Ritsurin-kōen

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One of the most beautiful gardens in the country, Ritsurin-kōen dates from the mid-1600s and took more than a century to complete. Designed as a walking garden for the enjoyment of the daimyō (regional lord), the park winds around a series of ponds, tearooms, bridges and islands. To the west, Shiun-zan (Mt Shiun) forms an impressive backdrop to the garden. The classic view of Engetsu-kyō bridge with the mountain in the background is one of the finest in Japan.

Enclosed by the garden are a number of interesting sights, including Sanuki Folkcraft Museum, which displays local crafts dating back to the Tokugawa dynasty. There are a number of teahouses in the park, including 17th-century Kikugetsu-tei, where you can sip matcha with a traditional sweet and enjoy various garden tableaux from the tatami rooms. You can also try the lovely thatched-roof Higurashi-tei, which dates from 1898.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

2. Sanuki Folkcraft Museum

0.05 MILES

This museum in Ritsurin-kōen displays local crafts, household goods, furniture and roof tiles in its four halls, dating back to the Tokugawa dynasty.

4. Takamatsu City Museum of Art

1.01 MILES

This impressive inner-city gallery is testament to Takamatsu's quality art scene. The light and spacious refitting of a former Bank of Japan building is a…

5. Takamatsu-jō

1.43 MILES

The site of Takamatsu's castle now forms delightful Tamamo-kōen, a park where the walls and seawater moat survive, along with several of the original…

6. Shikoku-mura

3.71 MILES

About 500m north of Yashima station, Shikoku-mura is an excellent village museum that houses old buildings transported here from all over Shikoku and…

7. Temple 84: Yashima-ji

3.75 MILES

Yashima-ji, Temple 84 of the 88, sits atop the tabletop mountain of Yashima, to the east of Takamatsu. This was the site of a decisive battle between the…

8. Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum

4.9 MILES

Born in Los Angeles to a Japanese poet and an American writer, Noguchi (1904–1988) set up a studio and residence here in 1970. Today the complex is filled…