Kagawa
香川県
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What to know about Kagawa
A garden etched in history, an island breathing contemporary art, a stone stairway exceeding a thousand steps, islands scattered across the placid Seto Inland Sea. Kagawa Prefecture is a land where distinct attractions are compressed into a small prefectural territory, each possessing its own character.
Ritsurin Garden
A stroll garden designated as a National Special Scenic Site, it boasts the largest area among Japan's designated cultural heritage gardens. Six ponds, thirteen artificial hills, and roughly 1,400 pines spread across approximately 75 hectares, a landscape perfected by the Matsudaira family over more than a century. Known as "one step, one view," each step forward reveals a different scene. On the South Pond, visitors can board a traditional Japanese boat and experience the garden from water level.
Naoshima
Floating in the Seto Inland Sea, Naoshima has drawn attention from across the nation and the world as an island of contemporary art. Yayoi Kusama's yellow pumpkin serves as the island's symbol. The Chichū Art Museum, designed by Tadao Andō, is largely buried underground, exhibiting works by only three artists: Claude Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria. The Setouchi International Art Festival, held once every three years, transforms the entire island into an art stage.
Kotohira-gū Shrine
Affectionately called Kompira-san, Kotohira-gū is a shrine long revered as the guardian deity of maritime safety. The ascent to the main shrine spans 785 steps, with 1,368 steps leading to the inner shrine. As visitors climb step by step, the vista across the Seto Inland Sea gradually unfolds. Along the approach, souvenir shops and udon restaurants line the path, and the bustle dating from the Edo period lingers on this passage today.
Shōdoshima
The second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, Shōdoshima is home to Kankakei Gorge, numbered among Japan's three great scenic gorges and renowned for its autumn foliage. Angel Road, a sand path that emerges only at low tide, creates an otherworldly scene floating above the water. As the birthplace of olive cultivation in Japan, the island also hosts Hishio no Sato, where soy warehouses gather and the fragrance of soy aged in wooden barrels drifts through the lanes.
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Areas in Kagawa
Neighborhoods and districts to explore
Location
Where is Kagawa?
Kagawa Prefecture is located in the northeast of Shikoku, facing the Seto Inland Sea. The prefectural capital is Takamatsu. Despite being the smallest prefecture by area in Japan, it is bordered by the Seto Inland Sea to the north and the Sanuki Mountains to the south, blessed with diverse terrain and a warm climate. The Sanuki Plain is dotted with roughly 14,000 reservoirs, creating a distinctive landscape where water mirrors the sky.
Throughout the year, rainfall is scarce, and the Seto Inland Sea climate ensures warm conditions year-round. This weather pattern has long supported agricultural and fishing industries, deeply rooted in the lives of residents. As of 2025, the population stands at approximately 910,000, with a declining trend in recent years.
The scarcity of rainfall is both a blessing and a challenge, one that has driven centuries of innovation in water management. With advances in irrigation technology, the region has played a vital role in food production.
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Access
Getting to Kagawa
From Tokyo, flying is convenient. Service runs roughly 13 times daily from Haneda to Takamatsu Airport, taking approximately an hour and a half. A limousine bus connects the airport to JR Takamatsu Station in roughly 40 minutes. For those traveling by rail, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen reaches Okayama in approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes, then transfer to the rapid Marine Liner for Takamatsu in about an hour, making the total journey roughly 4 hours and 30 minutes.
From Osaka or Kobe, the Shinkansen reaches Okayama in about 50 minutes, and the Marine Liner reaches Takamatsu in roughly an hour, for a total of about 2 hours. As the Marine Liner crosses the Setō Ōhashi Bridge, gazing at the islands of the Seto Inland Sea from the window becomes part of the pleasure.
From Tokyo, overnight buses offer another option, arriving in roughly 10 hours. Express buses from Osaka and Kobe run frequently, allowing travelers to choose according to budget and schedule.
Travel within the prefecture centers on JR Shikoku, Kotoden (Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railway), and local bus services. Ferries and high-speed boats connect the prefecture to islands such as Shōdoshima and Naoshima.
Local pride
Specialty Products
A warm climate with abundant sunshine has shaped Kagawa's agriculture and food culture. Grain cultivation thrives here, and high-quality grains nurtured in the Sanuki Plain form the foundation of the prefecture's signature regional dishes. The calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea nurture seafood, while fruit cultivation traditions rooted in the warm climate have also taken hold.
Traditional crafts are equally noteworthy. Lacquerware and fans passed down since the Edo period are still crafted with care by artisans, and sugar-making techniques have been transmitted through generations. High-grade sugar produced through a distinctive process is prized by confectioners across the nation.
Food
Crafts & Others
Through the ages
History of Kagawa
Kagawa Prefecture was anciently known as Sanuki Province, established under the ritsuryō system. The figure inseparable from this region's history is Kūkai, born in Zentsu-ji in 774. Known as the high priest who founded Shingon Buddhism, Kūkai is said to have built Manno Pond in his homeland, an irrigation reservoir of Japan's largest class that continues to sustain the region's water supply.
In 1587, Ikoma Chikamasa received Sanuki Province and built Takamatsu Castle. When the Ikoma clan was removed from power in 1640 due to a succession dispute, Matsudaira Yorishige of the Mito Tokugawa house took up governance in 1642. The Matsudaira family ruled the region for roughly 230 years until the end of the shogunate, completing Ritsurin Garden over more than a century spanning from the first lord Yorishige through the fifth, Yoriyasu. This garden endures as a testament to the cultural richness of that era.
Udon culture took root thanks to the blessings of terrain and climate. A legend persists that Kūkai brought noodle-making techniques back from Tang China, and the blending of Sanuki Plain wheat, Seto Inland Sea salt, and a culture of dried-anchovy broth birthed a distinctive food culture. With the abolition of the feudal domain system in 1871, the prefectural name was taken from Kagawa District, the old county name of the prefectural capital Takamatsu.
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