Four days: spend a day on Naoshima?
Stay three nights in Takamatsu for main-shrine worship and sea views on separate Kotohira and Yashima days. For art and architecture, choose the Naoshima Chichu day. Arrange outward and return boats and buses around museum admission, allowing time for the entrance walk after leaving the shuttle.
Choose an itinerary for 4 days / 3 nights
Separate day trips to Kotohira and Yashima
Stay three nights in Takamatsu for main-shrine worship and Seto Inland Sea views, visiting Kotohira and Yashima on separate days. Kotohira needs a stair climb and descent; Yashima needs a summit shuttle connection.
Separate day trips to Kotohira and Yashima →4 days / 3 nightsSpend a day on Naoshima
Stay three nights in Takamatsu and devote a Naoshima day trip to Monet's paintings and Tadao Ando's architecture. Choose the island day around your Chichu booking and return bus and ferry connections.
Spend a day on Naoshima →Separate day trips to Kotohira and Yashima
Stay three nights in Takamatsu for main-shrine worship and Seto Inland Sea views, visiting Kotohira and Yashima on separate days. Kotohira needs a stair climb and descent; Yashima needs a summit shuttle connection.
Day one: Ritsurin Garden
Check whether arrival leaves enough viewing time before closing. For a late arrival, move the garden to another day and adjust that day's travel.
- Your booked Takamatsu accommodation → Takamatsu-Chikko and Ritsurinkoen stations
Take a train towards Kotohira from Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko and get off at Ritsurinkoen. Walk towards the east gate. For a late arrival with too little garden time, swap the visiting order with another day.
- Ritsurinkoen Station → Ritsurin Garden east gate
Walk about seven minutes to the east gate and explore the garden. Ticketing, viewing and rests are extra. Compare arrival with that month's closing time before deciding whether there is enough time.
Fees and seasonal hoursOfficial access informationKotohira Line timetable
- Ritsurin Garden and Ritsurinkoen Station → Takamatsu accommodation
Return from the same station towards Takamatsu-Chikko. You can get off at Kawaramachi for a meal, but recheck the relevant fare. Afterwards, return to your Takamatsu accommodation.
Ritsurin Garden's opening and closing times vary monthly. Distinguish the stations serving the east and north gates.
Day two: Kotohiragu main shrine
Visit Kotohiragu's main shrine and approach shops, then return to Takamatsu. Allow time for climbing, descending, meals and rests.
- Takamatsu accommodation and Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Kotoden Kotohira Station
Take a Kotohira-bound train from Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko and get off at Kotoden Kotohira Station, separate from JR Kotohira. Choose return services for your date from the official timetable.
- Kotoden Kotohira Station → Shrine approach entrance
Walk about ten minutes from Kotoden Kotohira Station to Omotesando. Climbing the main-shrine steps is extra.
Kotohira Line timetableStation-to-approach and stair guidance
- First step of the shrine approach → Kotohiragu main shrine and shops
Official guidance gives about an hour one way to climb 785 steps from the first step to the main shrine; allow separate time for descent and rests. Afterwards, eat and rest in the shopping street before returning to the station.
Station-to-approach and stair guidanceWalking-route precautionsOfficial shrine hours
- Kotoden Kotohira Station → Takamatsu-Chikko Station and Takamatsu accommodation
Return on a Takamatsu-Chikko-bound train from Kotoden Kotohira Station. Eat in Takamatsu and rest at the same accommodation.
Allow time to climb, descend and rest at the main-shrine steps.
Day three: Yashimāru
See Seto Inland Sea and city views from Yashimāru. Take JR from Takamatsu to Yashima, then connect to the summit shuttle.
- Takamatsu accommodation or JR Takamatsu Station → Shuttle stop outside JR Yashima Station
Take a regular Kotoku Line train towards Hiketa from JR Takamatsu and get off at Yashima. Leave the ticket gates for the Yashima summit shuttle stop outside. Compare your date's JR and shuttle timetables and choose a connection with enough transfer time.
- Outside JR Yashima Station → Yashima Sanjo stop and Yashimāru
Take the summit shuttle to its terminus, Yashima Sanjo. On the official summit map, identify the tourist car park, Yashimaji Temple and number 11 Yashimāru, then follow the walking path to its main entrance. The facility leaflet marks this entrance separately. The official ten-minute walk starts at the tourist car park; allow separate time after alighting to find and follow the route. Explore the views, then eat and rest on the summit. Paid exhibitions and meals are excluded from the subtotal.
Current shuttle fares and timetableOfficial walk from tourist car park to facilityCurrent Yashimāru opening informationOfficial Yashima summit mapYashimāru shuttle access and main-entrance plan
- Yashimāru → Yashima Sanjo stop and JR Yashima Station
Return to the summit stop and take a shuttle to JR Yashima. Late facility opening does not mean the last shuttle leaves at the same time; choose your return bus first.
- JR Yashima Station → JR Takamatsu Station and the same accommodation
Return on a regular Takamatsu-bound train from JR Yashima, then eat and rest at the same accommodation. Return fares of JPY 560 for regular trains and JPY 680 for the shuttle from JR Yashima total JPY 1,240 for today's transport. Limited express services need a supplement.
Yashimāru closes Tuesdays, or the next weekday if a public holiday. Evening facility opening and evening shuttles are separate; check the facility calendar and bus notices together.
Day four: Tamamo Park
After Kotohira and Yashima, visit Tamamo Park on the final day. Choose park time to fit your departure.
- Takamatsu accommodation → Tamamo Park west gate
From your accommodation address, go to the west gate near JR Takamatsu and Takamatsu-Chikko stations. The official three-minute walk starts at JR station, not accommodation. City guidance places the west gate by these stations and the east gate by the car park and prefectural museum.
Takamatsu City visitor guidanceCurrent admission and gate hours
- Tamamo Park west gate → Park visit and west gate
Pay adult admission of JPY 300 and explore the castle site and moat. October west-gate hours are 06:00–17:30; east-gate hours are 08:30–17:00. Hours vary in other months, and the park closes 29–31 December. Use the west gate you entered to find your way back to accommodation. For a morning departure, do not try to fit both sightseeing and lunch.
Takamatsu City visitor guidanceCurrent admission and gate hours
- Your booked Takamatsu accommodation after sightseeing → Your booked departure boarding point
For the airport, take the Takamatsu Airport limousine from JR Takamatsu Station bus stand 3. Adult fares of JPY 1,300 are excluded. Choose operating dates and scheduled arrival from the official airport timetable to meet flight check-in deadlines. JR trains to other cities leave from JR Takamatsu Station; Kotoden leaves from Takamatsu-Chikko.
Airport limousine use and monthly changesAirport limousine fares and city boarding points
Check each gate's closing time. For an early departure, move the park to an earlier day and go to the station.
Included items: Ritsurin Garden JPY 500; Tamamo Park JPY 300; return Kotoden Ritsurinkoen JPY 500 and Kotohira JPY 1,560; return JR Takamatsu–Yashima JPY 560 and Yashima Station–summit shuttle JPY 680.
Extra costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, airport travel, separate travel between accommodation and stations or boarding points and extra journeys cost more. Garden boats and teahouses, shrine annex admission and prayer services and Yashimāru paid exhibitions and parking are excluded.
The subtotal is per adult, with Kotoden fares calculated from Takamatsu-Chikko. For another starting station, check the relevant section's fare.
Fees and seasonal hoursCurrent admission and gate hoursTakamatsu-Chikko faresKotohira return faresJR fare tableCurrent shuttle fares and timetable
Spend a day on Naoshima
Stay three nights in Takamatsu and devote a Naoshima day trip to Monet's paintings and Tadao Ando's architecture. Choose the island day around your Chichu booking and return bus and ferry connections.
Day one: Takamatsu Port
Explore the harbour and ferry ticket office, then rest in Takamatsu. You do not cross to the island today.
- Your booked Takamatsu accommodation → Takamatsu Port Miyanoura ferry ticket office
Find and walk the route from your accommodation address to the harbour. Official access is about five minutes from JR Takamatsu Station or three from Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko, not from your accommodation door. Identify tomorrow's Miyanoura ferry ticket office and boarding direction. The high-speed boat has a separate ticket office about three minutes' walk from the ferry office.
- Takamatsu Port → Meal near the station and the same Takamatsu accommodation
After the harbour walk, retrace your route towards the station and choose an open place for dinner. Continue to your booked accommodation. Official harbour-to-station walking times exclude meals and accommodation travel. Tamamo Park is scheduled for the final day, so do not add paid admission today.
Locate tomorrow's Miyanoura ferry ticket office and boarding point in advance.
Day two: Naoshima and Chichu Art Museum
Cross to Naoshima today. Go to the Miyanoura ferry ticket office at Takamatsu Port.
- Takamatsu accommodation → Takamatsu Port ferry and Miyanoura Port
Take a morning Miyanoura ferry from Takamatsu Port. Tickets go on sale 40 minutes before departure; boarding is first come, first served without reservations. Reach the port with time for tickets and waiting. After alighting, go to the Miyanoura Port town-bus stop.
- Miyanoura Port → Tsutsujiso town-bus stop
Take a Tsutsujiso-bound town bus from Miyanoura Port to the terminus. Adult fares are JPY 100 per ride, paid when alighting; bring change. Even services intended to wait for ferries may leave first in some circumstances, and full buses mean waiting for the next service.
Takamatsu–Miyanoura timetable, fares and boarding pointsTown bus
- Tsutsujiso town-bus stop → Free shuttle and Chichu Art Museum Ticket Center
Change at Tsutsujiso to the free Chichu Art Museum shuttle. Choose an official scheduled service leaving time after the town bus. Shuttles do not run on museum closure days and cannot take extra passengers when full; choose an admission slot with transfer time to spare.
- Chichu Art Museum Ticket Center → Chichu Art Museum entrance
Follow the walking path from the Ticket Center towards Chichu Art Museum. On the official Benesse House area map, G marks the Ticket Center and shuttle stop, with the museum separately southwest of it. The Ticket Center is not the museum entrance. Allow walking and entrance-queue time to enter at your booked slot; consider this walk when booking.
Facility and bookingOfficial admission calendarOfficial Chichu Ticket Center and museum access map
- Chichu Art Museum → Ticket Center shuttle stop and Tsutsujiso
After viewing, return to the Ticket Center shuttle stop and take the free Tsutsujiso shuttle. Allow time to walk from the entrance and wait. Finish viewing in time for bus connections reaching the port before your return ferry.
- Tsutsujiso → Miyanoura Port town-bus stop
Take a Miyanoura Port-bound town bus from Tsutsujiso. Weekend and public-holiday afternoon buses can be too crowded to board; choose an earlier service than the final ferry connection. Boarding a bus does not guarantee ferry boarding.
- Miyanoura Port bus stop → Takamatsu ferry boarding point
At Miyanoura Port, buy a Takamatsu ferry ticket and go to the boarding point. The ticket office opens 05:30–20:25, and regular boarding is first come, first served. Check the final return service and notices in the official sailing timetable, allowing ticketing and waiting time.
- Miyanoura Port ferry boarding point → Takamatsu Port and the same accommodation
Return by Takamatsu ferry, then rest and eat at the same accommodation. Switching to a high-speed boat changes the fare, ticket office and boarding point; a ferry ticket alone will not let you board it.
Book museum admission first, choosing a slot with time for the return shuttle, town bus and ferry. Do not choose the last boat assuming you can walk back from the museum to the port; check shuttle and bus connections first. Change the island day for maintenance closures, sold-out admission or cancelled sailings. Do not choose this Chichu itinerary during its 12 January–19 March 2027 maintenance closure.
Day three: Ritsurin Garden
Walk Ritsurin Garden today. Go from Kotoden Ritsurinkoen Station to the east gate.
- Takamatsu accommodation → Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station
Go to Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station, which is separate from JR Takamatsu Station. From Kawaramachi accommodation, use nearby Kotoden Kawaramachi Station and check that section's fare.
- Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Kotoden Ritsurinkoen Station
Take a train towards Kotohira and get off at Ritsurinkoen Station. Adult fares are JPY 250 one way; the subtotal includes JPY 500 return from Takamatsu-Chikko. Choose services for your date from the official timetable.
Kotohira Line timetableCurrent timetable listTakamatsu-Chikko fares
- Kotoden Ritsurinkoen Station → Ritsurin Garden east gate and gardens
The official seven-minute walk runs from Kotoden Ritsurinkoen Station to the park. Go to the east gate, buy admission and explore. This differs from JR Ritsurinkoen-Kitaguchi Station's north-gate approach. Adult admission is JPY 500; October hours are 06:00–17:30. Ticketing, viewing and rests are extra to the seven-minute walk. For other months or storm warnings, check operating notices again.
- Ritsurin Garden and east gate → Kotoden Ritsurinkoen Station
Leave through the east gate and retrace your walk to Kotoden Ritsurinkoen Station. Allow time within the garden to reach the gate, then about seven minutes to the station.
- Kotoden Ritsurinkoen Station → Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station
Return on a Takamatsu-Chikko-bound train from Kotoden Ritsurinkoen. Afterwards, continue to accommodation or your next destination.
- Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station → The same Takamatsu accommodation
Choose an open place near the station for lunch, then return to your accommodation address. For a Kawaramachi meal, recheck the alighting station, section fare and accommodation return route.
Ritsurin Garden's opening and closing times vary monthly. Distinguish the stations serving the east and north gates.
Day four: Tamamo Park
After Naoshima's museum and Ritsurin Garden, walk Tamamo Park by the harbour on the final day. Continue to Takamatsu Station or port afterwards.
- Takamatsu accommodation → Tamamo Park west gate
From your accommodation address, go to the west gate near JR Takamatsu and Takamatsu-Chikko stations. The official three-minute walk starts at JR station, not accommodation. City guidance places the west gate by these stations and the east gate by the car park and prefectural museum.
Takamatsu City visitor guidanceCurrent admission and gate hours
- Tamamo Park west gate → Park visit and west gate
Pay adult admission of JPY 300 and explore the castle site and moat. October west-gate hours are 06:00–17:30; east-gate hours are 08:30–17:00. Hours vary in other months, and the park closes 29–31 December. Use the west gate you entered to find your way back to accommodation. For a morning departure, do not try to fit both sightseeing and lunch.
Takamatsu City visitor guidanceCurrent admission and gate hours
- Your booked Takamatsu accommodation after sightseeing → Your booked departure boarding point
For the airport, take the Takamatsu Airport limousine from JR Takamatsu Station bus stand 3. Adult fares of JPY 1,300 are excluded. Choose operating dates and scheduled arrival from the official airport timetable to meet flight check-in deadlines. JR trains to other cities leave from JR Takamatsu Station; Kotoden leaves from Takamatsu-Chikko.
Airport limousine use and monthly changesAirport limousine fares and city boarding points
Check each gate's closing time. For an early departure, move the park to an earlier day and go to the station.
Included items: Ritsurin Garden JPY 500; Tamamo Park JPY 300; return Kotoden Ritsurinkoen JPY 500; return Takamatsu–Miyanoura ferry JPY 1,360; two town-bus rides JPY 200; Chichu online adult admission JPY 2,500 weekdays or JPY 2,700 weekends and public holidays.
Extra costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, airport travel, separate travel between accommodation and stations or boarding points and extra journeys cost more. Garden boats and teahouses, high-speed boat fare differences, taxis and other island museums are excluded.
The subtotal is per adult, with Kotoden calculated from Takamatsu-Chikko. Weekday, weekend and public-holiday prices follow the museum visiting date, not the trip's starting date. Recalculate actual items if omitting the museum or changing transport. Subtract JPY 100 for only one town-bus ride; add actual high-speed boat or taxi fares separately. This amount does not secure museum reservations or boat and bus seats.
Fees and seasonal hoursCurrent admission and gate hoursTakamatsu-Chikko faresTakamatsu–Miyanoura timetable, fares and boarding pointsTown busFacility and booking
Frequently asked questions
Does booking Chichu admission guarantee boat boarding?
Museum bookings and boat boarding are separate. Shikoku Kisen uses first-come, first-served regular boarding without reservations; check operations and spare capacity on the day. Sold-out online museum slots have no same-day office sales either.
Takamatsu–Miyanoura timetable, fares and boarding pointsFacility and booking
What does the All Shikoku pass cover in four-day courses?
The Kotoden and regular JR trains used for Kotohira and Yashima are eligible, but summit shuttles cost extra. For Naoshima, Kotoden journeys to and from Ritsurin are eligible; island boats, town buses, the free shuttle and museum admission are outside the train pass. The shuttle is free without a pass; check non-operating days and capacity separately. Check foreign-passport and Temporary Visitor requirements and consecutive validity days.
All Shikoku Rail Pass revision for passes issued from 1 October 2026All Shikoku Rail Pass terms effective 1 October 2026Takamatsu-Chikko faresKotohira return faresJR fare tableFree shuttle
Official sources and check dates
- Fees and seasonal hours ·
- Official access information ·
- Current admission and gate hours ·
- Takamatsu City visitor guidance ·
- Official shrine hours ·
- Station-to-approach and stair guidance ·
- Walking-route precautions ·
- Official walk from tourist car park to facility ·
- Current Yashimāru opening information ·
- Current shuttle fares and timetable ·
- Facility and booking ·
- Date-specific opening calendar ·
- Town bus ·
- Free shuttle ·
- Takamatsu–Miyanoura timetable, fares and boarding points ·
- Official admission calendar ·
- Current timetable list ·
- Kotohira Line timetable ·
- Takamatsu-Chikko fares ·
- Kotohira return fares ·
- JR fare table ·
- Airport limousine fares and city boarding points ·
- Airport limousine use and monthly changes ·
- All Shikoku Rail Pass revision for passes issued from 1 October 2026 ·
- All Shikoku Rail Pass terms effective 1 October 2026 ·
- JR Shikoku station/line timetables ·
- Official Yashima summit map ·
- Yashimāru shuttle access and main-entrance plan ·
- Official Chichu Ticket Center and museum access map ·