Summer traditions of Japan / Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture

The last couple photos I wanted to post from our trip to Takamatsu. The first one was at one of the stations by Ritsurin Park. It just tells you not to try and go past the railway crossing after the bar has come down but I thought the pictures on it were pretty funny lol. The second was just one of the manholes that I thought looked nice. Snapped a photo of it outside of Takamatsu Castle

On the final day of our trip we were a bit tired but still wanted to see a few things and just casually enjoy our time. We ended up going to Marugame Castle as our first destination. It was really cool as it's one of the 12 castles in Japan that still has an original castle keep. The castle itself isn't very large, but the area surrounding it is. From the bottom of the castle the keep is quite small so it's hard to get a good photo of it, but we got a photo of it with one of the turrets along the moat wall which was cool. We reserved a rickshaw ride the previous night as well so when we got to the castle we did a little exploring and then we went on a guided tour around the lower area of the castle. The rickshaw guide was a really nice guy and quite funny as well. Apparently he was a comedian but he enjoyed doing this job as well. He told us a bunch of different things about the castle and it's construction while also telling some jokes occasionally. After the rickshaw tour we climbed our way up to the top of the castle and there were saw really amazing views waiting for us at the top. You could see the entire city almost. We also entered the castle keep, but it was relatively small. It was still nice to see the architecture on the inside but the stairs were a bit scary. They were incredibly steep and I was holding the handrails the entire time going up or down them. After checking out the castle we were pretty hungry and so we decided to get some lunch. Being Kagawa is the udon prefecture we went to an udon specialty restaurant. I haven't been to many udon restaurants so it was kind of a new experience for me. They had it set up kind of like a cafeteria and you go through and choose what you want and other toppings to go with your udon. I didn't see the trays for the extra toppings so I just ended up putting the karaage on top of my udon lol. I got niku udon and it tasted really good. The karaage was a nice touch as well. Not the usual tempura most people get but it went surprisingly well with the soup. After eating we headed towards Nakazu Banshoen, a garden with art exhibits as well. Before getting there we decided to stop by a Lupin-themed cafe though. It was a really tiny shop but we were able to cool off for a bit and relax which was nice since we were walking quite a bit. The garden was quite large and had a lot of different points of interest within it. The stepping stones were fun to cross and the row of torii gates was pretty cool as well. You can definitely take some nice photos with them. And that concludes our trip to Takamatsu! Overall it was a really fun trip and I definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't been to Shikoku or Kagawa before. We didn't even get to do everything we were looking at but we still had a blast!

On the second day of our trip we headed over to Shodoshima, one of the many islands in the Seto Inland Sea. The only way there is by ferry so we got some tickets for it and boarded the ship. It was a really nice ride as the weather was great on Sunday and it was warm out, but not too hot. Sitting on the upper deck was nice as well, as we got to view some of the other islands in the area and also got to see people fishing etc. Plus the breeze was really refreshing as well. When we arrived to the island we tried renting some bicycles but unfortunately they were all rented out. After that we tried to get a car, but they were all rented out too, so we decided to take the buses where we needed to go. It worked out fine though. The first spot we decided to go was Olive Park, but when we got to the bus stop where it was located there was a really nice beach so we decided to check it out and put our feet in the water to cool of. There were people swimming and wind surfing and there was a nice little snack shack with some tasty looking food. After hanging out on the beach for a bit we headed up to the park. There was a ton of people renting broomsticks to do the Kiki's Delivery Service photo and it was pretty funny to watch it. We thought about doing it but the brooms were like a 45 minute wait because there were so many people so we decided to pass on it. We also ate lunch at a restaurant inside the main building at the park. They had some really good food (photo #4) and a really tasty drink as well. I don't remember what it was, but I'm glad I got it. The view from the restaurant overlooked the area as well which was nice. After lunch we headed down towards where the windmill was and stopped at a small shrine on the way. The windmill area had a nice view as well and there were people trying to jump off rocks to get photos with it lol. After we finished up at the park we decided to head over to Angel Road. We looked at the hours when you could cross the sand bridge and we arrived early, but it seems like the hours were slightly off that day perhaps and we made it right at the perfect time. There was just a little bit of water left over the sand bridge so we were able to take our shoes off and cross. Unfortunately there were a bunch of really small rocks so it kind of hurt your feet but it wasn't too bad. We managed to make it across. Was able to take some decent photos as well. We also had some ice cream at a nearby shop. It tasted great! After we finished checking out Angel Road, we headed back to the ferry and and as we started to leave the port I said out loud "It smells like sesame oil doesn't it?" Well it turns out there was a sesame oil factory directly behind me so we had a bit of a laugh at that. Was a successful day!

I've got too many photos to post so I'm making another post today and at least 1-2 more in the next couple days. After visiting Ritsurin Park we headed towards Takamatsu Castle. The castle itself had no castle tower but it still had a really nice garden and the moat was pretty cool as well. They had a boat tour of the moat too, but we didn't think it was as extravagant as the one at Ritsurin Park and we were already tired so we decided to skip it and just tour the castle on foot. There were a variety of different stone lanterns throughout the garden that I thought were pretty cool. I always enjoy seeing the different lantern designs for some reason. Despite not having a castle tower, the turrets themselves were cool to see. After looking at the first castle tower we crossed a bridge that ran over the moat and headed up to the top. Once we got to the top, where the castle tower was previously located, we had a really awesome view of the area and I was able to get a photo of a boat passing through the moat. They were all wearing straw hats and special clothing, which I think was part of the experience. After leaving the castle and heading toward our hotel, we arrived at the second turret and it had a nicer view than from inside the castle. I thought the clouds above it looked quite nice as well. After that we headed to our hotel and rested for a bit and then headed over to a pizza place called PIZZERIA 18 for some dinner. The place had a nice atmosphere and the food was really good as well. We ordered pizza (obviously) and a variety platter as well. It all tasted great. They had Heartland as their nama-beer which I thought was nice. Don't see it very often.

Went down to Takamatsu over the 3 day weekend last week. It was the first time either one of us had been to Shikoku before and it was a lot of fun. I'm surprised it's not talked about more, as there's so much stuff to do. We stayed near Takamatsu pretty much the whole time and we still didn't get to visit every place that we wanted to go. The first day mostly consisted of Ritsurin Park. The park (garden) itself was quite large and there was a lot of beautiful sights to see. We really wanted to go on the boat ride throughout the park's pond, but unfortunately it started to rain just a tiny bit and they closed the boat for the rest of the day, just before we arrived... ☔️ Even still we had a lot of fun walking around the park. There were a lot of koi and turtles swimming in the pond too. We stopped by a small cafe-like building inside the park and i got an ice cream float and she got a coffee. In front of the shop one of the custodians came by with a big bucket of fish food and created a feeding frenzy amongst the koi. I'm pretty sure I saw a single catfish in there as well. After we finished our drinks we climbed to one of the best viewing spots in the park which had a really amazing view of the bridge and the pond. You can see the people on the boat we didn't get to ride too lol? The one building shown in photo 9 was actually a tea house where I think you could try traditional tea ceremony and eat sweets as well, but they also seemed to offer just a normal tea drinking experience as well. We decided not to try it, but if you like tea ceremony it looked quite nice.

Autumn cherry blossoms in full bloom and the Seirukaze ? ? of the fan

Cosmos bloomed ~ Autumn in Kannonji City, Kagawa Prefecture ~

Autumn in Japan Night view of the Great Seto Bridge Kagawa Prefecture

Shot at the Nakayama Sunflower Housing Complex in Mannou Town, Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture. The sunflowers spreading all over the area were superb.

It was taken in a Chichibugahama Beach in Kagawa Prefecture. Wrap the setting sun in your hands and hope that this time will last a little longer.

Places in Japan to visit in After Corona Night view of the Great Seto Bridge 2021/ 3 Kagawa Prefecture

Places in Japan to visit in After Corona Sky Torii 2021/2 Kagawa Prefecture

I visited the beach of Megijima in Kagawa Prefecture because I wanted to see the "indigo sea before dawn" together on the birthday of my loved one, the origin of the name of my loved one. It was more beautiful and impressed than I expected. I want to go with you again after corona.

Location: Udon restaurant in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture. Sanuki udon with anmochi. Especially in the eastern part of Kagawa Prefecture, there is a custom of eating white miso zoni with bean cake on New Year's Day. You can also enjoy Sanuki udon with anmochi as a New Year's udon.

Shooting location: Around Yuki-no-yu, Shioe-cho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture. Winter tradition: Bamboo lights lit up

Japan's best udon noodle town ? Shikoku's "Udon Prefecture", Kagawa Prefecture is full of ❗️ sightseeing spots other than Udon In this video, we will ♪? introduce not only the local gourmet "Sanuki udon", but also popular tourist spots such as "Shodoshima", which is famous as a movie location, "Chichibugahama Beach" of the Salar de Uyuni in Japan, "Drifting Post Office" where letters of unknown address are collected introduced on TV and media, and remote islands full of art spots and nature. Tonight, online GoTo travel ?✈️ to Kagawa prefecture full of charm

What a sci-fi facility! (๑°ㅁ°๑) Alien secret base? No, keep it a secret. Does it stand out too much? . The pride of Kannonji Temple Interesting heritage "Kanei Tsuho" It's a Zenigata sand painting. What is a money type? . What is most surprising is Made in the early Edo period It's still there! From Kanei Reiwa in the future... Ingredients, although sand (๑°ᄆ°๑) . I mean, Glowing green yes space base like I love it in ww

A specialty of "New Yashima Aquarium" in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, seals that use a combined umbrella.

The Gold Tower "Sky Aquarium Sorakin" in Utazu Town, Kagawa Prefecture.

A remote island "Sanagi Island" in the Seto Inland Sea belonging to Tadotsu Town in Kagawa Prefecture. Famous as Cat Island.

「Corridor to Miedou」 Location: Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture ＊ ＊ ~Corridor to Mieido~ The Niomon gate is the main gate of Zentsuji Temple "Saiin". On the upper side of the corridor leading from Saiin to Miedo, there is a painting depicting Kukai's life. It is said that the "Saiin", which is centered on Mieido and is also called "Nativity Temple", corresponds to the mansion where Kukai was born. ＊ ＊ ～Corridor to Miedou～ Niomon is the main gate of Zentsuji "Saiin". On the upper side of the corridor leading from Saiin to Miedou, there is a picture depicting the life of Kukai. It is said that "Saiin," which is also called "Birthplace", centered around Miedou, is the residence where Kukai was born.

「Let's run towards a dream」 location : 香川県三豊市仁尾町・父母ヶ浜 ＊ It is as famous Japanese beach as a waterquarter like Lake Uyuni. At the time when low tide and sunset overlap you can see a spectacular reflection of a very nice beach.

「Fireworks covering Marugame Castle」 Location : Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture ＊ This is a photo of last year's Marugame Babara Festival Fireworks Festival. The sight of fireworks launched from Marugame Port opening beautifully in the sky of Marugame Castle is a beautiful scenery of Japan that Kagawa Prefecture is proud of. ＊ ＊ Last year's Marugame basara festival fireworks display. The sight of the fireworks rising from Marugame Port in the sky of Marugame Castle is a beautiful scenery of Japan that Kagawa Prefecture boasts.

「Sanuki Fuji in the morning glow」 Location: Sanuki Fuji, Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture

「Sakura floral raft」 location：Kagawa Prefecture ＊ Cherry blossom petals scattered along the lake. The cherry-colored carpet floating on the beautiful emerald green lake surface is a wonderful sight.

「Sakura blooming at Sarureou Shrine」 location：Kagawa Prefecture

? Kagawa Prefecture / Takaya Shrine It is famous as a "power spot of fortune" and "torii gate in the sky", and it is a ✨ superb view spot overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. When you go by your own car, the car navigation system often does not guide you correctly, so We recommend that you go to the Takaya Shrine Hongu parking lot on Google Maps.

「Torii in the sky sparkling in autumn」 Location: Takaya Shrine, Kannonji City, Kagawa Prefecture ＊ This is a photo of Takaya Shrine in late autumn that was published in the autumn issue of Photocon Life. (Photographed in 2017.) ） ＊ ＊ This is a photo of Takaya Shrine in late autumn that was posted in Photo Conlife. (Photographed, December, 2017.)