Top 10 Best Things to Do in Kagawa Prefecture
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Top 10 Best Things to Do in Kagawa Prefecture

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Trip.Best is a collection of travel rankings that takes into account the travel choices and genuine preferences of hundres of millions of Trip.com users. It is updated monthly based on real data.
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  • Ritsurin Gardentop_1
    󰺂5.4
    Takamatsu1.2 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoFall Light-Up Event Coming Soon to Ritsurin Garden | Nov 2025-Dec 2025
    trip best small logoNo. 1 of Fall Viewing Attractions in Kagawa Prefecture
    Highlights:
    󰋄Boating & Japanese garden views
    Panoramic view from Feilai Peak
    󱨠Saved by 266 users󱨠100 positive reviews
    4.8/5
    当地向导行er当地向导行er

    Ritsurin Garden is one of the most famous historical gardens in Japan, located in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture. It was built in the early Edo period and has a history of more than 400 years. It is a national special scenic spot in Japan. Ritsurin Garden is famous for its exquisite landscape design, rich vegetation and tranquil atmosphere. It is an outstanding representative of traditional Japanese garden art. ### Main features: 1. **Large scale**: Ritsurin Garden covers an area of ​​about 75 hectares and is divided into two parts: the South Garden and the North Garden. The South Garden is a typical strolling garden, while the North Garden is dominated by natural landscapes. 2. **Borrowed scenery design**: The garden cleverly uses the distant Ziyun Mountain as the background to form a "borrowed scenery" effect, which enhances the layering and depth of the garden. 3. **Ponds and bridges**: There are multiple ponds in the garden, connected by small bridges, and small islands are dotted in the ponds, creating a poetic waterscape. 4. **The Art of Pine Tree Pruning**: The pine trees in the park have been carefully pruned in various shapes, showing the superb skills of Japanese gardening. 5. **Seasonal Beauty**: Cherry blossoms in spring, greenery in summer, red leaves in autumn, and snow in winter, Ritsurin Park has different styles in each season. ### Tour Suggestions: - **Tour Time**: It is recommended to reserve 2-3 hours to slowly appreciate the details of the garden. - **Tea Room Experience**: There is a traditional tea room in the park, where you can experience the Japanese tea ceremony culture. - **Boat Tour**: In the pond of the South Garden, you can take a Japanese boat to experience a unique garden perspective. Ritsurin Park is not only a symbol of Japanese culture, but also a model of the perfect combination of nature and humanity. If you have the opportunity to visit Takamatsu City, this is definitely a must-see attraction!

  • Shōdo Islandtop_2
    󰺂4.9
    Shodoshima30.2 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoThe journey of a drop of soy sauce: Exploring barrel brewing on Shōdo Island
    Highlights:
    󱨜Beautiful Scenery of Interwoven Maples and Rocks at Kankakei Gorge
    Cycle around the island to view the Senmaida terraced fields
    5.0/5
    当地向导行er当地向导行er

    Shodoshima is an island in the Seto Inland Sea in Japan, between Kagawa Prefecture and Takamatsu City. It is the second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, after Awajima. It is known for its beautiful natural scenery, olive cultivation and rich cultural heritage. ### Main attractions and features: 1.**Olive Park**: Ododo Island is the birthplace of Japanese olive cultivation. There are large olive groves in the Olive Park, where visitors can experience the process of olive picking and olive oil production. There are also famous windmills in the park, which is a popular place to take pictures. 2.**Angel Road**: This is a sandbar that only appears at low tide, connecting Xiaodou Island and a small island nearby. Legend has it that if couples walk through this sandbar hand in hand, their wishes will be realized. 3. **Hanxia Creek**: This is one of the three major valleys in Japan, known for its magnificent red leaf landscape. Tourists can take the cable car to enjoy the different scenery of the four seasons, especially the autumn red leaf season is the most spectacular. 4. **Twenty-four Eyes Film Village**: This is a film shooting location adapted from the famous Japanese novel "Twenty-four Eyes", retaining the scenes and props in the film, where tourists can feel the Japanese rural style of the Showa era. 5. **Soy sauce hometown**: Xiaodou Island is famous for its traditional soy sauce brewing process, there are many historic soy sauce breweries on the island, visitors can visit and taste authentic soy sauce and soy sauce products. ### Transportation:- **From Takamatsu City**: You can take a ferry or high-speed boat to Kodoshima, the ferry takes about 1 hour, and the high-speed boat takes about 30 minutes.- **Island Transportation**: There are buses and taxis on the island, but renting a bicycle or motorcycle is also a good choice to visit Kodoshima. Xiaodou Island is a place for slow travel, where visitors can enjoy the tranquil natural scenery and rich cultural experience.

  • Mt. Yashimatop_3
    󰺂4.8
    Takamatsu5.9 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoMt. Yashima Night View: See the Best Sunset and Night
    trip best small logoNo. 1 of Family-friendly Attractions in Kagawa Prefecture
    Highlights:
    Observe marine life at a high-altitude aquarium
    󱨜The Genpei Bell Tells Samurai Legends
    󱨠58% positive reviews
    4.8/5
    当地向导行er当地向导行er

    Yashima is a peninsula located northeast of Takamatsu City, famous for its rich history and natural landscape. Here is some information about Yashima: 1. **Yashima Temple**: There is a famous Buddhist temple on Yashima, Yashima Temple, which is the 84th of the 88 temples in Shikoku. This temple has a long history and is one of Japan's important cultural heritage. 2. **Yashima Castle Ruins**: Yashima was once an important military stronghold in ancient Japan. The Yashima Castle Ruins are now a historical park where visitors can learn about ancient Japanese history. 3. **Natural Landscape**: Yashima is famous for its beautiful natural landscape, especially the magnificent view of the Seto Inland Sea from the top of the mountain. It is also a popular place to watch the sunset. 4. **Yashima Aquarium**: There is also an aquarium on Yashima that displays the rich marine life of the Seto Inland Sea. 5. **Historical Event**: Yashima has historically hosted the famous "Battle of Yashima", an important battle in the Genpei War.

  • Shikoku Aquarium
    4
    󰺂4.7
    Utazu21.8 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoShikoku Aquarium: A Kagawa Ocean Exploration Journey
    trip best small logoNo. 2 of Family-friendly Attractions in Kagawa Prefecture
    Highlights:
    Interact with giant dolphin tank
    󰀆Coral reefs & fish viewing
    4.5/5
    陪小熊🐻一起走世界陪小熊🐻一起走世界

    While the Shikoku Aquarium is small, it's located near the Seto Inland Sea, and its dolphin show is definitely worth seeing. The beautiful sunset lighting is a surefire hit, and the curved underwater photo spot is truly beautiful, with excellent lighting and shadows. However, the small size and beauty of the aquarium can make it a bit pricey, so it's a matter of personal preference.

  • Takamatsu Castle Park
    5
    󰺂4.6
    Takamatsu1.4 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoTamamo Park boat cruise is a popular experience
    Highlights:
    Japanese garden castle: autumn leaves & spring cherry blossoms
    Maples & cherry blossoms showcase
    󱨠Saved by 133 users󱨠36% positive reviews
    4.4/5
    暝逝暝逝

    Shikoku Island has had a small population and poor resources since ancient times, and there has been no change now. Most of the historical sites that can be seen are castles, but Japanese castles are similar, and with Himeji Castle as a shining example, only some small features of seaside castles can be seen. Takamatsu Castle is in Tamamo Park, with many tall pine trees... It is a depression. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a younger brother of Oda Nobunaga, he fought his last battle here, and it was flooded.

  • Takamatsu Port
    6
    󰺂4.5
    Takamatsu1.6 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoTakamatsu Port: Starting Point for Island Art Exploration
    trip best small logoNo. 2 of Night Attractions in Kagawa Prefecture
    Highlights:
    󰋄360° view of Seto Inland Sea
    Main ferry point for islands
    4.5/5
    爱飞的猫010爱飞的猫010

    There's a direct Spring/Autumn flight from Shanghai to Takamatsu, and the bus takes you directly to Takamatsu Station and Takamatsu Port. The air is fresh, and the azure sky is refreshing. There's also a section of ancient city wall near Takamatsu Port, and there are regular small cruises to Naoshima and Shodoshima. Perfect for a budget-conscious traveler. The fifth photo shows the sightseeing train in Kagawa Prefecture. It's quite nice, and you can do a round trip on the same day, so give it a try if you have time. I even ran into someone from my church...

  • Chichu Art Museum
    7
    󰺂4.4
    Naoshima13.1 km from downtown
    Highlights:
    Sky's beauty through skylight
    󱓊Harmony with nature & tiered entrance
    󱨠52% positive reviews
    4.6/5
    sAviOr_07sAviOr_07

    Chichu Art Museum, mainly to see Monet's paintings, the master's original works are not allowed to take pictures inside, so I took pictures of the building, which is also the work of Master Ando Tadao. At the entrance, you will pass by a Monet-style small garden. Apart from Monet's paintings, the other two exhibition halls are just so-so.

  • Kotohiragu
    8
    󰺂4.3
    Kotohira27.6 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 2 of Fall Viewing Attractions in Kagawa Prefecture
    Highlights:
    󱨜Seto Inland Sea sunset views
    󱓊1300-year-old iconic Kagawa shrine
    󱨠35% positive reviews
    4.8/5
    当地向导行er当地向导行er

    Kotohira-gu is a famous shrine in Kotohira, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, dedicated to Omononushi-no-Kami and Emperor Sutoku Tenno. It is one of the most important shrines in Japan, especially known as the patron saint of maritime safety and sailors. ### Main Features: 1. **Walking route**: - From the foot of the mountain to the main shrine, you need to climb 785 stone steps, and to the Oku shrine, you need to climb 1368 steps. There are many rest stops and teahouses along the way for worshippers to rest. 2. **Architecture and landscape**: - The architectural style of the main shrine and the Oku shrine is simple, and the surrounding natural landscape is beautiful, especially the cherry blossoms in spring and the red leaves in autumn, which attract a large number of tourists. 3. **Cultural significance**: - Kotohira-gu has a high status in Japanese culture, and many literary works and artistic creations are based on it. 4. **Treasure House**: - There is a treasure house in the shrine, which displays precious artifacts related to the history and culture of the shrine. ### Visiting Information: - **Address**: 892-1, Kotohira-cho, Nakatado-gun, Kagawa Prefecture - **Opening Hours**: Usually from early morning to evening, the specific time varies with the season. - **Transportation**: It takes about 1 hour to reach Kotohira-cho from Takamatsu City by JR train or bus, and then walk to the shrine. ### Tips: - Wear comfortable shoes, as climbing the stone steps requires some physical strength. - Teahouses along the way offer local snacks and drinks, such as dango and matcha, which are worth a try. Kotohira-gu is not only a religious place, but also a good place to experience Japanese nature and culture.

What Best Things to Do are there in Kagawa Prefecture?
These are all Best Things to Do in Kagawa Prefecture:Ritsurin Garden, Shōdo Island, Mt. Yashima, Shikoku Aquarium, Takamatsu Castle Park
What are some highly-rated Best Things to Do in Kagawa Prefecture?
Some highly-rated Best Things to Do in Kagawa Prefecture include:Ritsurin Garden:4.8, Shōdo Island:5.0, Mt. Yashima:4.8, Shikoku Aquarium:4.5, Takamatsu Castle Park:4.4
At what locations in Kagawa Prefecture can Best Things to Do in Kagawa Prefecture be found?
The Best Things to Do in Kagawa Prefecture are mainly located in:Ritsurin Garden:Takamatsu, Shōdo Island:Shodoshima, Mt. Yashima:Takamatsu, Shikoku Aquarium:Utazu, Takamatsu Castle Park:Takamatsu
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