With one night, should you stay in Takamatsu or Kotohira?
Stay one night in Takamatsu if you want garden and castle walks and time around the harbor. If the shrine is your main reason for visiting, spend the night in Kotohira and climb the steps the next day. If you leave in the morning on your final day, shorten or skip that day’s sightseeing.
Choose an itinerary for 2 days, 1 night
Walk around Takamatsu
Stay one night in Takamatsu for garden and castle-site walks and a look around the harbor.
Walk around Takamatsu →2 days, 1 nightStay in Kotohira
Stay 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
Stay one night in Takamatsu for garden and castle-site walks and a look around the harbor.
Day 1 · Tamamo Park and Takamatsu Port
Plan the park and harbor around your arrival time in Takamatsu. If you cannot reach the park during gate hours, move the visit to another day.
- Takamatsu Accommodation or JR Takamatsu Station → Tamamo Park Entrance
Go to Tamamo Park, about a three-minute walk from JR Takamatsu Station. If you arrive after gate hours, a park visit will not fit today.
Current Admission and Gate-Specific HoursTakamatsu City Visitor Guide
- Tamamo Park → Takamatsu Port and Your Accommodation
Explore the castle site and moat, then walk around the harbor. Have dinner near the station and go to your booked accommodation.
Current Admission and Gate-Specific HoursTakamatsu City Visitor Guide
Closing times vary by gate. Check the hours for the entrance you plan to use.
Day 2 · Ritsurin Garden
Walk through Ritsurin Garden on the final day, then return by Kotoden to Takamatsu-Chikko Station. Choose your garden visit and return train around your departing service.
- Takamatsu Accommodation → Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station
Go to Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station, which is separate from JR Takamatsu Station. If staying in Kawaramachi, you can start at nearby Kotoden Kawaramachi Station, but check the fare for that section.
- Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station
Take a train toward Kotohira and get off at Ritsurin-Koen. The adult fare is ¥250 one way; the listed cost includes ¥500 round trip from Takamatsu-Chikko. Choose services for your date from the official timetable.
Kotohira Line TimetableCurrent Timetable ListTakamatsu-Chikko Fares
- Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station → Ritsurin Garden East Gate and Garden
The official approximately seven-minute walk starts at Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station. Go to the East Gate, buy your ticket, and explore the garden. Distinguish this from the North Gate approach from JR Ritsurin-Koen-Kitaguchi Station. Adult admission is ¥500; October hours are 6:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. The seven minutes exclude ticketing, sightseeing, and rests. Check operating notices again for other months or storm warnings.
- Ritsurin Garden and East Gate → Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station
After your visit, exit at the East Gate and retrace your walk to Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station. Leave time to reach the East Gate from inside the garden and walk about seven minutes to the station.
- Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station → Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station
Take a Takamatsu-Chikko-bound train back from Kotoden Ritsurin-Koen Station. After arriving at Takamatsu-Chikko, continue toward your next destination.
- Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Boarding Point for Your Booked Departure
If you need to stop at your accommodation, add travel time before departure. For the airport, go to JR Takamatsu Station and take a Takamatsu Airport limousine bus from bus stop 3. The adult ¥1,300 fare is excluded from the listed cost. Choose a service from the official airport-bus timetable whose operating date and scheduled arrival fit your flight’s check-in deadline. For another city, board JR trains at JR Takamatsu Station or Kotoden trains at Takamatsu-Chikko.
Airport Limousine Use and Monthly ChangesAirport Limousine Fares and City Stops
Ritsurin Garden’s opening and closing times change by month. Distinguish the stations serving the East and North Gates.
Included Items: Ritsurin Garden ¥500 + Tamamo Park ¥300 + Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko–Ritsurin-Koen round trip ¥500.
Additional Costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, airport transportation, separately used transportation between your accommodation, stations, and boarding points, and additional travel cost extra. Garden boats and tea houses are excluded.
These costs are for one adult. Kotoden fares assume departure from Takamatsu-Chikko; check the fare for your section if starting elsewhere.
Fees and Seasonal HoursCurrent Admission and Gate-Specific HoursTakamatsu-Chikko Fares
Stay in Kotohira
Stay one night in Kotohira to rest near the shrine approach and climb to the main shrine the next day.
Day 1 · Kotohira Shrine-Approach Shops
On arrival in Kotohira, walk the shops along the shrine approach and rest in town. Climb the main shrine steps tomorrow.
- Takamatsu Arrival Point and Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Kotoden Kotohira Station
Take a Kotohira-bound train from Takamatsu-Chikko and get off at Kotoden Kotohira Station. It is separate from JR Kotohira Station; distinguish the station names when booking and finding your accommodation.
Kotohira Line TimetableCurrent Timetable ListStation-to-Approach Walk and Stairs
- Kotoden Kotohira Station → Omotesando Shrine-Approach Shops
The tourism association gives a walk of about ten minutes from Kotoden Kotohira Station to Omotesando. That time does not take you to your accommodation’s door or the main shrine. Walk the approach’s shopping street and allow time to eat at an open business. Leave the main shrine stair climb for another day. After eating, go to your booked Kotohira accommodation and rest.
Rest around the approach’s shopping street today and climb the main shrine steps tomorrow.
Day 2 · Kotohiragu Main Shrine
Visit the main shrine on your morning in Kotohira, then return to Kotoden Kotohira Station for a Takamatsu-bound train.
- First Step of the Shrine Approach → Kotohiragu Main Shrine
The main shrine gates open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The shrine’s official guide gives about one hour one way to climb the 785 steps from the first step to the main shrine. Allow separately for the descent, rests, and travel from your accommodation to the steps.
- Kotohiragu Main Shrine → First Step and Approach Shops
Descend the approach you climbed. The official one-way estimate of about one hour describes the ascent; do not apply it directly to the descent. If there is time before your train, have a meal in the shopping street.
- Kotoden Kotohira Station → Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station
Take a Takamatsu-Chikko-bound train from Kotoden Kotohira Station. The adult fare is ¥780 one way; ¥1,560 round trip is included in the listed cost. Choose your return train from the official timetable for your date. After arriving at Takamatsu-Chikko, airport transportation is still separate.
Kotohira Line TimetableKotohira Return FaresCurrent Timetable List
- Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station → Boarding Point for Your Booked Departure
Go from Takamatsu-Chikko Station to JR Takamatsu Station. The airport limousine leaves from JR station bus stop 3; the adult ¥1,300 fare is excluded from the listed cost. Choose a departure from the official timetable that fits your flight’s check-in deadline. If your next destination is another city, check trains at JR Takamatsu Station.
Airport Limousine Use and Monthly ChangesAirport Limousine Fares and City Stops
Climbing and descending the main shrine steps both require time and stamina. If you leave on the final morning, move the visit to the previous day.
Included Items: Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko–Kotohira round trip ¥1,560.
Additional Costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, airport transportation, separately used transportation between your accommodation, stations, and boarding points, and additional travel cost extra. Kotohiragu’s auxiliary museums and prayer services are excluded.
These costs are for one adult. Kotoden fares assume departure from Takamatsu-Chikko; check the fare for your section if starting elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the listed admission and transportation costs include hotels and meals?
Hotels and meals are not included. For one adult, the Takamatsu itinerary’s ¥1,300 covers ¥800 admission to the two parks plus ¥500 for a Kotoden round trip to Ritsurin-Koen Station. The Kotohira itinerary’s ¥1,560 covers only the Kotoden round trip. Airport transportation and other personal spending are extra.
Fees and Seasonal HoursCurrent Admission and Gate-Specific HoursTakamatsu-Chikko FaresKotohira Return Fares
Official Sources and Verification Dates
- Fees and Seasonal Hours ·
- Official Access Guide ·
- Current Admission and Gate-Specific Hours ·
- Takamatsu City Visitor Guide ·
- Shrine’s Official Hours ·
- Station-to-Approach Walk and Stairs ·
- Current Timetable List ·
- Kotohira Line Timetable ·
- Takamatsu-Chikko Fares ·
- Kotohira Return Fares ·
- Airport Limousine Fares and City Stops ·
- Airport Limousine Use and Monthly Changes ·