Kagawa has an unusual combination of qualities that make it work well for families travelling with children: it is small enough to move between experiences quickly, the main cultural draws involve physical activity rather than passive observation, and the food is cheap, universally available, and genuinely loved by children across age groups. The prefecture’s scale means that even a three-day visit can cover multiple islands, a famous mountain shrine, and a garden with rental rowboats without feeling rushed.
Naoshima — Art Island for All Ages
Naoshima is best known as a destination for contemporary art enthusiasts, but its combination of outdoor installations, ferry rides, cycling lanes, and a relaxed island atmosphere makes it one of the best half-day or full-day excursions for families in the entire Seto Inland Sea region. Children who have no particular interest in contemporary art tend to respond well to the physical environment: small roads, minimal traffic, sea views from every high point, and several large outdoor sculptures that can be examined closely and from every angle.
The Chichu Art Museum
The Chichu Art Museum, designed by Tadao Ando and built almost entirely underground, is the most architecturally significant building on the island. It houses a small permanent collection that includes five paintings from Claude Monet’s late Water Lilies series displayed in a white concrete room designed so that the only light source is a skylight directly above. The effect on the paintings — particularly in morning light — is extraordinary. Children old enough to notice how light works will find the building genuinely interesting quite apart from its art contents.
Admission is ¥2,100 for adults. Children under 15 enter free. The museum is closed on Mondays. Reservations for a specific entry time slot are required and can be booked via the Benesse Art Site Naoshima website. Allow approximately 90 minutes for the visit.
Outdoor Installations and the Pumpkin
The yellow Pumpkin sculpture by Yayoi Kusama on the island’s southern jetty is an immediate favourite with children for reasons that need no explanation — it is very large, very yellow, covered in polka dots, and sits improbably at the edge of the sea. It requires no museum ticket and is visible from the path. The red Pumpkin at Miyanoura Port, also by Kusama, is hollow and can be entered through a small door, which children find immediately appealing.
Bicycles rented from near Miyanoura Port (around ¥1,000 per day for standard bikes, with child seats available for younger children) allow families to cover the island at their own pace and stop spontaneously at installations along the southern shore road.
Getting to Naoshima
Ferries depart from Takamatsu Port approximately every hour. The regular ferry takes 50 minutes and costs ¥520 per adult (children half price). The high-speed ferry takes 30 minutes at ¥1,220. Both depart from within walking distance of Takamatsu Station. On the island, a free shuttle bus connects Miyanoura Port with the museum area and Honmura village at regular intervals throughout the day.
Kotohira-gu Shrine — The Famous Climb
Kotohira-gu, known locally as Konpira-san, is one of the most visited shrines in Japan and one of its most physically demanding. The staircase to the main shrine counts 785 steps; the path continues to the inner shrine (Okusha) at 1,368 steps total. For families with older children, the climb is a memorable challenge and a genuine physical achievement. For families with younger children, a portion of the route can be covered by palanquin-style sedan chair carriers (kago) available for hire near the base of the steps.
The Climb and What You Find
The lower sections of the staircase pass through a parade of souvenir stalls and confectionery shops selling Konpira’s famous rice crackers (sanbai-age) and a local sugar candy called wasanbon. The stalls create a festival atmosphere that carries families through the first 300 steps without the climb feeling like work. Above the stall section, the path opens into forested precincts with stone lanterns and older shrine buildings.
The main shrine at step 785 commands views across the Sanuki plain toward the Seto Inland Sea — on clear days the bridges of the Seto-Ohashi crossing are visible. Children who make it to the top tend to be proud of the achievement in a way that more passive sightseeing does not produce. The inner shrine at step 1,368 is a steeper and harder extension suitable for older children and adults; the path narrows and the forest deepens considerably above the main shrine.
The Kago Option
The kago service — human-carried palanquins available from just past the first gate — covers approximately the first 365 steps at a rate of around ¥6,500 one way per person. This is entirely optional and most families with children above around age six manage the full climb on foot. The kago service is a historical curiosity in itself, as it was the original method for elderly and infirm pilgrims to access the shrine before the modern staircase railing infrastructure existed.
Getting to Kotohira
Kotohira is served by the JR Dosan Line from Takamatsu. The express takes approximately 60 minutes and costs ¥1,140. The Kotoden Kotohira Line, a private narrow-gauge railway with small vintage-feeling cars, makes the same journey in about 70 minutes at ¥620 and is more enjoyable for children interested in trains. The shrine entrance is a short walk from both stations.
Udon School in Takamatsu
Kagawa’s udon culture is a natural fit for families with children who enjoy hands-on food experiences. The udon-making process — mixing flour and water, kneading dough with considerable physical force, resting it under pressure (sometimes using body weight), rolling and cutting — is tactile and rewarding in a way that translates well across age groups. Several operators in Takamatsu run family-oriented udon classes that are deliberately designed for participants with no kitchen experience.
What Happens in a Class
A typical session lasts 90 minutes to two hours. Participants begin with flour and salt water and work through each stage of the noodle-making process under instruction, concluding with cooking and eating the noodles they have made. The dough kneading stage, which traditionally involves placing the dough in a bag and treading on it with bare feet to develop the gluten structure, is the detail that most children remember and most adults photograph. The final product — thick, chewy Sanuki-style udon in a simple dashi broth — tastes notably better for having been made by the people eating it.
Prices run from around ¥2,500 to ¥3,500 per person for a standard class, with some operators offering family packages. Most classes require advance reservation. The tourist information centres near Takamatsu Station maintain current listings of classes operating on each day of the week.
Ritsurin Garden Rowboats and Teahouse
Ritsurin Garden’s south garden has a rental rowboat service on its main pond that is one of the most reliably enjoyable family activities in Takamatsu. The boats hold up to four people, cost ¥600 for 30 minutes, and can be rented from the boathouse near the Kikugetsu-tei teahouse during daylight hours. Rowing among the pine-covered islands and under the stone arch of the garden’s moon bridge, with no other boats competing for space, is an experience that works equally well for parents and children — physically active, visually beautiful, and completely different from what most visitors experience at Japanese gardens.
The garden is open daily from before dawn (hours vary by season) and charges ¥430 per adult for admission, with children entering free or at reduced rate. The Kikugetsu-tei teahouse serves matcha and wagashi for ¥900 per person and overlooks the south pond. Tables on the teahouse veranda with a direct view of the garden are available on a walk-in basis.
Shodo Island Monkey Park
Shodo Island, best known for its olive groves and somen noodles, also has a hillside monkey park near the Kankakei gorge area where Japanese macaques live in semi-wild conditions. The park is a low-key attraction without the infrastructure of the more famous monkey parks at Arashiyama in Kyoto or Jigokudani in Nagano, which means it tends to be far less crowded. Macaques can be observed at close range along the feeding platform areas.
Reaching Shodo Island from Takamatsu requires a 35-minute high-speed ferry (¥800) or 60-minute regular ferry (¥690) to Tonosho Port. From the port, local buses or a rental car reach the Kankakei ropeway area in approximately 40 minutes. The ropeway itself (round trip approximately ¥1,500 for adults) is an attraction in its own right, rising through the island’s dramatic gorge scenery. The combination of ropeway ride, gorge views, and the monkey park makes a full morning excursion for families.
Practical Tips
Accommodation: Takamatsu is the most practical base for families, with a range of hotel options from budget (Dormy Inn at around ¥8,000 to ¥12,000 per night) to comfortable business hotels. The JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu charges around ¥15,000 to ¥25,000 and is a short walk from both the ferry terminal and Takamatsu Station.
Pace: Naoshima and Shodo Island each work as full-day excursions from Takamatsu. Kotohira-gu and Ritsurin Garden can be combined on the same day if children are reasonably energetic. The udon crawl works as a morning activity before any full-day excursion, since the best shops open early and the noodles are light enough not to slow anyone down.
Timing: The Sanuki Takamatsu Festival in mid-August (12th to 14th) brings Awa Odori-style dancing and fireworks to the city centre — spectacular for families but accompanied by significantly higher accommodation prices. The shoulder seasons of April to May and October to November offer cooler temperatures and fewer crowds at the major sights.