Kagawa is the smallest prefecture in Japan by land area, which means that its pleasures are unusually concentrated. Within a compact geography bounded by the Seto Inland Sea to the north and the mountains of Shikoku to the south, the prefecture offers a noodle culture serious enough to have spawned its own regional identity, an archipelago of art islands that attracts visitors from across the world, and a pace of life that rewards those who slow down to pay attention. This guide covers the main leisure activities in practical detail.
The Sanuki Udon Crawl
Kagawa’s relationship with udon is not a marketing invention. It is a deeply embedded local culture in which residents eat the noodles for breakfast, lunch, and sometimes both — at shops that operate from pre-dawn hours through the afternoon, then close when the day’s noodles are gone. Sanuki udon is distinguished by its firm, chewy texture, the clarity and subtlety of the dashi broth, and the straightforward manner in which it is served. The best bowls are not complicated. They are simply very good.
How Udon Shops Work
Most traditional udon shops in Kagawa operate on a cafeteria model. You take a tray, move along a counter, choose your preparation — kake (plain in hot broth), bukkake (cold noodles with concentrated dashi poured over), or kamaage (served directly from the cooking pot with a dipping broth on the side) — add toppings from a small selection, pay at the end, and find a table. The system is fast and informal. Many shops have no English menus, but pointing at photographs or following the person ahead of you in the queue works reliably.
Prices range from ¥150 for a basic small bowl at a no-frills neighbourhood shop to ¥500 or slightly more at better-known establishments or those with more elaborate toppings. The price-to-quality ratio has no parallel in Japanese food culture. A thoroughly excellent bowl of udon costs less than a cup of coffee at most Tokyo cafes.
Where to Start
Takamatsu city centre and its surroundings are the natural base for an udon crawl. Several well-regarded shops operate near Takamatsu Station and along the Chuo Shoten-gai shopping arcade. Marugame city, roughly 30 minutes west of Takamatsu by the JR Yosan Line, has a high density of excellent shops and is the location of the Marugame Udon chain’s founding restaurant. The town of Utazu, a few minutes beyond Marugame, has shops that open before 7:00 am and serve a largely local clientele with little tourist awareness — these are among the most authentic experiences available.
The informal convention for a serious udon crawl is three to four shops in a single morning, since the noodle quantities at each stop are small and the intervals between shops involve walking. Starting at 8:00 am allows four shops before most tourists have arrived.
Udon-Making Classes
Several operators in Takamatsu offer udon-making experiences of one to two hours in which participants prepare their own dough from scratch, cut the noodles, and cook them. These classes run in Japanese but the physical process is simple enough to follow with minimal language. Prices are typically around ¥2,500 to ¥3,500 per person and include eating the noodles you have made. Booking in advance through accommodation or tourist information centres is recommended, particularly for weekend sessions.
Naoshima Island Cycling
Naoshima is a small island of roughly 3,000 permanent residents that has been transformed over three decades into one of the world’s most celebrated destinations for contemporary art. The Benesse Art Site Naoshima project, which brought artists including James Turrell, Walter De Maria, and Yayoi Kusama to the island and embedded their work directly into the landscape, is the primary draw — but Naoshima also works extremely well as a cycling destination for visitors who want to experience the island at a slower pace than the standard museum-hop schedule.
Renting Bicycles
Bicycles are available for rent near Miyanoura Port, the main ferry terminal on the island’s northern coast, and also near Honmura village in the centre. Standard bicycle rental costs around ¥1,000 for a full day. Electric-assist bicycles are available for slightly more — worth considering if the weather is warm or if you plan to tackle the steeper roads on the western shore.
The island’s road circuit is roughly 10 kilometres in circumference and manageable in two to three hours of leisurely riding, with stops. The road along the southern coast passes the Benesse House Museum and the beach installations, then climbs gently to the Art House Project sites in Honmura village before returning north to Miyanoura. There is almost no traffic outside the area immediately around the port.
Art and Landscape
The Art House Project converts traditional homes and abandoned buildings in Honmura village into permanent art installations. Seven structures are currently open, each by a different artist. Admission per site ranges from ¥520 to ¥1,050, with a combination ticket available. The most widely discussed is Tadao Ando’s renovation of a Buddhist temple, Go’o Shrine, which incorporates a glass staircase leading underground. James Turrell’s Backside of the Moon is experienced in complete darkness and requires a few minutes of adjustment before the work becomes visible.
The yellow Pumpkin sculpture by Yayoi Kusama, positioned on a small jetty on the island’s southern shore, has become one of the most photographed objects in the Seto Inland Sea region. It sits in open air and requires no museum ticket to view.
Getting to Naoshima
Ferries to Naoshima depart from Uno Port in Okayama Prefecture (30 minutes, ¥300) or from Takamatsu Port in Kagawa (60 minutes, ¥1,220 by high-speed ferry, or 50 minutes by regular ferry at ¥520). From Takamatsu, the Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station is a short walk from the ferry terminal. The ferry crossing is itself pleasant, with views of the smaller uninhabited islands of the Seto Inland Sea on all sides.
Olive Oil Making on Shodo Island
Shodo Island is the second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea and has been famous for olive cultivation since the Meiji period, when the Japanese government planted the first olive trees here in 1908. The warm climate and rocky hillside terrain turned out to be exceptionally well suited to olive growing, and the island now produces olive oil, pickled olives, olive soap, and a range of cosmetic products sold throughout Japan. For visitors with a specific interest in food production or craft experiences, an olive oil workshop is one of the more distinctive half-day activities available in Kagawa.
The Workshop Experience
Several farms and producers on Shodo Island offer guided experiences during which participants learn the history of Japanese olive cultivation, walk through the groves with the farmer or a guide, and participate in a simplified oil-pressing demonstration. The harvest season runs from October through November, when visitors can join the picking. Outside harvest season, workshops focus on the pressing and bottling process using pre-harvested fruit, tasting comparisons between different grades of oil, and learning to distinguish quality through aroma and texture.
Workshop fees typically range from ¥2,000 to ¥4,000 per person and last between 90 minutes and two hours. Most require advance reservation. The island’s tourist association website (available in English) lists participating producers and booking details.
Getting to Shodo Island
Ferries to Shodo Island depart from Takamatsu Port roughly every 30 to 60 minutes depending on the season. The crossing to Tonosho Port takes approximately 35 minutes by high-speed ferry (¥800) or 60 minutes by regular ferry (¥690). The island has a bus network connecting the main ports with the olive park area and Kankakei gorge in the interior. Rental cars and bicycles are available near the ferry terminals.
Ritsurin Garden
Ritsurin Garden in central Takamatsu is consistently ranked among the finest stroll gardens in Japan, alongside Kenrokuen in Kanazawa and Korakuen in Okayama. It was developed by the lords of the Takamatsu domain over a period of roughly a hundred years from the early seventeenth century, incorporating six ponds, thirteen artificial hills, and a backdrop of Mt. Shiun that is used as borrowed scenery throughout the design. The garden covers 75 hectares but the strolling circuit is compact enough to walk comfortably in two hours.
The Garden in Detail
The south garden, the older and more formal section, follows a circuit path past teahouses, pine-covered promontories, and a famous view called Engetsu-kyo — the moon bridge reflected in still water — that has been painted and photographed countless times without becoming any less effective in person. The rental rowboats on the south garden pond (¥600 for 30 minutes) offer an angle on the garden that the path cannot replicate, floating among reflected pines while the teahouse appears and disappears around each bend.
The north garden is wilder and less visited, with meadows, a wisteria trellis, and sections of the original domain vegetation that feel genuinely ancient compared to the manicured south. Walking both sections together takes about two and a half hours at a comfortable pace.
Practical Information
Admission to Ritsurin Garden is ¥430 for adults. The garden is open daily from before dawn to after dusk, with the exact hours adjusted by season. Ritsurin-Koen Station on the Kotoden Nagao Line is a two-minute walk from the garden’s main entrance. From Takamatsu Station, the Kotoden takes about eight minutes. The garden’s Kikugetsu-tei teahouse serves matcha and wagashi for ¥900; no advance booking is required, and tables overlook the south garden pond.
Practical Tips
Transit: The JR Marine Liner connects Takamatsu with Okayama in approximately 55 minutes (¥1,490), making Kagawa accessible from the San’yo Shinkansen corridor without needing a separate reservation. The Kotoden tram network within Takamatsu city covers Ritsurin Garden and the city centre on a single flat fare.
Timing: The udon crawl is most productive on weekday mornings when the best shops are operating at full capacity and before tourist crowds arrive. Naoshima is most atmospheric outside of summer school holiday weekends. Ritsurin Garden is particularly beautiful in early May when azaleas bloom around the south garden ponds.
Combining activities: Ritsurin Garden and the udon crawl combine naturally as a single Takamatsu day. Naoshima and Shodo Island each require a separate day given ferry times. A well-structured three-day leisure visit covers the udon crawl and garden on day one, Naoshima on day two, and Shodo Island on day three.