Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [524]
SLEEPING & EATING
Kotobuki Ryokan (73-3872; per person with 2 meals ¥6800; ) Conveniently situated by the riverside a short walk from the shrine, this friendly family-run place has comfortable tatami rooms with shared bathrooms. If you do stay the night, you’ll want to eat in your ryokan; the streets of Kotohira are pretty dead after dark.
Kotosankaku (75-1000; fax 75-0600; www.kotosankaku.jp/index_en.html; per person Mon-Fri from ¥9600, Sat & Sun from ¥17,850; ) Weighing in at nearly 225 rooms, this elegant place is one of the biggest ryokans in Shikoku. Attractive Japanese- and Western-style rooms are complemented by a pool (summer only) and a stunner of an onsen complex (open to nonguests for ¥1200, from 10.30am to 3pm).
Kompira Udon (73-5785; meals ¥500-950; 8am-5pm) Just short of the first set of steps leading up Kompira-san, this is one of dozens of Sanuki udon (see the boxed text) joints in Kotohira. The house speciality is shōyu udon (thick white noodles served with a special soy sauce). Look for the giant udon bowl outside.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
You can travel to Kotohira on the JR Dosan line from Kōchi (tokkyū ¥3810, one hour and 38 minutes) and Ōboke. For Takamatsu and other places on the north coast, change trains at Tadotsu. The private Kotoden line has regular direct trains from Takamatsu (¥610, one hour). JR Kotohira station is about 500m north and east of the town centre, while the Kotoden station is conveniently just 200m west of the JR station.
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TAKAMATSU
087 / pop 425,000
Thanks to its rail link to Honshū, the former castle town of Takamatsu is a popular entry point for Shikoku, and serves as a good jumping-off point for destinations around the island. The city’s biggest attraction is Ritsurin-kōen, one of the country’s most spectacular and delightful gardens. The city also serves as a base for a number of unique day trips, notably to the olive groves of Shōdo-shima and the island of Naoshima in the Inland Sea.
Orientation
Distances in Takamatsu can be further than you think – it’s nearly 2km along the main street, Chūō-dōri, from JR Takamatsu station to Ritsurin-kōen. A busy shopping arcade extends across Chūō-dōri, and then runs parallel to it to the east, passing through the entertainment district. The main shopping area is further south, near Kotoden Kawaramachi train station.
Information
The city is well set up to help foreign visitors. Visitors can pick up the free Kagawa Welcome Card at Kagawa International Exchange or the tourist information office (you’ll need to show your passport), or can print one out online from www.21kagawa.com/visitor/kanko/index.htm. The card provides minor discounts around the prefecture, and comes with a mini-guidebook and fold-out city map. There are coin lockers and a left-luggage office at JR Takamatsu station, and international ATMs at the central post office (located near the northern exit of Marugamemachi Arcade).
JTB (851-2117; 7-6 Kajiyamachi; 10am-6pm, closed Sun)
Kagawa International Exchange (I-PAL Kagawa; 837-5901; www.i-pal.or.jp, in Japanese; 1-11-63 Banchō; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun) In the northwest corner of Chūō-kōen, with a small library, satellite TV and internet access.
Tourist information office (851-2009; 9am-6pm) In the plaza outside the station.
Sights
RITSURIN-KŌEN
One of the most beautiful gardens in the country, Ritsurin-kōen (833-7411; 1-20-16 Ritsurinchō; admission ¥400; sunrise-sunset) dates from the mid-1600s and took more than a century to complete. Designed as a walking garden for the daimyō’s enjoyment, the park winds around a series of ponds, tearooms, bridges and islands. To the west, Shiun-zan (Mt Shiun) forms an impressive backdrop to the garden. The classic view of Engetsu-kyō bridge with the mountain in the background