A railway journey around Shikoku, starting from Takamatsu! Travel around popular spots, including Dogo Onsen and Katsurahama Beach: 3-day/2-night itinerary

If you arrive early in the morning on a Jumbo Ferry or the Sunrise Seto, you can enjoy breakfast in the Takamatsu Station area, and perhaps a stroll around Takamatsu Castle Tamamo Park.

➤Duration: 1 hour

Ritsurin Garden is a daimyo (feudal lord) garden, which was completed in 1745 over a period of one hundred years. Designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, this spacious garden features 6 ponds and 13 landscaped hills. While strolling you can enjoy the changing landscape, therefore it is said that the variety of scenery has the attraction of "ippo ikkei" or a change in scenery with every step. In the garden there are buildings, such as Kikugetsu-tei teahouse, where you can have matcha (powdered green tea) while viewing the picturesque landscape, and the Sanuki Mingeikan (Folk Craft Museum), where Sanuki folk crafts are exhibited. You can also enjoy a ride on a Japanese boat, the “Senshu maru”.

There are approximately 300 cherry trees, mostly Somei Yoshino, and the beauty of the cherry blossoms reflected on the lake surface and the strange colors of the green pine trees are breathtaking. In addition, spring lighting will be held to coincide with the blooming of the cherry trees, and during the nighttime lighting period, special Japanese-style boat trips will be offered on Lake Kitako.

➤Duration: 2 hour（Including lunch）

An aquarium themed “Shikoku Aquascape” located in Kagawa Prefecture, the gateway to Shikoku.
The aquarium not only exhibits the unique underwater world of Shikoku, including the Pacific Ocean, the Seto Inland Sea, and the clear waters of the Shimanto and Niyodo Rivers, but also the culture of Shikoku and the environment that exists along with the lives of the people who live there.

[The dolphins are waiting for you at Shikoku Aquarium!]
Shikoku Aquarium is located right next to the Seto Inland, and it is quite well known for its sunset view during autumn.
There will be a session where the breeding staff will explain about the Pacific white-sided dolphins in the dolphin pool with a beautiful sunset view. During that time, the aquarium will also extend its closing hours, From 18:00 to 10 minutes after sunset.

➤Duration: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Matsuyama Castle, in the style of the Momoyama period, is one of Japan’s few original surviving castles. Its 21 buildings are listed as Important Cultural Properties, and the castle is regarded as one of the three best ‘Renritsu-shiki Hirayama-jiro’ (Renritsu-shiki: an architectural style where the top castle tower is in the centre with smaller towers on either side; Hirayama-jiro: a castle built on a hill on a plain). The towers are all connected to defend the main castle building. The castle is a well-known symbol of Matsuyama and is written about in the prologue of the novel, “Clouds Above the Hill” by Ryotaro Shiba. It has been and will be guarding the city of Matsuyama for centuries!

Dogo Onsen Honkan is thought to be the oldest hot spring in Japan is mentioned in the ancient texts of the Kojiki and Manyoshu. The main building, a three-storey castle-style wooden structure has been designated an Important Cultural Property. The bathhouse is an iconic feature of Matsuyama in the novel “Botchan” and many other masterpieces of literature and film. After enjoying the smooth hot spring water, put on a Yukata robe, stroll around the local streets full of culture, and get into the spirit of this Onsen town. A new annex “Asuka-no-Yu”, adopting the architectural style of the 6th to 8th centuries, will be opened in September 2017.

As for the Dogo Onsen Honkan, it has been undergoing conservation and repair work for about five and a half years since January 2019, but all buildings reopen on July 11, 2024 (Thursday).

➤Duration: 1 hour

Uwajima Castle, along with Matsuyama Castle, is one of Japan’s twelve originally surviving castles. Once a strong fortress facing Uwajima Bay, the castle is enclosed within an irregular pentagon-shaped land area. The castle was built by Takatora Todo, a feudal lord known for his excellence in castle design. With steep flights of stone steps along its enormous stone walls, the three-storey, triple-layer castle tower stands prominently on a hill top. Inside the castle, you can enjoy the wooden interiors along with views of Uwajima city and Uwajima Bay in the distance.

➤Duration: 1 hour

Shikoku Railway’s Yodo Line runs along the Shimanto River, known for its limpid stream, and connects western Kochi Prefecture with southern Ehime Prefecture. Three unique trains called the “Yodo Line Brothers” – Shiman Torocco, Kaiyodo Hobby Train and Tetsudo (Railway) Hobby Train – are operated on the line. Shiman Torocco, designed by noted industrial designer Eiji Mitooka, is a two-car train, with one carriage having no windows or walls on both sides to let in fresh air. Kaiyodo Hobby Train was produced through collaboration between Shikoku Railway Co. (JR Shikoku), the operator of the line, and Kaiyodo Co., a manufacturer of figurines. Tetsudo Hobby Train was modeled on the first generation of shinkansen bullet train cars.

➤Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Hirome Market is a commercial facility located next to Kochi Castle. It is also a place for locals and visitors alike to fill their stomachs with not only Kochi"s local cuisine, but also more international flavors. The inside of the nostalgia-inspiring market building is packed with approximately 65 street stall-style restaurants, busy fresh fish and meat shops, unique knickknack shops, and clothing boutiques.
With tables throughout, customers can get takeout from different restaurants and casually enjoy a variety of foods. Although you may notice people drinking during the day in the market, this too is a sight typical of Kochi, a place where the locals are known to like drinking.

A bar area called "Hirome Bar" opened in the market during 2016, as well. Whether Italian, Spanish, or French, the food options here are made to pair well with alcohol. Feel free to walk around with a drink in one hand.
Hirome Market is also a great place to buy Kochi souvenirs and find information on tourist attractions, so it"s worth a visit for anyone traveling to the prefecture.
Hirome Market could be called "Kochi"s Kitchen," but that name comes from Shigeaki Hirome Fukao, chief retainer to the feudal lord of Tosa (present-day Kochi) at the end of the Edo era (1603 - 1868). A renowned minister who had served under four successive lords, Shigeaki Hirome Fukao was well loved by the people of Kochi City. Even after time went by and Hirome"s home was no more, the area was still known by locals as the "Hirome Mansion." Later, the area became home to the "Hirome Market," driven by locals" desires to revitalize the region as well as Kochi"s food culture.

➤Duration: 1 hour

Katsurahama Beach is one of the most famous scenic spots in Kochi Prefecture. It has long been known as a famous place for the moon, and the lyrics to the Kochi song “Yosakoi-bushi” (Yosakoi song) are also preserved here.
The beach stretches out in a bow, and the green pine trees and the azure sea are in harmony with each other, making it a magnificent scenic spot. The bronze statue of Ryoma Sakamoto, a hero of the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, is very famous for its gaze toward the rough waves of the Pacific Ocean.If you are interested, you can learn more about Ryoma at the nearby “Kochi Prefecture Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum.
The entire beach area is a park, and in addition to souvenir stores, there are facilities such as “Tosainu Park” and “Katsurahama Aquarium” for family fun.

➤Duration: 1 hour

➤Duration: 1 hour

The Katsurahama Commercial Area has reopened after 40 years and now features a variety of restaurants, souvenir shops, cafes, and museums for visitors to enjoy.

➤Duration: 1 hour

A museum on the theme of Ryoma Sakamoto, a hero from Kochi Prefecture, located on the hill of Katsurahama Park.
Ryoma Sakamoto (1835 - 1867) was someone who created an opportunity to defeat the Edo shogunate.
He is one of the most famous Bakumatsu no Shishi (ambitious samurai active at the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868) ) known to all Japanese.
The museum owns and exhibits Ryoma's handwritten letters and introduces his life along with other valuable materials.
The museum has a main building and an annex.
In the main building, visitors can enjoy learning about the history of the end of the Edo period in Japan through a reconstructed model of Omiya (the inn in Kyoto where Ryoma is said to have been assassinated) and interactive exhibits using many videos and photographs.
In the new wing, there are permanent exhibitions tracing Ryoma's life and special exhibitions on various themes.
The museum overlooks the magnificent Pacific Ocean and is recommended as a scenic spot.
In front of the exit of the main building, there is a full-size statue of Ryoma that you can shake hands with, and it is a very popular photo spot.

➤Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Fifteen structures at Kochi Castle, including its tower and the Otemon main gate, have been designated by the national government as important cultural properties. The castle was originally built in 1603 on the order of Yamauchi Katsutoyo, lord of the Tosa domain, but was burned down in a massive fire in 1727. The current castle tower was rebuilt in 1749.
Kochi Castle is Japan’s only castle where all the structures constituting its main building have been preserved. Since the castle’s structures are compactly situated, you can see its most important parts in a short period of time. Its tower is one of the 12 castle keeps that are still preserved in Japan. Kochi Castle is known as a popular photo spot because it is Japan’s only castle where you can capture both its Otemon and its tower in a single shot.

Kochi Castle, which is considered one of the top 100 castles in Japan, is situated on a hill in a park. The castle tower offers a breathtaking view of Kochi City. The San-no-maru area of Kochi Castle boasts 223 cherry trees, which are presently in full bloom, making it one of the finest cherry blossom viewing spots in the prefecture.

If you have some extra time, why not visit some tourist spots in Takamatsu City on the following day, or go even further afield to some of the nearby islands?
Takamatsu City was one of the locations of the Genpei War (a civil war that took place in the late 12th century), and is home to many famous historic spots, including Yashima, with panoramic views of the beautiful islands of the Seto Inland Sea, and Yakuriji, temple 85 of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.
Shodoshima island, located around 1 hour from Takamatsu Port by ferry, boasts flourishing olive cultivation, and offers the appeals of a stunning coastline and rich natural world.
Ogijima and Megijima islands are well-known as venues for the Setouchi Triennale art festival, and are easily accessible in around 20–40 minutes from Takamatsu Port by ferry.