Four nights: should you spend one in Kotohira?
To explore the approach street and climb to the main shrine the following morning, stay three nights in Takamatsu and one in Kotohira. To see the garden, sea views and museum from one hotel, stay four nights in Takamatsu and visit Ritsurin Garden, Yashima and Naoshima on separate days. Choose your island day around a Chichu Art Museum reservation and return boat and bus connections.
Choose a 5 days / 4 nights itinerary
One night in Kotohira
Spend three nights in Takamatsu, then move to Kotohira for one night if you want dinner locally and a main-shrine climb the next morning.
One night in Kotohira →5 days / 4 nightsStay in Takamatsu for gardens, Yashima and Naoshima
Spend four nights in Takamatsu to visit gardens, Yashima’s views and Naoshima’s museum on separate days without changing hotels.
Stay in Takamatsu for gardens, Yashima and Naoshima →One night in Kotohira
Spend three nights in Takamatsu, then move to Kotohira for one night if you want dinner locally and a main-shrine climb the next morning.
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 today. Go from Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station to the east gate.
- 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, then continue to your hotel or next destination.
- Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Same Takamatsu hotel
Choose somewhere open near the station for lunch and return to the same hotel at your booked address. For a meal in Kawaramachi, recheck the alighting station, section fare and route back to the hotel.
Ritsurin Garden’s opening and closing times vary by month. Distinguish the starting stations for east- and north-gate access.
Day 3: Yashimaru
See Seto Inland Sea and city views from Yashimaru today. Travel from JR Takamatsu to Yashima, then connect to the summit shuttle.
- Takamatsu hotel and JR Takamatsu Station → Shuttle stop outside JR Yashima Station
Take a JR Kotoku Line local train from Takamatsu towards Hiketa and get off at Yashima. Leave the ticket gates and go to the summit-bound shuttle stop outside. Check JR and shuttle timetables for your date together and choose a connection with enough time.
- Outside JR Yashima Station → Yashima Sanjo stop and Yashimaru
Take the summit shuttle to its terminus, Yashima Sanjo. On the official summit map, locate the visitor car park, Yashima-ji and Yashimaru at number 11, then follow the path towards Yashimaru’s main entrance. The facility leaflet marks that entrance separately. The official roughly 10-minute walk starts at the visitor car park; allow separately for finding and walking the route after getting off the bus. See the viewing spaces, then have a meal and break on the summit. Paid exhibitions and meals are excluded from the listed budget.
Current shuttle fares and timetableOfficial walk from the visitor car park to the facilityYashimaru current operationYashima official summit mapYashimaru shuttle access and main entrance layout
- Yashimaru → Yashima Sanjo stop and JR Yashima Station
Return from the facility to the summit stop and take a shuttle to JR Yashima Station. A late facility closing time does not mean the last shuttle leaves then, so choose your return bus first.
- JR Yashima Station → JR Takamatsu Station and the same hotel
Take a local train from JR Yashima towards Takamatsu, have dinner and return to the same hotel. Return local-train fares total ¥560, and the return shuttle from the JR station costs ¥680, making the day’s transport total ¥1,240. A limited express costs extra.
Yashimaru closes Tuesdays, or the next weekday when Tuesday is a public holiday. Evening facility opening and evening shuttle operation are separate; check the official facility calendar and bus notices together.
Day 4: Kotohira shrine-approach shopping street
Move hotels from Takamatsu to Kotohira today. Walk the approach shopping street and rest locally, then worship at the main shrine the next morning.
- Takamatsu hotel and Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Kotoden Kotohira Station
Take a Kotohira-bound train from Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko and get off at Kotoden Kotohira. Bring your luggage for the hotel move and plan the route from the station to your booked hotel.
Kotohira Line timetableOfficial large-bag and station-storage information
- Kotohira hotel → Approach shopping street and Kotohira hotel
Check the walk from your hotel address to the approach shopping street. Have a meal locally and rest at the same hotel, leaving the main-shrine steps for the next morning.
Explore the shops along the shrine approach today and climb to the main shrine tomorrow.
Day 5: Kotohira-gu main shrine
After your Kotohira night, worship at the main shrine, return to the station and take a Takamatsu-bound train.
- Kotohira hotel → First steps on the shrine approach
Walk from your Kotohira hotel towards Omotesando. The roughly 10-minute station-to-approach reference does not apply from your hotel. Do not use vehicle-only roads closed to pedestrians as an alternative shrine route.
Station-to-approach and steps informationWalking-route precautions
- First steps on the shrine approach → Kotohira-gu main shrine
The main-shrine gates open 07:00–17:00. Official guidance gives about 1 hour one way to climb 785 steps from the first step to the main shrine. Descending and breaks take additional time.
Station-to-approach and steps informationShrine official hours
- Kotohira-gu main shrine → Shrine approach, shopping street and Kotohira hotel
Descend the same approach, have a meal in the shopping street and return to your hotel. The roughly 1-hour climb to the main shrine excludes descending, meals and hotel walks.
- 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: Ritsurin Garden ¥500 + Tamamo Park ¥300 + Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen return ¥500 + Kotohira return ¥1,560 + Takamatsu–Yashima JR return ¥560 + Yashima Station–summit shuttle return ¥680.
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, Kotohira-gu’s additional buildings and prayers, and Yashimaru’s paid exhibitions and parking are excluded too.
For one adult. Kotoden fares start at Takamatsu-Chikko; check actual section fares if starting elsewhere. Kotohira travel is split into one ¥780 journey on day 4 and one ¥780 journey on the final day.
Fees and seasonal hoursCurrent admission and gate hoursTakamatsu-Chikko faresKotohira return faresJR fare tableCurrent shuttle fares and timetable
Stay in Takamatsu for gardens, Yashima and Naoshima
Spend four nights in Takamatsu to visit gardens, Yashima’s views and Naoshima’s museum on separate days without changing hotels.
Day 1: Takamatsu Port
Check the port and ferry ticket office on day 1, then rest in Takamatsu. This day does not cross to the island.
- Your booked Takamatsu hotel → Miyanoura ferry ticket office at Takamatsu Port
Check the walk from your hotel address to the port. Official access is about 5 minutes from JR Takamatsu Station or 3 minutes from Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko, rather than from your hotel door. Find the Miyanoura ferry ticket office and boarding direction for day 4. The high-speed boat office is separate, about 3 minutes on foot from the ferry office.
- Takamatsu Port → Meal near the station and the same Takamatsu hotel
After walking around the port, head back towards the station and choose somewhere open for dinner, then go to your booked hotel. The port’s station-walking reference excludes meals and hotel travel. Tamamo Park is on the final day, so do not add a paid visit today.
Find the day 4 Miyanoura ferry ticket office and boarding point in advance.
Day 2: Ritsurin Garden
Walk through Ritsurin Garden today. Go from Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station to the east gate.
- 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, then continue to your hotel or next destination.
- Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Same Takamatsu hotel
Choose somewhere open near the station for lunch and return to the same hotel at your booked address. For a meal in Kawaramachi, recheck the alighting station, section fare and route back to the hotel.
Ritsurin Garden’s opening and closing times vary by month. Distinguish the starting stations for east- and north-gate access.
Day 3: Yashimaru
See Seto Inland Sea and city views from Yashimaru today. Travel from JR Takamatsu to Yashima, then connect to the summit shuttle.
- Takamatsu hotel and JR Takamatsu Station → Shuttle stop outside JR Yashima Station
Take a JR Kotoku Line local train from Takamatsu towards Hiketa and get off at Yashima. Leave the ticket gates and go to the summit-bound shuttle stop outside. Check JR and shuttle timetables for your date together and choose a connection with enough time.
- Outside JR Yashima Station → Yashima Sanjo stop and Yashimaru
Take the summit shuttle to its terminus, Yashima Sanjo. On the official summit map, locate the visitor car park, Yashima-ji and Yashimaru at number 11, then follow the path towards Yashimaru’s main entrance. The facility leaflet marks that entrance separately. The official roughly 10-minute walk starts at the visitor car park; allow separately for finding and walking the route after getting off the bus. See the viewing spaces, then have a meal and break on the summit. Paid exhibitions and meals are excluded from the listed budget.
Current shuttle fares and timetableOfficial walk from the visitor car park to the facilityYashimaru current operationYashima official summit mapYashimaru shuttle access and main entrance layout
- Yashimaru → Yashima Sanjo stop and JR Yashima Station
Return from the facility to the summit stop and take a shuttle to JR Yashima Station. A late facility closing time does not mean the last shuttle leaves then, so choose your return bus first.
- JR Yashima Station → JR Takamatsu Station and the same hotel
Take a local train from JR Yashima towards Takamatsu, have dinner and return to the same hotel. Return local-train fares total ¥560, and the return shuttle from the JR station costs ¥680, making the day’s transport total ¥1,240. A limited express costs extra.
Yashimaru closes Tuesdays, or the next weekday when Tuesday is a public holiday. Evening facility opening and evening shuttle operation are separate; check the official facility calendar and bus notices together.
Day 4: Naoshima and Chichu Art Museum
Cross to Naoshima today. Go to the Miyanoura ferry ticket office at Takamatsu Port.
- Takamatsu hotel → Takamatsu Port ferry and Miyanoura Port
Take a morning ferry from Takamatsu Port to Miyanoura. Ferry tickets go on sale 40 minutes before departure, with first-come boarding and no reservations. Reach the port with time for tickets and queues. After disembarking, walk to the local bus stop at Miyanoura Port.
- Miyanoura Port → Tsutsuji-so local bus stop
Take a local bus from Miyanoura Port towards Tsutsuji-so and get off at the terminus. Adult fare is ¥100 per ride, payable when getting off; prepare change. A service scheduled to await the boat may leave earlier depending on circumstances, and a full bus means waiting for the next one.
Takamatsu–Miyanoura timetable, fares and boarding pointsLocal bus
- Tsutsuji-so local bus stop → Free shuttle and Chichu Art Museum Ticket Center
Change at Tsutsuji-so to the free shuttle towards Chichu Art Museum. Choose a connection in the official timetable that leaves time after getting off the local bus. The shuttle does not run on museum closing days, and you cannot board a full vehicle. Choose an admission time with enough connection flexibility.
- 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, while the museum is shown separately to its southwest. The Ticket Center is not the museum entrance. Allow time for the walk and admission queue before your booked entry, including the walk from the shuttle when choosing your reservation time.
Facility and reservationsOfficial admission calendarOfficial Chichu Ticket Center and museum access map
- Chichu Art Museum → Ticket Center shuttle stop and Tsutsuji-so
After visiting, walk back to the Ticket Center shuttle stop and take a free shuttle to Tsutsuji-so. Leave time for the walk from the entrance and waiting. Finish your museum visit around bus connections that will reach the port before your return ferry.
- Tsutsuji-so → Miyanoura Port local bus stop
Take a local bus from Tsutsuji-so towards Miyanoura Port. Weekend and public-holiday afternoons can be crowded, so choose an earlier bus than the final connection for your ferry. Boarding the bus does not guarantee boarding the ferry.
- Miyanoura Port bus stop → Takamatsu ferry boarding point
At Miyanoura Port, buy a ticket at the Takamatsu ferry office and walk to the boarding point. The Miyanoura ticket office opens 05:30–20:25, and ordinary boarding is first come, first served. Check the final return and operating notices in the official route timetable, leaving time for tickets and queues.
- Miyanoura Port ferry boarding point → Takamatsu Port and the same hotel
Return by ferry to Takamatsu, rest at the same hotel and have dinner. Switching to a high-speed boat changes the fare, ticket office and boarding point; a ferry ticket alone does not cover it.
Book the museum first, choosing a time that leaves room for the return shuttle, local bus and ferry. Do not choose the last boat on the assumption that you can walk from the museum to the port; check shuttle and local bus connections first. Change the island day for maintenance, sold-out admission or sailing cancellations. Do not choose this Chichu itinerary during its 12 January–19 March 2027 maintenance closure.
Day 5: Tamamo Park
Visit Tamamo Park and depart on the day after returning from Naoshima. Leave time after the park to reach the station or port.
- Takamatsu hotel → Tamamo Park west gate
Travel from your hotel’s address to the west gate on the JR Takamatsu/Takamatsu-Chikko station side. The official roughly 3-minute walk from the JR station is not your hotel walk. City guidance places the west gate on the station side and the east gate on the car-park/prefectural-museum side.
Takamatsu city visitor informationCurrent admission and gate hours
- Tamamo Park west gate → Park visit and west gate
Pay the ¥300 adult admission and explore the castle remains and moat. October hours are 06:00–17:30 at the West Gate and 08:30–17:00 at the East Gate. Gate hours change in other months, and the park closes from 29 to 31 December. Use the West Gate you entered as a reference when returning to your hotel. For a morning departure, leave out either sightseeing or lunch.
Takamatsu city visitor informationCurrent admission and gate hours
- Your booked Takamatsu hotel after the visit → Boarding point for your booked departure
For the airport, board an airport limousine at JR Takamatsu Station bus stand 3. The ¥1,300 adult fare is excluded from the listed budget. Choose a service in your date’s official timetable that meets airline check-in deadlines. For another city, use JR Takamatsu Station. If the previous day’s boat is cancelled, do not move the island visit to your flight-home day.
Airport limousine use and monthly changesAirport limousine fares and city boarding pointsTakamatsu–Miyanoura timetable, fares and boarding points
Check each gate’s closing time. For an early departure, move the park visit to a previous day and go to the station.
Included items: Ritsurin Garden ¥500 + Tamamo Park ¥300 + Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen return ¥500 + Takamatsu–Miyanoura ferry return ¥1,360 + two local bus rides ¥200 + online adult Chichu admission ¥2,500 weekdays or ¥2,700 weekends/public holidays. Also includes Takamatsu–Yashima JR return ¥560 and Yashima Station–summit shuttle return ¥680.
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, Yashimaru’s paid exhibitions and parking, high-speed boat fare differences, taxis and other island museums are excluded too.
For one adult, with Kotoden fares starting at Takamatsu-Chikko. Weekday, weekend and public-holiday prices depend on the Chichu visit date, not the trip’s start date. If omitting the museum or changing transport, recalculate the items you actually use. Subtract ¥100 if taking only one local bus ride and add actual high-speed boat or taxi fares separately. These prices do not secure museum reservations or seats on boats and buses.
Fees and seasonal hoursCurrent admission and gate hoursTakamatsu-Chikko faresJR fare tableCurrent shuttle fares and timetableTakamatsu–Miyanoura timetable, fares and boarding pointsLocal busFacility and reservations
Frequently asked questions
Can I visit Yashima and Naoshima on the same day?
Visit Yashima and Naoshima on separate days. Yashima involves return train and summit shuttle journeys; Naoshima involves return boats and island buses. Combining them leaves less time for sightseeing and the journey back. Choose the order after checking Yashimaru’s closed days and available Chichu Art Museum reservations. On Naoshima, choose an entry time that lets you finish in time for your return boat. It is better to leave the island trip out of your departure day.
Yashimaru October calendarOpening calendar by visit dateOfficial admission calendar
Are ordinary tickets cheaper for the 5-day itineraries?
For only the journeys shown here, ordinary tickets are cheaper. Adult fares for trains eligible for the pass total ¥2,620 on the itinerary with a night in Kotohira and ¥1,060 on the Takamatsu and Naoshima itinerary. All Shikoku Rail Passes issued from 1 October 2026 cost ¥12,000 for 3 days and ¥20,000 for 7 days per adult. The Kotohira overnight itinerary uses trains from days two to five, so one 3-day pass cannot cover every journey. Compare actual fares and consecutive days again if you add JR travel in other prefectures. Boats, island buses, the Yashima shuttle and admission cost extra.
All Shikoku Rail Pass revision for passes issued from 1 October 2026All Shikoku Rail Pass conditions effective 1 October 2026Takamatsu-Chikko faresKotohira return faresJR fare table
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 ·
- Walking-route precautions ·
- Official walk from the visitor car park to the facility ·
- Yashimaru current operation ·
- Current shuttle fares and timetable ·
- Facility and reservations ·
- Opening calendar by visit date ·
- Local 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 ·
- Official large-bag and station-storage information ·
- JR fare table ·
- Yashimaru October calendar ·
- 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 conditions effective 1 October 2026 ·
- JR Shikoku timetables by station and route ·
- Yashima official summit map ·
- Yashimaru shuttle access and main entrance layout ·
- Official Chichu Ticket Center and museum access map ·