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Takamatsu Port

HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Takamatsu Port

The gateway to the Seto Inland Sea where history, nature, art, and urban life are fused into one

Kagawa Prefecture

A lively port city on Shikoku Island, Takamatsu has long flourished as a marine transportation hub. Easily accessed by train and airplane, Takamatsu Port is the gateway to the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, where the international art festival Setouchi Triennale is held. From here, visitors can board ferries to Naoshima Island, home to Yayoi Kusama's famous Red Pumpkin, and to Shodoshima Island, where olives are cultivated extensively.

Visited by many tourists throughout the year, Takamatsu is endowed with a rare seaside castle built in the 16th century, which is considered one of Japan’s three “Water Castles.” From the port, among the ruins of Takamatsu Castle, you can see the majestic Sakura Gomon (“Cherry Gate”). Destroyed by fire in 1945 during the Takamatsu air raids, the gate was recently rebuilt and restored on the site.

The historic Takamatsu Port has recently gained new attractions in the form of public art installations by famous artists, bringing color to the harbor and its surroundings. By 2024, an arena designed by the architects of the Louvre-Lens annex, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, will be completed, and in 2025 a five-star luxury hotel is also scheduled to open.

The Setouchi Islands have been chosen by the American magazine TIME as one of the World's Greatest Places of 2022. Why not visit these world-famous islands from Takamatsu Port, where history, nature, art, and urban life are all fused into one?