Kagawa · TakamatsuNo.644★★★Open in map →

Ritsurin Garden

natureThe classic — done right

A daimyo's stroll garden on the western edge of Takamatsu, with the wooded mountain behind it treated as part of the composition rather than a backdrop. It opens close to sunrise and shuts after dark, which makes an early walk a real option.

FromTakamatsu Station
~15 minJR Kotoku Line + 3 min walk
Get off atRitsurin-Koen-Kitaguchi Station (JR Kotoku Line)
On foot
Ritsurin Garden

Directions ↗

Where it is

19 more notes in Kagawa · open the map →

What to look for — in walking order

Shoko Shorei-kanthe exhibition hall in the north garden, a symmetrical Meiji-era building now used for displays
Tsuru-kame-matsuthe crane-and-tortoise pine, held to be the finest single tree in the garden
Hako-matsua long run of pines clipped into box forms, a hedge made out of trees
Engetsu-kyo bridgethe arched wooden bridge over the South Pond, on the way round to the tea house
Kikugetsu-teithe tea house the domain lords kept for themselves, standing at the water's edge

How to actually get there

JR Takamatsu Station → Ritsurin-Koen-Kitaguchi Station (JR Kotoku Line, 3.2 km; check the board, services are spaced out).
Ritsurin-Koen-Kitaguchi Station → the garden's north gate (walk about 3 min).
Work south from the north garden to the South Pond, then loop back along the water.
Leave by the east side if you are carrying on into central Takamatsu on the Kotoden line.

JR Kotoku Line, one short hop from Takamatsu: JR Takamatsu Station →(JR Kotoku Line, 3.2 km)→ Ritsurin-Koen-Kitaguchi Station, then about 3 minutes on foot to the garden's north gate. Local trains on this stretch are not frequent, so read the departure board at Takamatsu before setting out rather than turning up and waiting.
Return from Ritsurin-Koen-Kitaguchi Station: The JR Kotoku Line runs back into Takamatsu Station in a few minutes, but services are spaced out, so check the next departure before leaving the garden. The other way back is Kotoden's Kotohira Line from Ritsurin-Koen Station, on the garden's east side, which lands at Takamatsu-Chikko beside JR Takamatsu.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Ritsurin Garden lies on the western edge of central Takamatsu, with the wooded slope of Mount Shiun rising directly behind it and taken into the composition as borrowed scenery. The walking garden covers about 16.2 hectares, and counting the mountain the grounds run to roughly 75. Inside are six ponds and thirteen built hills, set so the view resets every few paces instead of opening all at once. Paths cross bridges, climb small rises and come back down to the water, and the pines have been clipped into their shapes by generations of gardeners rather than left to grow.

How to enjoy it

The hours move with the season: in midsummer the gates open at 5:30 and stay open until 19:00, which turns an early walk from a theory into a plan. Arrive at opening and the ponds hold still water and clean reflections. Later in the day the same route is busier and warmer, and the tea house becomes the better place to stop.

Background & history

The site began as a garden attached to the Ikoma clan's holdings in the early Edo period. Matsudaira Yorishige, first lord of the Takamatsu domain, took it over and began the formal work in 1642, and his successors kept building until the fifth lord, Yoritaka, brought it to completion in 1745 — over a hundred years of continuous construction by one family. In 1953 the grounds were designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, the highest classification the country gives a garden.

Before you go

Cash: Admission was 500 yen for adults and 170 yen for elementary and junior-high pupils at the time of checking, with a cheaper group rate for parties of twenty and up and an annual pass for regulars. Tickets are sold at the gates.
Good to know: Opening and closing move month by month with sunrise and sunset, so the winter closing time is much earlier than the summer one; check the current month before planning a late visit. Paths are gravel and stone and turn slippery after rain.
Another way: From the Kotoden side, take the Kotohira Line to Ritsurin-Koen Station and walk in from the east side of the garden. That line runs through central Takamatsu and is the easier choice when your timing is loose.
After you get off: From Ritsurin-Koen-Kitaguchi Station the north gate is about 3 minutes away on level streets, which puts you in the north garden rather than the busier east entrance.