Takamatsu



Takamatsu (高松) is the largest city in Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan.

Understand
The city developed over many years as a port town at one of the primary entry points into Shikoku and is therefore known as the "Gateway to Shikoku". It has come to be known as the "Udon Kingdom".

Climate
July and August can get quite warm. The winter months of January and February are the coldest, with occasional nighttime freezing temperatures.

Tourist information site
Experience Takamatsu is the city's official multilingual guide site.

By plane
The closest major airport to Takamatsu is Kansai International Airport in Osaka. There is a curiously-named bus called the "Airport Limousine" which runs directly between Kansai Airport and Takamatsu that makes seven round trip runs per day (&yen;5150 one-way; 3½ hours). It is not, however, a limo.

By train
Train service between Okayama, on Japan's main island of Honshū, and Takamatsu began operation in 1988 after construction of the Great Seto Bridge, allowing the train line to cross the Seto Inland Sea. It is the only railway link between Honshū and Shikoku.

For getting to Takamatsu, the ideal train to ride is the Marine Liner (マリンライナー), which runs directly between Okayama Station and Takamatsu Station. Trains run twice per hour in both directions (&yen;1,470 one-way; 55 minutes). Because the Marine Liner is classified as a 'rapid' (快速 kaisoku) train, the Seishun 18 Ticket is valid. Reserved seating and First Class Green car seating are available in one bi-level car on the train (&yen;510 and &yen;950 from Okayama respectively). Like all JR trains, the ride is free for those with a Japan Rail Pass, and you can make a free seat reservation for the reserved car if you wish. If you are traveling south to Takamatsu and you get lucky, you may be able to sit in one of the three Green car seats at the front of the train - right behind the driver - and watch the view from the front as the train makes its journey. A limited express train (特急 tokkyū) called the Uzushio (うずしお) runs hourly to Takamatsu from Tokushima (1 hour, ¥3,070). A few Uzushio trains run between Takamatsu and Okayama on the exact same route as the Marine Liner; you have the option of using those trains if you have a Japan Rail Pass, but generally you should use the cheaper and more frequent Marine Liner.

Okayama Station, being a primary station on the bullet train line (shinkansen), is a convenient place to connect to and from other parts of Japan: Hiroshima, 1 hr 40 min; Osaka, 2 hr; Tokyo, 4.5 hr.

An overnight sleeper train called the Sunrise Seto (サンライズ瀬戸) makes daily runs between Takamatsu and Tokyo Station. The train ride lasts about 9½ hours. One-way prices vary, but a regular seat will cost at least &yen;15,000, and a sleeper car will cost at least &yen;20,000. Tickets and exact pricing are available from a JR ticket office or Japanese travel agency.

By bus
There are several options to travel by bus to/from Honshu, particularly the Kansai region. Buses can be booked online.
 * JR Shikoku Bus operates the following routes:
 * From Namba Station in Osaka (3 hr 20 min, ¥3,900 one-way, 48 round-trips daily).
 * From Kyoto Station in Kyoto (3 hr 40 min, ¥4,950 one-way, 7 round-trips daily).
 * From Hiroshima (3 hr 45 min, ¥4,100 one-way, 7 round-trips daily).
 * In addition, they have bus routes from Nagoya, Okayama and Kansai International Airport.
 * Shinki Bus operates buses to/from Sannomiya Station in Kobe (2 hr 30 min, ¥3,600 one-way, 27 round-trips daily).
 * Willer Express operates overnight buses from Tokyo to Okayama starting from ¥6,000, from where you can take the Marine Liner train to Takamatsu for ¥1,470.
 * Nishitokyo Bus offers a daily regular service from Tokyo station, Shinjuku station and Yokohama.

On foot
While it's possible to visit certain groups of sites on foot, it is not recommended. Many sites are spread out, so walking will be impractical and time-consuming for most travelers.

By bike
Takamatsu is extremely bike-friendly. In fact, it was designed with bike travel in mind.

To match the city's bike-friendly design, Takamatsu has one of the best rental cycle systems in Japan; you can keep your rental bike overnight and it is extremely inexpensive overall. The system is so good and there are so many bikes available that many locals use the system as well, unlike most rental cycles in Japan which are designed exclusively for tourists. You can rent a bike for just &yen;100 per day ... and by "day" they don't mean until the end of the day, they mean a full 24-hour period from the moment you rent the bike. You can rent the same bicycle for up to 72 hours by informing the staff when you rent the bike.

There are seven rental cycle stations around town, including one in the basement of the bicycle parking area in front of Takamatsu Station. If you walk out of the station, just look for some stairways leading underground with bike signs above. Before your first rental you'll be asked to fill out a short application and submit some kind of official photo ID. You'll be issued a renter ID card for future rentals. Filling out the application and renting a bike in general with no Japanese should not be a challenge.

By Train
The Kotoden (琴電), or Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad, is also a viable means of getting around parts of downtown Takamatsu. The Kotoden is convenient for going between Ritsurin Park, Kawaramachi, and the Takamatsu Station/Castle area.

JR lines, used more for inter-city travel, don't run terribly often and are not very well-suited for getting around town, particularly the city center.

Yashima
Ten minutes by train to the east is Yashima (屋島), a peninsula famous as the site of the Battle of Yashima in the Genpei War in 1185. There are many sites to see for those interested in the local history. To get to Yashima, take either the local train, from Takamatsu-Chikkō Station with one transfer, or the JR train, from Takamatsu Station. Either one takes about 15 minutes.



Buy
Takamatsu has many long arcade-style shopping streets, called shōtengai (商店街), giving the city's shopping a more traditional feel. You'll find shops of all sorts on these streets, and lots of udon shops. They are concentrated in the portion of the city between Takamatsu Station and Kawaramachi. They are:
 * Hyōgo-machi (兵庫町)
 * Katahara-machi (片原町)
 * Marugame-machi (丸亀町)
 * Lion Avenue (ライオン通 Raion-dōri)
 * South Shinmachi (南新町 Minami-shinmachi)
 * Tokiwa-gai (常磐街)
 * Tamachi (田町)

Udon
Takamatsu is extremely well-known throughout Japan for its udon noodles, one of the three major types of Japanese noodle dishes. Udon noodles are distinctive in that they are white, fairly thick, and chewy. Although udon is widespread in Japan, Takamatsu does it better and cheaper than anywhere else in the country. There are literally hundreds of udon shops within the city limits. Because local foods are often a driving force in Japanese tourism, many people flock to the city for the udon, often doing "chain-eating" tours around the city to famous shops.

Udon made in Takamatsu and the Kagawa prefecture is sometimes referred to as Sanuki udon. 'Sanuki' was the historical name of Kagawa. While this can be considered a regional specialty of Kagawa, the Sanuki variety is so widely-loved throughout Japan that it is often thought of as the 'normal' type, and is what most people imagine when they hear the word 'udon'.

The average Takamatsu udon shop has a variety of udon dishes available. Some of the standard types are listed below but there are many more types; different toppings (raw egg, for example) lead to different names. It's rare for a typical bowl of udon to cost more than ¥1,000; the simpler types usually cost around ¥400, with some places offering noodle bowls for as little as ¥100. Ask locals about good udon shops since they are sure to know some. Udon is cheap, and it's a simple but tasty item that is easy to eat even for those who don't especially take to Japanese food, so travelers should make an effort to at udon at least once while in Takamatsu.


 * Kake udon - (Hot) The most basic variety. The noodles come in a hot dashi and soy-flavored broth and will likely have sliced onions thrown in. Some places may also add a slice of kamaboko (fish sausage) as well. You're likely to have a pinch of ginger added to the broth.
 * Kitsune udon - (Hot) Like kake udon, but with a large slab of fried tofu in the bowl.
 * Tempura udon - (Hot) Also like kake udon, but with some tempura thrown in for good measure. Typically the tempura will be shrimp plus a vegetable or two, however at the cheapest places the tempura will be kaki-age, a vegetable-shrimp patty.
 * Kama'age udon - (Hot) Identical to zaru udon in manner of eating, however noodles come hot instead of cold. As far as taste is concerned, it's quite similar to kake udon.
 * Zaru udon - (Cold) Cold noodles come on a wooden tray. From there, you pick them up, dip them into a soy-based broth that comes with the dish, and then eat.

Sleep
There are cheap business hotels around JR Takamatsu Station and Ritsurin-koen.

Go next
Takamatsu is the main entry point for Shikoku and from here the entire island is your oyster.
 * Kotohira, site of the famed Kompira Shrine, is an hour away by Kotoden train.
 * Marugame, the site of Marugame Castle, one of Japan's few remaining original castles.
 * Mount Ishizuchi, the tallest peak in Shikoku, is about two hours away.
 * Tokushima, capital of Tokushima Prefecture, is most famous for its Awa Odori Festival.
 * Iya Valley, about 2 hours south, cross one of the daring vine bridges to get back to the roots of Japan, with its many thatched roof houses, dramatic mountain scenery, relaxing hotsprings, and some of Shikoku's finest hiking.
 * Kochi, is famous for the beautiful Kochi Castle, which is one of Japan's few remaining original castles.
 * Mima, is a small city in Tokushima prefecture on the other side of the mountains to the south of Takamatsu. Mostly known for several historic locations, as well as campsites and outdoor activities (kayaking, hiking, fishing, motorcross, paragliding, etc.).

Nearby islands in the Seto Inland Sea:
 * Naoshima, a small island on Seto Inland Sea with superb contemporary art museums, is one hour away by boat.
 * Shodoshima, the second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, known for its soy sauce factories and olive production, is accessible by ferry; the island boasts enough sights to occupy a day or two

Easy day trips to the mainland:
 * Okayama, home to the beautiful Korakuen Garden, one of Japan's top three gardens, as well as the beginning of the Kibiji District Trail
 * Kurashiki, famous for the Bikan Historic District, one of Japan's largest and best preserved historic neighborhoods.
 * Tsuyama A wonderful little town famous for Kakuzan Park, which contains the ruins of Tsuyama Castle and thousands of cherry blossoms within its precincts, the historic Joto Street, and the beautiful Shurakuen Garden.