Updated 1 October 2026 · 31 official and operator sources · Researched from official timetables, operators and the port authority · Takumi Yamada
Takamatsu is one of the easiest port days in Japan: every ship ties up at the Sunport quay in the city centre, the castle is a 10–12 minute walk, and Ritsurin Garden — the best thing here — is seven minutes away on the Kotoden railway. On the usual 09:00–17:00 call, a city day of castle, Ritsurin and udon, or the 785 steps of Kotohira-gu, fits with a margin. The one real decision is Naoshima: five ferries a day each way leave an 8-hour call with exactly one workable pair of boats and no fallback, so keep the art island for the 12-hour call and take Megijima or Ogijima on the others.
Your call, your day
What fits the time your ship gives you?
Pick your ship from the official Takamatsu schedule — or just the hours you have — and this page picks the plan and the tours that fit, with the hour before all-aboard already set aside.
Hours your ship is in port
Why people sail here
The three reasons to get off the ship in Takamatsu
The largest garden in Japan designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, and three stars in the Michelin Green Guide: six ponds, thirteen landscaped hills and about 1,000 hand-trained pines, with Mount Shiun borrowed as the backdrop. It took more than a century to build and was finished in 1745.
From the shipWalk about 10 minutes to Takamatsu-Chikko, Kotoden 7 minutes to Ritsurin-Koen (¥250, every 15 minutes), then 7 minutes on foot — about 25–30 minutes door to door. Taxi about 9 minutes, from about ¥2,000.
The art island: Tadao Ando's Chichu Art Museum sunk into the hillside with Monet, Turrell and De Maria inside, Benesse House, the Lee Ufan Museum, the Art House Project in Honmura village, and Yayoi Kusama's pumpkins.
From the shipShikoku Kisen ferry from the piers about 8 minutes' walk from the quay, 50 minutes out and 60 back, ¥680 each way, no reservations. Only five sailings a day each way.
The shrine of the sea god and of sailors, reached by 785 stone steps — about 30 minutes up — to a main hall 251 m above sea level with the Sanuki plain below. The honest workout of the Inland Sea.
From the shipKotoden from Takamatsu-Chikko straight to Kotoden-Kotohira, 62 minutes, ¥780, departures at :00 and :30. Taxi about 47 minutes without traffic and from about ¥12,700.
Takamatsu is the port where you can walk off the ship and into the day. The quay sits in the middle of the city's waterfront: the castle in its seawater moat is along the shore to the south, the station and the island ferries are next to it, and Ritsurin Garden — one of the finest strolling gardens in Japan — is one seven-minute train ride inland. Kagawa is also Japan's udon prefecture, and lunch is a bowl of Sanuki udon a short walk from the ship.
The harder choices lie further out. Naoshima, the art island, is 50 minutes away by ferry; Kotohira-gu, the sailors' shrine at the top of 785 steps, is an hour away by train. Each is a whole day, and the ferry to Naoshima runs only five times a day in each direction — which is why this guide starts from the call length rather than a list of sights. Everything below comes from the prefecture's call schedule, the Kotoden and ferry operators' timetables and fares, and the gardens', castle's and museums' published hours, checked on 30 September 2026.
What Takamatsu is not: an old town. The castle keep is long gone and the centre is covered arcades; the old things — the garden, the moat, the shrine up the line — stand apart, and each needs its own slice of the day.
First: which berth are you at?
There is only one. Every call on Kagawa's 2026 list — all 22 of them — uses the Sunport quay, which the prefecture calls the Tamamo district 50,000-ton quay: 310 m long and 10 m deep, at the northern end of the Sunport waterfront. The ships that use it are small: the largest on recent lists is Asuka III at 52,200 tons, and the three calls left in 2026 are all Windstar's 224-passenger Star Seeker.
The quay is an apron rather than a terminal: no official source describes a cruise terminal building, a staffed information desk or a cruise shuttle, and none is needed. Tour coaches park on the apron (it takes up to 20). The Shikoku Kisen ferry ticket office, a short walk south, has toilets, Wi-Fi and lockers in four sizes; on ship days local high-school students have performed calligraphy on the quay to welcome passengers.
If you are reading an older map of the port, its pin may sit about 500 m south, at the ferry end of the waterfront. The walking times in this guide start from the prefecture's own pin for the cruise quay.
Getting from the Sunport quay into Takamatsu
Most of what you want is on foot. For Ritsurin and Kotohira, the answer is the Kotoden — a suburban railway, not a tram — from Takamatsu-Chikko, its terminus beside the castle, about 10 minutes from the quay. Fares rise on 1 October 2026, before every remaining call; the figures below are the new ones.
To
How
Time
Cost
Island ferry piers (Naoshima, Megijima)
Walk south along the waterfront
about 8 min
free
Takamatsu Castle, west gate
Walk
about 10–12 min
castle ¥300
Covered arcades (Marugamemachi, Hyogomachi)
Walk
15–20 min
free
Ritsurin Garden
Kotoden from Takamatsu-Chikko to Ritsurin-Koen, then 7 min on foot
7 min ride, every 15 min; 25–30 min door to door
¥250
Ritsurin Garden
Taxi
about 9 min without traffic
from about ¥2,000
Kotohira-gu
Kotoden to Kotoden-Kotohira
62 min, at :00 and :30
¥780
Shikoku Mura (Yashima)
Kotoden, changing at Kawaramachi to the Shido Line, then 5 min on foot
check the Shido Line timetable
¥410
Shikoku Mura
Taxi
about 13 min without traffic
from about ¥3,100
Walking times are our estimates from map routing. Taxi fares are the floor of the Kagawa tariff that came into force in March 2026 — ¥800 for the first 1.5 km and ¥100 per 275 m after — and leave out time spent in traffic. Kotoden's own taxis take cards and QR payments; the other firms do not publish theirs.
Two other options for Ritsurin: city buses from JR Takamatsu station stop 1 minute from the garden's gate, and the city's rental bicycles (¥200 per use for up to 24 hours, booked and paid in the HELLO CYCLING app) take about 15 minutes. At weekends and in school holidays a Yashima summit shuttle bus runs four times a day from Takamatsu Station: ¥500 to Shikoku Mura, ¥600 to the summit — relevant only to the Saturday call.
Naoshima is the reason many people choose this itinerary, and the ferry timetable is the reason many of them see less of it than they hoped. The facts:
Five ferries a day each way, from the Shikoku Kisen piers about 8 minutes' walk from the quay. Out from Takamatsu: 08:12, 10:14, 12:40, 15:35, 18:05, arriving at Miyanoura 50 minutes later. Back from Miyanoura: 07:00, 09:07, 11:30, 14:20, 17:00, reaching Takamatsu an hour later.
¥680 each way. Return tickets exist but no return price is published; budget ¥1,360.
No reservations of any kind. Tickets go on sale 40 minutes before departure; cards are accepted only at the ticket machines.
The high-speed boat (¥1,590, cash only, about 30 minutes) leaves Takamatsu at 07:20, 09:20 and 20:30, and Miyanoura at 06:45, 08:40 and 19:45 — of use on a port day only as the 09:20 out on an early call.
Wind cancels sailings. The operator stopped one of its island routes for a whole day in September 2026.
Put those against the two call patterns:
Call
Ferries that work
Time on the island
If something goes wrong
09:00–17:00 (15 Oct, 4 Nov)
10:14 out, 14:20 back
about 3 h 15
Nothing: the next boat back arrives 18:00, after the ship sails
07:00–19:00 (17 Oct)
08:12 out, 14:20 back
about 5 h
The 17:00 back arrives 18:00, 30 min before all-aboard
On the 8-hour calls the 10:14/14:20 pair gets you back to the gangway about two minutes inside a one-hour margin — workable only if the ferry, the island buses and the museum queue all behave. Our advice is to take Naoshima only on the 12-hour call, or with a guide who has a plan for a missed boat; on 8 hours, go to Megijima or Ogijima instead.
On the island, the Naoshima town bus (¥100) runs from Miyanoura port to Tsutsuji-so, where the free Benesse Art Site shuttle takes over for Benesse House, the Lee Ufan Museum and Chichu; cars and bicycles cannot enter the museum area. Bicycles and scooters are for hire at Miyanoura and Honmura.
Naoshima's museums: tickets, hours and closures
The Chichu Art Museum is the one to plan around: open 10:00–17:00, last entry 16:00, closed on Mondays, and timed tickets only. On weekdays it costs ¥2,500 online and ¥2,800 at the door; at weekends and on holidays ¥2,700 and ¥3,000. The Saturday call falls in the weekend band. Allow about an hour and a half.
Museum
Hours
Online / at the door
Note
Chichu Art Museum
10:00–17:00
¥2,500–2,700 / ¥2,800–3,000
Timed tickets; closed Mondays
Benesse House Museum
8:00–21:00
¥1,300 / ¥1,500
Nearest the yellow pumpkin
Lee Ufan Museum
10:00–17:00
¥1,200 / ¥1,400
Closed Mondays
Art House Project, Honmura
roughly 10:00–16:30, midday breaks vary
¥1,200 / ¥1,400 for five houses
Kinza closed 13 Oct 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
None of the remaining calls is on a Monday. The museums can close in a typhoon.
Ritsurin is the thing to do if you do only one. It covers about 75 hectares including Mount Shiun behind it, with a flat garden of about 16 hectares laid out around six ponds and thirteen hills; about 1,000 of its 1,400 pines are trained by hand. It was begun in the 1630s–40s and completed in 1745, and served the Matsudaira lords for 228 years. It holds three stars in the Michelin Green Guide.
Hours: open every day, roughly sunrise to sunset — 6:00–17:30 in October, 6:30–17:00 in November. It closes when a storm warning is issued for Takamatsu.
Tickets: ¥500 adults, ¥170 children. There is no visitor senior discount. Lockers at the east gate (¥200–400); wheelchairs, walkers and pushchairs lent free.
How long: the volunteer guides' standard route takes about an hour; allow 90 minutes to include the north garden.
Tea: Kikugetsu-tei teahouse, 9:00–16:30 (last entry 16:00), ¥800 for matcha and a sweet or ¥600 with sencha. Higurashi-tei serves matcha for ¥700, 10:00–16:00, but on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only — so on the 17 October call, not the weekday ones.
Boat on the south pond: a 30-minute wooden boat, ¥850, six per boat. Bookings close the day before; same-day tickets go on sale at 8:30 at the boat office.
Free guided walks leave the east-gate ticket office at 10:30 on Sundays, in English on the first and second Sunday of the month — no use on the remaining weekday and Saturday calls.
Show your Ritsurin ticket at the castle (or the reverse) on the same or next day for a discount.
Takamatsu Castle, now Tamamo Park, is one of Japan's castles with a moat filled from the sea, and sea bream swim in it. The keep is gone (the city is studying a reconstruction); what remains are the stone walls, the turrets and the moat.
The west gate beside Takamatsu-Chikko station opens 6:00–17:30 in October and 6:30–17:00 in November; the east gate 8:30–17:00. Entry is ¥300, free for under-18s. The Tsukimi-yagura turret opens inside on Sundays only, so not on any remaining call, and Hiunkaku, the 1917 villa in the grounds, is a venue for hire rather than a sight. Free volunteer guides work on Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00–15:00 with a break from 12:00 to 13:00 — so on the 17 October call. Allow 45–75 minutes. The city's tourism site describes a 30-minute boat ride on the moat with bream-feeding, boarding near the west gate; its price and times are not published.
Kotohira-gu: the 785 steps
Kotohira-gu — Konpira-san — is the shrine of the sea god, and a climb. The 785 steps from the approach street to the main hall take about 30 minutes one way; the stretch of 113 steps below the Great Gate is the steepest. The inner shrine is another 583 steps, about 1.2 km, for 1,368 in all — not something to start on an 8-hour call.
The Treasure House opens 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), ¥800, or ¥1,500 for three buildings. Kotoden trains leave Takamatsu-Chikko at :00 and :30 and take 62 minutes; they leave Kotoden-Kotohira at :12 and :42. The station to the foot of the steps is about 10 minutes' walk by our estimate. On a 09:00–17:00 call, the 10:00 out and the 14:12 back give three hours at the shrine and bring you to the gangway about an hour and seven minutes before all-aboard.
Megijima and Ogijima: the islands that fit an 8-hour call
The Meon ferry leaves Sunport's prefectural pier No.3, beside JR Hotel Clement, every two hours: 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:10. Megijima is 20 minutes out (¥370), Ogijima 40 (¥510). Boats back leave Ogijima at 07:00, 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00, call at Megijima 20 minutes later, and reach Takamatsu at 40 minutes past.
Megijima is walkable, with an island bus from the port to the Onigashima cave near the 188 m summit (¥800 return) and a 360° lookout at the top.
Ogijima has no bus: steep lanes, stone steps and an 1895 granite lighthouse.
Setouchi Triennale artworks stand near both ports and some stay on show between festivals; 2026 is not a festival year. On a 09:00–17:00 call, the 10:00 out and the 13:40 arrival back give about three hours on Megijima, with time for the castle or 40 minutes in Ritsurin afterwards. Foot passengers cannot book; the operator does not publish its payment methods, so carry cash.
Shodoshima, the large olive island, is also a direct boat away: Shikoku Ferry runs 15 ferries a day each way from the Sunport piers to Tonosho (about 60 minutes, ¥700) and eight high-speed boats (about 35 minutes, ¥1,400), with no bookings for foot passengers. We have not checked the island's buses, so on an 8-hour call keep to the Tonosho area or go with a guide.
The best things to do in Takamatsu on a port day
Our full list, with the time each takes from the berth, is on the Takamatsu top 10; ready-made itineraries are on the plans page. In brief:
Ritsurin Garden — the garden itself; about three hours with the train both ways.
Wasanbon sugar — Kagawa's fine sugar sweets; the gift that weighs nothing.
One day in Takamatsu: model days
Castle, Ritsurin and udon: the 8-hour city day
Fits the 09:00–17:00 calls (Star Seeker, Thu 15 October and Wed 4 November 2026) and anything longer. Shift every time by your arrival.
The day Takamatsu does better than almost any port: a castle in seawater, one of Japan's great gardens and a bowl of udon, all on foot and one short train ride. Times assume 09:00–17:00, so all-aboard around 16:30 and our target back at the gangway 15:30.
09:30Off the ship. Walk south along the waterfront to the castle's west gate, beside Takamatsu-Chikko station — about 10–12 minutes by our estimate. The gate opens at 6:00 in October and 6:30 in November.
09:45Tamamo Park (Takamatsu Castle), ¥300: the seawater moat with its sea bream, the stone walls and the turrets from outside. The keep is gone, and the Tsukimi-yagura turret opens on Sundays only.
10:45Kotoden from Takamatsu-Chikko, 2 minutes from the west gate, to Ritsurin-Koen, arriving 10:52. ¥250; Japanese IC cards work.
11:00Ritsurin Garden, ¥500, 7 minutes' walk from the station. Do the south garden: the ponds, the pines, the view to Mount Shiun. Matcha and a sweet at the Kikugetsu-tei teahouse costs ¥800.
12:15Udon without leaving the garden: Fukiage-tei (8:30–17:00) and Komatsu-tei (9:00–16:30) serve it with matcha and oden.
12:50Kotoden from Ritsurin-Koen (departures at :05, :20, :35 and :50) back to Takamatsu-Chikko, arriving 12:58.
13:05The covered arcades — Marugamemachi and Hyogomachi, part of 2.7 km of roofed shopping streets. The one-hour tea ceremony class in Marugamemachi fits here if you booked it.
14:30Second udon, or the first if you skipped the garden's: Merikenya by JR Takamatsu station is open 7:00–20:00 every day, about 11 minutes from the quay.
15:00Walk back to the ship: 15–20 minutes from the arcades, about 11 from Merikenya, by our estimate.
15:20Back at the gangway, 10 minutes ahead of target. Transport for the day: ¥500 each.
Kotohira-gu and its 785 steps on an 8-hour call
Fits the 09:00–17:00 calls (15 October and 4 November 2026) with 3 hours at the shrine, and the 12-hour call with time to add Ritsurin.
Kotohira is the far end of the Kotoden line, 62 minutes each way, and the trains run every half hour, so the day hangs on two departures. Target back at the gangway 15:30, for an all-aboard around 16:30.
09:30Off the ship; walk about 10 minutes to Takamatsu-Chikko station.
10:00Kotoden Kotohira Line to Kotoden-Kotohira, arriving 11:02. ¥780 each way.
11:05Walk through the town and up the approach street to the foot of the steps — about 10 minutes by our estimate, longer if you browse.
11:15The 785 steps to the main hall, about 30 minutes. The stretch from step 113 to the Great Gate is the steepest; the Shiseido Parlour café Kamitsubaki sits at the Great Gate level.
11:45The main hall (Gohonsha), 251 m above sea level, and the view. The Treasure House (9:00–17:00, ¥800) if you want the shrine's collections.
12:30Down the steps, which take about as long as the climb for most knees.
13:00Lunch on the approach street — udon shops line it, but we have not verified individual shops' hours — and a slow walk back to the station.
14:12Kotoden from Kotoden-Kotohira to Takamatsu-Chikko, arriving 15:13. The 13:42 (arriving 14:43) is the relaxed choice.
15:23Back at the gangway, 7 minutes ahead of target. Transport for the day: ¥1,560 each.
Naoshima unhurried: the 12-hour call
Fits Star Seeker's 07:00–19:00 call on Saturday 17 October 2026, or any call of 11 hours or more. On the 09:00–17:00 calls, see the note.
Naoshima needs the long call, because the ferry does not wait for you: five sailings a day each way and no bookings. Times assume 07:00–19:00, all-aboard 18:30, target back at the gangway 17:30. Book a timed Chichu ticket before you sail.
07:30Off the ship; walk about 8 minutes to the Shikoku Kisen ferry ticket office at the Sunport piers. Tickets go on sale 40 minutes before departure; cards work only at the ticket machines.
08:12Ferry to Miyanoura, arriving 09:02, ¥680. (The 09:20 high-speed boat, ¥1,590 cash only, arrives 09:50 if you miss it.)
09:10Kusama's red pumpkin at Miyanoura port, then the town bus (¥100) to Tsutsuji-so and the free Benesse shuttle towards the museums.
10:00Chichu Art Museum at opening, on your timed ticket: ¥2,700 online at weekends, ¥3,000 at the door. Give it about an hour and a half.
11:45Lee Ufan Museum (¥1,200 online) and Benesse House Museum (¥1,300 online), with the yellow pumpkin on the shore nearby.
13:00Art House Project in Honmura village (five houses, ¥1,200 online; each house closes for an hour around midday, some 12:00–13:00 and some 13:00–14:00) — Kinza is closed from 13 October. Then back to Miyanoura by bus in good time.
14:20Ferry to Takamatsu, arriving 15:20.
15:35Takamatsu Castle (¥300) on the way back; the west gate stays open to 17:30 in October.
16:55Back at the gangway, 35 minutes ahead of target. Transport for the day: about ¥1,560 each.
How to think about your hours
Work backwards from the ship. Your all-aboard time is usually 30 minutes before departure (check the daily programme), you want to be back at the gangway an hour before that, and the first half hour after arrival goes on getting off. So the time you can actually use is the call length minus about two hours. Takamatsu has one berth, so only the hours matter.
Call
Usable
What fits
4 hours
about 2
The castle and the arcades on foot, or Ritsurin by Kotoden with about an hour in the garden. Not both, and no island.
6 hours
about 4
Castle, Ritsurin and udon comfortably; or Megijima on the 10:00 boat plus the castle. Kotohira only in a rush.
8 hours
about 6
One of: the city day unhurried; Kotohira-gu with three hours at the shrine; Megijima or Ogijima and a short Ritsurin. Naoshima only on the 10:14/14:20 ferries, with no fallback.
10 hours
about 8
Kotohira-gu and Ritsurin together; Naoshima with one spare ferry.
12 hours
about 10
Naoshima unhurried with the castle or an hour of Ritsurin afterwards, and the 17:00 ferry as a fallback.
All three remaining 2026 calls are Star Seeker's: two of 8 hours (Thursday 15 October and Wednesday 4 November) and one of 12 (Saturday 17 October). Kagawa publishes its list by calendar year and has not yet published 2027's; the full list we keep is on cruises to Takamatsu. Star Seeker is one of the small ships covered in our guide to small-ship cruises in Japan.
Tours worth booking, by how many hours you have
Every pick opens our own page first — what the operator actually includes, who should skip it, and which upcoming Takamatsu calls it fits. Prices are the operator's "from" price as of 26 Sep 2026.
6h+A licensed guide for the city on foot
Takamatsu is easy to do alone — the city day above costs ¥500 in train fares. A guide adds the stories behind the garden and the castle. Both walking tours list hotel meeting points only, so arrange to meet at Takamatsu-Chikko or JR Takamatsu, both about 10 minutes from the quay.
Tours are booked through Viator (a Tripadvisor company). If you book, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend — which is why each tour page has a "think twice" note.
About the return to the ship. Of the eight Takamatsu tours we list, one — the private car day across western Kagawa (5593642P5) — writes "Back to ship Guarantee" in its description, and no other listing does. It needs the 12-hour call, and its inclusions list only the car, fuel, tolls, parking and water, so confirm the guide and lunch it mentions. The other seven mention neither the ship nor a return time. The two city walking tours meet at hotels, not at the port: ask for Takamatsu-Chikko or JR Takamatsu, tell the guide your all-aboard time, and agree to be back at the gangway an hour before it. More on guided options is on the Takamatsu guided page.
Money, cards and the practical stuff
Takamatsu is card-friendlier than the islands, but several places you will use do not say what they accept. Where you will need what:
Place
Pay with
Kotoden trains
Japanese IC cards or a paper ticket
Naoshima ferry
Card only at the ticket machines; cash at the window
Naoshima high-speed boat
Cash only
Megijima–Ogijima ferry
Not published; carry cash
Kotoden taxis
Cards and QR codes, yen only; no UnionPay
Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu Castle
Not published; carry cash
Chichu and the Benesse museums
Card online (cheaper); on-site prices are higher
Shikoku Mura
Cash, cards, e-money or QR codes
City rental bicycles
App only, cashless
The nearest cash machines to the quay are a 7-Eleven about 470 m away by JR Takamatsu station and the Sunport post office about 500 m away; 7-Eleven and Japan Post machines generally take foreign cards. The 114 Bank has ATMs in the arcades, about 1.1 km from the quay.
Closing days against the call dates. Naoshima's museums close on Mondays and Shikoku Mura on Tuesdays; no remaining call falls on either. On Saturday 17 October, Merikenya's Sunport branch is closed (it opens weekdays only, 11:00–14:00); the Takamatsu Ekimae branch by JR Takamatsu is open 7:00–20:00 every day. Many of the famous independent udon shops sell out or close by early afternoon and shut one weekday — check your shop before you set off.
When to go: seasons and crowds
Takamatsu is one of the driest cities in Japan, with about 1,150 mm of rain a year.
Autumn (October–November), when all the remaining calls fall, is the best weather: average highs of 23.2 °C in October and 17.5 °C in November, and November is dry (55 mm). Ritsurin runs an autumn illumination in the evenings.
Spring. Cherry blossom first opens around 27 March in a normal year and reaches full bloom around 4 April (25 March and 1 April in 2026).
Summer is hot — August averages a high of 33.0 °C — and September is the wettest month.
Typhoons approach Shikoku about three times a year, most often in September (about once) and less in October (0.4). A storm warning closes Ritsurin, a weather warning closes Shikoku Mura, and strong wind cancels island ferries — the islands are the first thing to drop on a windy day.
Crowds: weekends are busier on the islands and at Chichu, which charges more on Saturdays and Sundays — relevant to the Saturday 17 October call.
Rain plan: the 2.7 km of covered arcades; Ritsurin's teahouses in light rain; Chichu is mostly indoors, but getting around Naoshima is not.
What other guides get wrong about Takamatsu
Things you will read about Takamatsu elsewhere — in older port guides, forum posts and some cruise-line pages — set against what the official source says today.
You may read
What the official source says
Source
There is no direct boat from Takamatsu to Naoshima; you have to go round via Uno.
Shikoku Kisen runs Takamatsu to Miyanoura (Naoshima) direct from the same waterfront as the cruise quay: five ferries a day each way (about 50 minutes out, 60 back) plus three high-speed boats (about 30 minutes). Uno is the Okayama-side port and plays no part in a day from the ship.
The Naoshima ferry costs ¥520 and the speedboat ¥1,220.
The ferry is ¥680 each way and the high-speed boat ¥1,590. There are no reservations — first come, first served — and the high-speed boat window takes cash only.
Chichu Art Museum costs about ¥2,060 and stays open until 18:00 from March to September.
Entry needs an advance online reservation for a date and time slot: ¥2,500 online or ¥2,800 at the door on weekdays, ¥2,700/¥3,000 at weekends. If the online slots sell out there are no tickets on the day. Hours are 10:00–17:00, last entry 16:00, closed Mondays.
Takamatsu Castle (Tamamo Park) is ¥200 and opens at 8:30 from October to March.
Entry is ¥300 (free under 18). The west gate, the one nearest the cruise quay, opens at 6:00 in October (to 17:30) and 6:30 in November (to 17:00); only the east gate keeps 8:30–17:00.
Planning Naoshima on an 8-hour call as if boats were frequent.There are five ferries a day each way. On a 09:00–17:00 call the only workable pair is 10:14 out and 14:20 back, arriving about two minutes inside a one-hour margin, and the next boat back arrives at 18:00 — after the ship has sailed.
Turning up at Chichu without a timed ticket.The museum works on timed reservations, and the door price is ¥300 higher than online. If the online slots sell out, the museum says it sells no tickets on the day. Book before you sail, especially for the Saturday call.
Queuing at the ferry window with only a card.Shikoku Kisen accepts cards only at its ticket machines, and the high-speed boat to Naoshima is cash only. There are no reservations: be at the office when sales open, 40 minutes before departure.
Using old prices.Kotoden fares rise on 1 October 2026 (Chikko to Ritsurin-Koen ¥250, to Kotohira ¥780), Ritsurin is ¥500, the castle ¥300, the Naoshima ferry ¥680 each way and Chichu ¥2,500–3,000. Many pages, and some tour operators' own lists of extras, quote older figures.
Expecting a senior discount.The free entry for 65 and over at Ritsurin and the castle is for Kagawa and Takamatsu residents; Shikoku Mura states plainly that it has no senior discount.
Looking for the tram.Takamatsu has no tram. What older guides call one is the Kotoden railway, and Ritsurin-Koen station is 7 minutes' walk from the garden, not at its gate.
Expecting to go inside the castle turret.The Tsukimi-yagura opens on Sundays only, and none of the remaining 2026 calls is on a Sunday. Hiunkaku, the 1917 villa in the grounds, is a hire venue, not a visitor attraction.
Underestimating Kotohira's steps.It is 785 steps and about 30 minutes to the main hall, steepest from step 113 to the Great Gate — and the same again coming down, on a day with a fixed train home.
Researched from official timetables, operators and the port authority. Every time and fare in this guide was checked against the sources listed above on 1 October 2026; where we had to estimate (a walk, a taxi in traffic), the text says so. Timetables change — if you find one that has, tell us and we will fix it.
Quick answers
Takamatsu cruise port questions
Where do cruise ships dock in Takamatsu?
At the Sunport quay in the city centre — the prefecture's Tamamo district 50,000-ton quay, 310 m long. All 22 calls on Kagawa's 2026 list use it. From the quay it is about 8 minutes on foot to the island ferry piers, 10 minutes to Kotoden's Takamatsu-Chikko station, 11 minutes to JR Takamatsu station and 10–12 minutes to Takamatsu Castle, by our estimates.
Is there a shuttle bus from the Takamatsu cruise port, or can I walk into town?
You walk: no official shuttle is run, and none is needed. From the Sunport quay the island ferry piers are about 8 minutes on foot, JR Takamatsu station about 11, Takamatsu Castle 10–12 and the covered Marugamemachi and Hyogomachi arcades 15–20 minutes, by our estimates. Only Ritsurin Garden (about 3.4 km) and Kotohira-gu need the Kotoden train or a taxi. Tour coaches park on the quay apron, which takes up to 20 buses.
What can I do in Takamatsu on an 8-hour cruise stop?
Pick one of four days. The easy one is Takamatsu Castle (¥300, 10–12 minutes' walk), Ritsurin Garden (¥500, 7 minutes by Kotoden) and an udon lunch, back at the ship with time to spare for about ¥500 in fares. Or take the Kotoden 62 minutes to Kotohira-gu for about three hours at the shrine, or the ferry to Megijima or Ogijima. Naoshima works only on the 10:14 ferry out and the 14:20 back, with no fallback, so we keep it for a 12-hour call.
What facilities are at the Takamatsu cruise port — Wi-Fi, toilets, lockers, ATMs?
Few on the quay itself: it is an open apron, and no official source describes a cruise terminal building or a staffed information desk there. About 8 minutes' walk south, the Shikoku Kisen ferry ticket office at the Sunport piers has toilets, Wi-Fi and lockers in four sizes. The nearest ATMs are a 7-Eleven by JR Takamatsu station, about 470 m from the quay, and the Sunport post office, about 500 m. Ritsurin Garden and the castle have lockers of their own.
Are there taxis at the Takamatsu cruise port, and how much do they cost?
Kagawa taxis start at ¥800 for the first 1.5 km and add ¥100 per 275 m, so allow from about ¥2,000 to Ritsurin Garden (about 9 minutes), ¥3,100 to Shikoku Mura and ¥12,700 to Kotohira-gu, before time in traffic. No official source says taxis wait on the quay on ship days; Ritsurin's own access page points visitors to taxis at JR Takamatsu station, about 11 minutes' walk. Kotoden's taxis take cards and QR codes; other firms do not publish what they accept.
How do I get from the cruise port to Ritsurin Garden?
Walk about 10 minutes to Takamatsu-Chikko and take the Kotoden Kotohira Line 7 minutes to Ritsurin-Koen (¥250 from 1 October 2026, trains at :00, :15, :30 and :45), then walk 7 minutes to the garden — about 25–30 minutes in all. A taxi takes about 9 minutes and costs from about ¥2,000. A city rental bike (¥200 via the HELLO CYCLING app) takes about 15 minutes; walking the whole 3.4 km takes about 45 minutes.
How far is Takamatsu Castle from the cruise port, and is it worth it?
About 10–12 minutes on foot by our estimate, to the west gate beside Takamatsu-Chikko station, and ¥300 (under-18s free). It is worth an hour: the moat is filled from the sea and holds sea bream, and the stone walls and turrets stand, though the keep is gone. The west gate opens 6:00–17:30 in October and 6:30–17:00 in November; the Tsukimi-yagura turret opens inside on Sundays only. Allow 45–75 minutes.
Can I visit Naoshima on a cruise stop in Takamatsu?
Comfortably only on a call of about 11 hours or more, such as Star Seeker's 07:00–19:00 on 17 October 2026: the 08:12 ferry out and 14:20 back give about five hours on the island, with the 17:00 as a fallback. On a 09:00–17:00 call only the 10:14 out and 14:20 back work, giving about three hours with no later boat, so Megijima or Ogijima (20–40 minutes away, every two hours) is the better island.
Is there a direct ferry from Takamatsu to Naoshima, how much is it, and can I book it?
Yes, direct, from the Sunport piers about 8 minutes' walk from the cruise quay to Miyanoura port, five times a day each way — no change at Uno is needed. The Shikoku Kisen ferry costs ¥680 each way (about ¥1,360 return) and takes about 50 minutes out and 60 back; the high-speed boat is ¥1,590, cash only, about 30 minutes, but its daytime timings do not suit a port call. Neither can be booked: tickets go on sale 40 minutes before departure, first come first served, and cards work only at the ticket machines.
Do I need to book the Chichu Art Museum?
Yes. Chichu works on timed reservations: ¥2,500 online and ¥2,800 at the door on weekdays, ¥2,700 and ¥3,000 at weekends and on holidays, free for 15 and under. It is open 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00) and closed on Mondays. Online slots can sell out, and the museum says it then sells no tickets on the day, so book before you sail — especially for a Saturday call.
How do I get to Kotohira-gu from the Takamatsu cruise port?
Walk about 10 minutes to Takamatsu-Chikko and take the Kotoden Kotohira Line to the end, Kotoden-Kotohira: 62 minutes, ¥780, departures at :00 and :30, returning at :12 and :42. The 785 steps to the main hall take about 30 minutes. On a 09:00–17:00 call, the 10:00 out and 14:12 back give about three hours at the shrine.
Can I see Ritsurin Garden and Naoshima in one day?
Only on a call of about 11 hours or more: on a 12-hour call, the 08:12 ferry out and 14:20 back leave time for about an hour in Ritsurin by Kotoden afterwards, back at the ship around 17:10. Kotohira-gu and Ritsurin together need about 10 hours.
How do I get to Megijima or Ogijima from the Takamatsu cruise port?
Walk about 8–10 minutes by our estimate to prefectural pier No.3 beside JR Hotel Clement and take the Meon ferry: 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:10, 20 minutes to Megijima (¥370) and 40 to Ogijima (¥510). Boats leave Ogijima on the hour, call at Megijima 20 minutes later and reach Takamatsu at 40 past. Foot passengers cannot book; carry cash. On a 09:00–17:00 call the 10:00 out and 13:40 back give about three hours on Megijima.
Can I visit Shodoshima from the Takamatsu cruise port?
Yes, by direct boat to Tonosho from the Sunport ferry piers near the quay. Shikoku Ferry runs 15 ferries a day each way (about 60 minutes, ¥700) and eight high-speed boats (about 35 minutes, ¥1,400); foot passengers buy tickets at the pier on the day, first come first served. The island is large and we have not checked its buses to the olive groves or the Kankakei gorge, so on an 8-hour call plan only for the Tonosho area, or go with a guide.
How much are Ritsurin Garden and Takamatsu Castle?
Ritsurin costs ¥500 for adults and ¥170 for children; the castle grounds (Tamamo Park) cost ¥300, and under-18s go free. Both offer free entry to over-65s only if they live locally, so visitors pay full price. Show a same-day or previous-day ticket from one at the other for a small discount.
Is there a tram in Takamatsu, and is a Kotoden one-day pass worth it?
There is no tram: older guides mean the Kotoden railway, whose Takamatsu-Chikko terminus is about 10 minutes' walk from the cruise quay. From 1 October 2026 it costs ¥250 to Ritsurin-Koen (7 minutes) and ¥780 to Kotohira (62 minutes); Japanese IC cards work. Kotoden lists a 1-day free ticket at ¥1,600 and a 24-hour digital ticket at ¥1,500. A Kotohira return is ¥1,560, so either pass only pays if you also stop off on the way, such as at Ritsurin-Koen; for the city day, single tickets (¥500 return) are cheaper.
Do I need cash in Takamatsu?
Carry some. The Naoshima high-speed boat is cash only, the Naoshima ferry takes cards only at its ticket machines, and the Megijima ferry, Ritsurin and the castle do not publish what they accept. Kotoden trains take Japanese IC cards; Kotoden taxis take cards and QR payments. The nearest ATMs are a 7-Eleven about 470 m from the quay and the Sunport post office about 500 m.
Do I need a shore excursion in Takamatsu, and which tour is best?
On the 8-hour calls, most people do not need one: everything is walkable or one Kotoden ride. If you want a guide, the 4-hour private walk with a licensed guide (92136P132) fits; arrange a meeting point near the port. On the 12-hour call, the private car day across western Kagawa (5593642P5) is the only listing that promises in writing to return you to the ship.
Which cruise ships call at Takamatsu in 2026–27?
Kagawa's 2026 list has three calls left, all Windstar's Star Seeker (224 passengers): Thursday 15 October 09:00–17:00, Saturday 17 October 07:00–19:00 and Wednesday 4 November 09:00–17:00. The prefecture publishes calendar-year lists only, so 2027 calls are not yet official; Hiroshima's schedule points to a Star Seeker call around 29 March 2027.
Where can I eat udon near the Takamatsu cruise port?
Merikenya by JR Takamatsu station, about 11 minutes' walk, is open 7:00–20:00 every day; its Sunport branch opens on weekdays only, 11:00–14:00. Inside Ritsurin, Fukiage-tei and Komatsu-tei serve udon. Many of the famous independent udon shops close by early afternoon and on one weekday, so check the day before you go.
What is the weather like in Takamatsu in October and November?
Mild and fairly dry: average highs are 23.2 °C in October and 17.5 °C in November (lows 15.1 °C and 9.1 °C), with 120 mm of rain in October and 55 mm in November, by the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 normals. Typhoons still approach Shikoku about 0.4 times in an average October; a storm warning closes Ritsurin and strong wind cancels island ferries. For rain, the city centre has 2.7 km of covered arcades.
Is Takamatsu manageable with limited mobility or a wheelchair?
Largely, for the city day. Takamatsu Castle is 10–12 minutes' walk from the quay, and both the castle and Ritsurin Garden lend wheelchairs free; Ritsurin also lends walkers and marks a wheelchair route on its map, though some paths are hard going. A taxi to Ritsurin takes about 9 minutes and costs from about ¥2,000. Skip Kotohira-gu's 785 steps and Ogijima's stone lanes. On the 12-hour call, chartered-taxi tour 417498P1 is flagged wheelchair accessible throughout.
