Moopon

1. Once visitors exit immigration and customs at Kansai Airport, visitors will be on the 1st floor. Follow the signs for “Railways”, taking one of the 4 escalators or 3 elevators to arrive at the 2nd floor.

2. Once on the 2nd floor, follow the signs to one of several walkways and walk across the road to Kansai-airport Station. Visitors need to exit the air terminal building to arrive at the JR Station (two separate buildings connected by a walkway). Two train companies use Kansai-airport Station: JR (blue/green) and Nankai (orange). Only JR can take visitor to the platform Haruka departing from. DO NOT use Nankai.

3. Before entering tickets gate, find JR Ticket Office where visitors can purchase ticket or reserved ticket for JR train.(there is a huge sign in English above their head).JR ticket office staff may or may not speak English, but they can read place names and train types written in the Roman alphabet. 

4. With one’s tickets, go through JR ticket gate and take an escalator to get to Platform 4.

aLocated outside Takamatsu city, Kagawa Prefecture, is Yashima (屋島), a flat topped mountain.  The Kanji characters for Yashima literally translates to “roof island”, but there is more to this mountain than its shape.  Historically Yashima played an important role as the site for the battle between Taira and Minamoto Clans during the Gempei War.  In addition, Yashima Temple and the New Yashima Aquarium are sites of interest for visitors.

Visitors can find many areas on Yashima displaying its historic heritage.  As mentioned before, in the 12th century, the Taira Clan and Minamoto clan fought here during the Gempei War. The Taira Clan was defeated here and it is said that this battle was the last battle before the Taira Clan’s final destruction. Visitors can find the Chinoike, which literally translates to “blood pond” on Yashima’s summit.  It is said that Minamoto Clan members washed their swords here after the victory, turning the lake red with blood. Other monuments and historical displays can be found on the summit.

Also on the summit, visitors can enjoy the breathtaking views of Takamatsu and the Seto Inland Sea. Special souvenirs can be purchased here.  Small clay discs are purchased and thrown off the mountain for good luck.  The clay discs symbolize the headpieces the Minamoto warriors threw off after defeating the Taira Clan.

Visitors can also visit the Yashima Temple located near the summit’s parking area.  Yashima Temple is number 84 in the 88 temples on the Shikoku Pilgrimage. There are quite a few temple buildings, each reflecting a different era.  There is a modern museum here as well, featuring artifacts from Yashima’s history.
Yashima Temple Museum
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00
Closed: Opened All Year Round
Admission: Temple Grounds: Free
Temple Museum: 500 yen

Visitors may wish to visit the New Yashima Aquarium, which is located about 5 minutes on foot away from the summit.  Though small, the aquarium does have dolphin and seal shows.
New Yashima Aquarium
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry is 16:30)
Closed: Opened All Year Round
Admission: 1200 yen

And near the base of the mountain is Shikoku Mura. Shikoku Mura is an open air museum. Traditional indoor artwork is displayed in addition to the outdoor displays of farmhouses, bridges and so on. Pieces are collected from throughout Shikoku to be featured here.

Access Information:
Via Kotoden:
From Takamatsu-Chikko Station, board a train to Kawaramachi Station. The journey should take 5 minutes and there are many trains from Takamatsu-Chikko to Kawaramachi.
At Kawaramachi Station, transfer to the Shido Line and disembark at Kotoden Yashima Station. The journey should take 15 minutes and there are 3 trains every hour from Kawaramachi to Yashima. The cost of the entire train journey is 320 yen.
From Yashima Station, board the Yashima Sanjo Shuttle bus. There is a bus every hour to the summit. The cost of the Shuttle is 100 yen.

Via JR:
From JR Takamatsu Station, board the local train to Yashima Station. The journey should take 15 minutes and the cost is 220 yen.  There are 1 or 2 trains every hour.
From Yashima Station, board the Yashima Sanjo Shuttle bus. There is a bus every hour to the summit. The cost of the Shuttle is 100 yen.

By Car:
There is a toll road (Yashima Driveway) from Shikoku Mura to the summit. The cost for passenger cars is 630 yen.

Located along the Seto Inland Sea, Sunport Takamatsu is a beautiful, relaxing waterfront promenade that its visitors can enjoy while taking a seaside bicycle ride, tea, or even a business meeting.  

With the opening of the Seto Ohashi Bridge in 1988, Takamatsu Port’s role as the main port of entry into Shikoku changed. Though it still provides ferries to nearby islands such as Shodoshima, Naoshima, Megijima and Ogijima, the utilization of car ferries has drastically declined, requiring a change.  

Thus, Sunport Takamatsu was born. With ANA Hotel Clement, the Symbol Tower and even JR Takamatsu Station in its vicinity, Sunport Takamatsu is a convenient business and shopping center. Symbol Tower is the tallest building in Sunport Takamatsu.  Offices occupy the upper floors with the Maritime Plaza Shopping Center on the lower levels. Visitors can enjoy fine dining here as well.  There are three restaurants in the tower managed by the chefs from the popular television cooking show, Iron Chef.

Access Information:
Sunport Takamatsu is a short walk from JR Takamatsu Station.
It is located across the street from Takamatsu Castle.

Made from a special type of wheat traditionally grown in Kagawa Prefecture, Sanuki Udon has fans not only in its hometown of Takamatsu, but throughout Japan and possibly around the world.  Sanuki Udon was voted as one of Japan’s three most famous types of udon.  The other two type of udon are Mizusawa Udon and Inaiwa Udon. However, Sanuki Udon is better known of the three udons. 

Sanuki Udon has a firm, chewy texture.  This leads to the various ways Sanuki Udon can be served.  Hot in a broth with different topping or chilled with soy sauce it needs to dipped in before eating, Sanuki Udon has many faces. Among the most popular are:
Kake Udon:  Hot broth (soup) over the boiled udon noodles.  Scallions (green onions) is a popular topping.
Zaru Udon:  Boiled udon noodles are cooled with cold water. After water is drained from the noodles, the limp, chilled noodles are served with a small bowl of soy sauce. The noodles are to be dipped in the soy sauce before eaten.

Bukkake Udon: Boiled udon noodles are served in soy sauce (small amount, not a soy sauce soup).  Topping include fried vegetables (tempura), seafood or grated white radish.
Kamaage Udon:  Boiled udon noodles placed in a –usually—wooden bowl to maintain the noodles’ heat.  The noodles are served with a small bowl of soy sauce for the noodles to be dipped in before they are eaten.

Takamatsu City has classes where people can learn how to make Sanuki Udon themselves. The process is not difficult, but involves strength to kneed, roll, and cut.

Sanuki Udon is inexpensive but healthy.  As previously stated, though Sanuki Udon has fans across Japan, its hometown of Takamatsu is probably its biggest fan.  Visitors will find Sanuki Udon to be a common menu item in quite a number of eateries in Takamatsu.

There are so many things to do and enjoy in Shodoshima Island, located in the Seto Inland Sea of the coast of Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku.  From driving along the Shodoshima Skyline to view the gorge near the Monkey Park and Kankakei Gorge to the paying homage to the temples on the Pilgrim Road, visitors could relax, explore, and find themselves.  In addition, visitors may be interested in the Osaka Castle Stones or Angel Road.

Osaka Castle Stones/Michi No Eki
Shodoshima is well known for its quality stones. As a result, stones from the destruction of the Osaka Castle were shipped to Shodoshima to be restored and re-cut for the reconstruction of the Castle. Some of the stones still remain on the island and can be seen on the northeastern tip of the island. 

Visitors interested in stone cutting may wish to visit the former site of a stone cutting workshop.  Though closed now, there are still many unfinished stone pieces remaining for visitors to view. The Osaka Castle Stones Michi no Eki is another site for people interested in the castle stones to stop by. Michi no Eki literally means a station on the road, and this is a rest area for drivers and passengers.  At the Osaka Castle Stones Michi no Eki, visitors can visit the museum featuring tools used in the past.  Castle stones are also displayed here as well.

Osaka Castle Stones Michi no Eki
Hours: 9:00 to 16:30
Closed: December 29th to January 3rd
Admission: Free      
                       
Angel Road
This heavenly named road is truly a thing of wonder. This sandbar located near the Tonosho Port can only be crossed during low tide. Many couples come to this island, hoping to cross the Angel Road as it is said if a couple crosses the sandbar hand-in-hand, they can find true happiness together.  There are people who write their wishes for love on wooden boards (ema) to be hung on a tree here, in hopes their wish will come true.

Senmaida
Literally translated to mean one thousand rice fields, visitors will find hundreds of rice fields embedded into to the hillside on Shodoshima. These rice fields create the illusion of being steps of along a staircase of rice fields ascending to the top of the mountain.  There is an outdoors kabuki stage, as well, in a village nearby. Since the Edo Period, local kabuki plays have been performed here. 

Access Information

Osaka Castle Stone Cutting Workshop
Board the bus from Fukuda Port, Kusakabe Port or Tonosho Port. The workshop ruins are located along the Minamimawari Fukuda bus line (南廻り福田線). Disembark at Iwagatani (岩ケ谷) bus stop.
From Fukuda port, the journey will take 10 minutes with a cost of 380 yen.
From Kusakabe Port, the journey will take 20 minutes with a cost of 390 yen.
From Tonosho Port, the journey will take 50 minutes and 940 yen.
There is one bus every two hours.

Osaka Castle Stones Michi no Eki
Board the bus from Tonosho Port or Fukuda Port. The Osaka Castle Stones Michi no Eki is located along the Kitamawari Fukuda bus line (北廻り福田線) and disembark at Omi (小海) bus stop.
From Tonosho Port, the journey will take 25 minutes with a cost of 550 yen.
From Fukuda Port, the journey will take 30 minutes with a cost of 810 yen.
There is one bus every 90 minutes.