 7:00 to 17:00 |
Getting There
Takamatsu Station is the base, and each leg is timed in the table below. Tamamo Park has its own car park, and its hours are in the last table. The park is about twenty minutes by car from Takamatsu Chuo Interchange.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Okayama Station to Takamatsu Station by Marine Liner | 1 hour |
| Haneda Airport to Takamatsu Airport by flight | 1 hour 20 minutes |
| Takamatsu Airport to Takamatsu Station by limousine bus | about 45 minutes |
| Takamatsu Port on foot to Takamatsu Station | about 5 minutes |
| Takamatsu Station on foot to Tamamo Park | 5 minutes |
| Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station on foot to Tamamo Park | 2 minutes |
| Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station to Kotoden Ritsurin-koen Station | about 7 minutes |
| Kotoden Ritsurin-koen Station on foot to Ritsurin Garden | 7 minutes |
| JR Ritsurin-koen-kitaguchi Station on foot to Ritsurin Garden | 3 minutes |
| JR Ritsurin Station on foot to Ritsurin Garden | 15 minutes |
| Ritsurin-koen-mae bus stop on foot to Ritsurin Garden | 1 minute |
| Takamatsu Station to Ritsurin Garden by car | about 7 minutes |
| Takamatsu Airport to Ritsurin Garden by car | about 30 minutes |
New to rural buses and one-man trains? See how to ride them, step by step.
Hours and Fees
The table lists adult prices, car park hours and the days when the grounds are shut.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tamamo Park ordinary admission | 300 yen per person per day |
| Tamamo Park closed days | December 29 to December 31 |
| Tamamo Park castle boat adult fare, high school age and older | 500 yen |
| Tamamo Park dedicated car park, April to September | 7:00 to 18:00 |
| Tamamo Park dedicated car park, October to March | 8:30 to 17:00 |
| Hiunkaku usage hours, April to September | 8:30 to 18:00 |
| Hiunkaku usage hours, October to March | 8:30 to 17:00 |
| Hiunkaku free public opening, New Year period | January 1 to 3 |
| Hiunkaku free public opening, May | May 5 |
| Ritsurin Garden adult admission | 500 yen |
| Ritsurin Garden free admission days | January 1 and March 16 |
If you would like to stay a night and see the city at a slower pace, look at places to stay in Takamatsu.
If you would rather have a guide, look at tours in and around Takamatsu.