Takamatsu, the capital of neighboring Kagawa Prefecture, is close enough to Tokushima by train to work as a full day trip and centers on Ritsurin Garden, one of Japan's largest and best-preserved Edo-period strolling gardens, built up over more than a century by the local Matsudaira clan. The Kotoden private railway, distinct from the JR line, connects the station area to the garden and other parts of the city with its own older rolling stock. This trip trades Tokushima's mountain and coastal scenery for a classic castle-town garden day.
| Distance | 75 km from Tokushima Station |
|---|---|
| Travel time | 55 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes by train |
| Getting there | JR Kotoku Line direct from Tokushima Station |
| Address | Takamatsu Station, 1-20 Hamano-cho, Takamatsu, Kagawa 760-0011 |
How to get there
- Mode
- JR Kotoku Line limited express (Uzushio)
- Duration
- 55 minutes
- Cost
- ¥3,060 with express supplement (~$20.25 USD)
- Frequency
- Roughly hourly
- Mode
- JR Kotoku Line local train
- Duration
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Cost
- ¥1,530 (~$10.15 USD)
- Frequency
- Roughly hourly
Location
Takamatsu Station, 1-20 Hamano-cho, Takamatsu, Kagawa 760-0011
34.3428, 134.0466 View on map
Highlights
- Ritsurin Garden - a large Edo-period strolling garden with six ponds and thirteen landscaped hills, built over roughly a hundred years
- Kikugetsu-tei teahouse - a traditional teahouse inside Ritsurin Garden where you can sit and have matcha overlooking the pond
- Kotoden trains - Takamatsu's older private railway line, useful for getting around and notable in its own right for still running some vintage carriages
- Takamatsu Castle ruins (Tamamo Park) - a former seaside castle site near the station with stone walls and moats connected to the sea