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.

Lying along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea in Kagawa Prefecture is the Takamatsu Castle. This castle, also known as the Tamomo Castle, is one of the few castles built along the water.  The moat of the Takamatsu Castle actually draws directly from the sea.

Built in 1590 by Ikoma Chikamasa, the Ikoma Clan were the original rulers of this castle. Relatives of the Tokugawa Shogun, the Matsudaira Clan overtook the castle 54 years later. The Matsudaira Clan ruled for the rest of the Edo Period.  During the Meiji Period, the castle main keep was torn down.  Currently, there is a strong movement to reconstruct this castle, known as one of the three Great Waterfront Castles in Japan.

Within the castle grounds, there are only a few of the castle’s original buildings.  Originally twenty, only two turrets, the Ushitora Yagura and the Tsukimi Yagura, remain today. Visitors can also see the Asahimon Gate as well as the moats and walls to imagine how glorious Takamatsu castle was in its heyday. The castle garden is well maintained and visitors can appreciate the beauty of Japanese gardens here.

Hiunkaku building lies in the center of the castle park.  With its large tatami mat rooms, this building is used as an exhibition space/community hall.  Tea ceremony and flower arrangement classes are held here.

The hours of entry to the castle vary according to the month.
April to May: 5:50 to 18:30
June to August: 5:30 to 19:00
September: 5:30 to 18:30
October: 6:00 to 17:30
November: 6:30 to 17:00
December to January: 7:00 to 17:00
February: 7:00 to 17:30
March: 6:30 to 18:00
Closed: December 29th to 31st
Admission: 200 yen

Access Information:
Takamatsu Castle is located next to Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station.
It is also a short walk from the JR Takamatsu Station.

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.

The Kankakei Gorge located at the center of Shodoshima Island, Kagawa Prefecture, Shikoku, is one Japan's three most beautiful gorges. It is said the gorge was formed over a time period of over 2 million years. The rocks in the gorge have been shaped by the wind and rain. A must-visit site for hikers and naturists, the gorge attracts many visitors, especially in autumn with its array of fall colors.  

Visitors visiting Kankakei Gorge can approach the peak via ropeway, car or on foot.  The ropeway provides beautiful views of the gorge as the cable car ascends to the top. From the observation located near the upper ropeway station, visitors are greeted with views of the gorge, Seto Inland Sea, and Shodoshima Island, itself.
Kankakei Ropeway
Hours: 8:30 to 17:00 (during the fall foliage season, the first ropeway ride begins at 8:00; in the winter, the last ride is at 16:30) 
Departures every 12 minutes
Closed: Opened All Year Round
Admission: 750 yen (one way), 1350 yen (round trip) 
A 10 percent discount coupon is available online

There is a road connecting the ropeway stations. With both stations having parking lots, approaching the peak via car is an easy option.  And for more energetic visitors, there are two easy but steep trails leading to the top.

The western trail is about 2 kilometers in length.  The uphill climb takes about an hour and it is 30 to 45 minutes descending. The eastern trail is about 3 kilometers long.  Both trails are through the forest.

Access Information:
Via bus
From Kusakabe Port, there are 4 buses daily to the lower ropeway station. 
The buses operate daily during the spring holidays, Golden Week, summer holidays and foliage season.
The buses operate on the weekends, national holidays from mid March to early December.  
There are no buses during the winter.
The cost is 360 yen (one way) and the journey takes about 15 minutes. 

Via car 
From Kusakabe Port to the lower ropeway station, it is a 15 minute drive.
From Tonsho Port to the upper ropeway station, it is a40 minute drive.
From Obe Port to the upper ropeway station, it is a 20 minute drive.
From Fukuda Port to the upper ropeway station, it is a 30 minute drive.