One night: should you stay in Takamatsu or Kotohira?
Stay one night in Takamatsu to explore the garden, castle site and harbour. If worship at the main shrine is your priority, you can stay in Kotohira and climb the steps the following day. For a morning departure on the last day, shorten or omit the second day’s sightseeing.
Choose a 2 days / 1 night itinerary
Walk around Takamatsu
Spend one night in Takamatsu for garden and castle-site walks and a harbour visit.
Walk around Takamatsu →2 days / 1 nightStay in Kotohira
Spend one night in Kotohira to rest near the shrine approach and climb to the main shrine the next day.
Stay in Kotohira →Walk around Takamatsu
Spend one night in Takamatsu for garden and castle-site walks and a harbour visit.
Day 1: Tamamo Park and Takamatsu Port
Explore the park and port according to your arrival time in Takamatsu. If the gate hours do not fit, move the park to another sightseeing day.
- Takamatsu hotel and JR Takamatsu Station → Tamamo Park entrance
Head to Tamamo Park, about a 3-minute walk from JR Takamatsu Station. If you arrive after the gates close, visit the park on another day.
Current admission and gate hoursTakamatsu city visitor information
- Tamamo Park → Takamatsu Port and hotel
Explore the castle remains and moat, then walk around the port. Have dinner near the station and continue to your booked hotel.
Current admission and gate hoursTakamatsu city visitor information
Park gates have different closing times. Check the hours for the entrance you will use.
Day 2: Ritsurin Garden
Walk through Ritsurin Garden on your final day and return to Takamatsu-Chikko by Kotoden. Plan your garden visit and return train around your departure.
- Takamatsu hotel → Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station
Go to Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station, separate from JR Takamatsu Station. From a Kawaramachi hotel, start at nearby Kotoden Kawaramachi Station and check that section’s fare.
- Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station
Take a train towards Kotohira and get off at Ritsurin-Koen. The adult one-way fare is ¥250; the ¥500 return from Takamatsu-Chikko is included in the listed budget. Choose services for your date in the official timetable.
Kotohira Line timetableCurrent timetable listTakamatsu-Chikko fares
- Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station → Ritsurin Garden east gate and gardens
The official roughly 7-minute walk starts at Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station. Enter through the east gate, buy a ticket and explore the gardens. Do not confuse this with JR Ritsurin-Koen-Kitaguchi’s north-gate access. Adult admission is ¥500 and October hours are 06:00–17:30. Ticket purchase, sightseeing and breaks are extra to the 7-minute walk. Check operating notices for other months or storm warnings.
- Ritsurin Garden and east gate → Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station
Leave through the east gate and retrace your walk to Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station. Allow time to reach the east gate from within the gardens, plus about 7 minutes to the station.
- Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station → Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station
Take a train from Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen back to Takamatsu-Chikko. After arriving, continue to your next destination.
- Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Boarding point for your booked departure
If returning to your hotel first, allow further time to reach your departure point. For the airport, walk to JR Takamatsu Station and take an airport limousine from bus stand 3. The ¥1,300 adult fare is excluded from the listed budget. Choose your date’s service and scheduled arrival in the official timetable to meet airline check-in deadlines. For another city, board JR trains at JR Takamatsu Station or Kotoden at Takamatsu-Chikko.
Airport limousine use and monthly changesAirport limousine fares and city boarding points
Ritsurin Garden’s opening and closing times vary by month. Distinguish the starting stations for east- and north-gate access.
Included items: Ritsurin Garden ¥500 + Tamamo Park ¥300 + Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko–Ritsurin-Koen return ¥500.
Extra costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, airport travel, additional transport between hotels, stations and boarding points, and other extra journeys are excluded. Garden boats and teahouses are excluded too.
For one adult. Kotoden fares use Takamatsu-Chikko as the starting point; check the actual section fare if starting elsewhere.
Fees and seasonal hoursCurrent admission and gate hoursTakamatsu-Chikko fares
Stay in Kotohira
Spend one night in Kotohira to rest near the shrine approach and climb to the main shrine the next day.
Day 1: Kotohira shrine-approach shopping street
On arrival in Kotohira, explore the shops along the shrine approach and rest at your hotel. Climb to the main shrine the following day.
- Takamatsu arrival point and Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Kotoden Kotohira Station
Take a Kotohira-bound train from Takamatsu-Chikko and get off at Kotoden Kotohira. This is separate from JR Kotohira Station; distinguish the station names in booking screens and hotel directions.
Kotohira Line timetableCurrent timetable listStation-to-approach and steps information
- Kotoden Kotohira Station → Omotesando shrine approach and shopping street
The tourism association lists about a 10-minute walk from Kotoden Kotohira Station to Omotesando. This is not the walk to your hotel door or the main shrine. Explore the approach shopping street and allow time for a meal somewhere open, leaving the main-shrine steps for the next day. After eating, go to your booked Kotohira hotel and rest.
Explore the shops along the shrine approach today and climb to the main shrine tomorrow.
Day 2: Kotohira-gu’s main shrine
Worship at the main shrine on your Kotohira morning, then return to Kotoden Kotohira Station for a Takamatsu-bound train.
- First steps on the shrine approach → Kotohira-gu main shrine
The main-shrine gates open 07:00–17:00. Official shrine guidance gives about 1 hour one way to climb the 785 steps from the first step to the main shrine. Descending, breaks and reaching the steps from your hotel take additional time.
- Kotohira-gu main shrine → First steps and shopping street
Descend along the same shrine approach. The official roughly 1-hour one-way reference is for the climb, not the descent. Have a meal in the shopping street if time remains before your train.
- Kotoden Kotohira Station → Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station
Take a train from Kotoden Kotohira back to Takamatsu-Chikko. Adult fare is ¥780 each way, with the ¥1,560 return included in the listed budget. Choose your date’s return service in the official timetable. Airport travel requires a further journey after Takamatsu-Chikko.
Kotohira Line timetableKotohira return faresCurrent timetable list
- Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Boarding point for your booked departure
Walk from Takamatsu-Chikko to JR Takamatsu Station. Board an airport limousine at JR station bus stand 3; the ¥1,300 adult fare is excluded from the listed budget. Choose a service in the official timetable that meets airline check-in deadlines. For another city, check trains from JR Takamatsu Station.
Airport limousine use and monthly changesAirport limousine fares and city boarding points
Climbing and descending the main-shrine steps both take time and energy. For a final-morning departure, move worship to the previous day.
Included items: Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko–Kotohira return ¥1,560.
Extra costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, airport travel, additional transport between hotels, stations and boarding points, and other extra journeys are excluded. Kotohira-gu’s additional buildings and prayers are excluded too.
For one adult. Kotoden fares use Takamatsu-Chikko as the starting point; check the actual section fare if starting elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
Do the listed admission and transport costs include accommodation and meals?
Accommodation and meals are excluded. The Takamatsu itinerary’s ¥1,300 covers two park admissions totalling ¥800 and a ¥500 Kotoden return journey to Ritsurin-Koen Station for one adult. The Kotohira itinerary’s ¥1,560 covers only the Kotoden return journey. Airport transfers and other personal expenses cost extra.
Fees and seasonal hoursCurrent admission and gate hoursTakamatsu-Chikko faresKotohira return fares
Official sources and check dates
- Fees and seasonal hours ·
- Official access information ·
- Current admission and gate hours ·
- Takamatsu city visitor information ·
- Shrine official hours ·
- Station-to-approach and steps information ·
- Current timetable list ·
- Kotohira Line timetable ·
- Takamatsu-Chikko fares ·
- Kotohira return fares ·
- Airport limousine fares and city boarding points ·
- Airport limousine use and monthly changes ·