West Kagawa · Kan'onjiNo.1176★★Open in map →

Takaya Shrine Sky Torii

historyOff the trail — and worth it

A shrine strung up one mountainside in western Kagawa, ending at a stone gate on the summit that frames the town below and the Inland Sea beyond. How you get up is half the visit: shuttle bus, forest road, or your own legs.

FromTakamatsu Station
~2 hrJR and taxi, then a climb
Get off atKan'onji Station (JR Yosan Line)
From there
Takaya Shrine Sky Torii

Directions ↗

The sweet spot

This is a well-known view inside Japan, and the summit car park fills on clear weekends. What separates a quiet visit from a busy one is the method of arrival. Nearly everyone drives up or rides the shuttle, so the old path from the lower shrine stays thin of people even while the top is crowded.

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Chu-no-miya, the middle shrineDokudami / CC BY-SA 4.0

Shimomiya, the lower shrinethe starting point at the foot, with two car parks and a cherry-lined approach
Chu-no-miyathe midway station, now only a torii and a small stone shrine among the trees
Yurugi-iwaa large rock seated at the bottom of the final stairway
The 270 stone stepsthe last steep push to the summit, broad and unevenly cut
The sky toriithe stone gate at the top, set so that town and sea fill the opening

How to actually get there

Takamatsu Station → Kan'onji Station (JR Yosan Line, about an hour by rapid service, 1,240 yen basic fare).
Kan'onji Station → Takaya Shrine Shimomiya, the lower shrine (taxi, about 13 minutes).
Shimomiya → Chu-no-miya → the foot of the stairway (pilgrim path, about 50 minutes in all).
Climb the stone steps to the Hongu and the sky torii on the summit.

JR Yosan Line to Kan'onji, then taxi: Takamatsu Station →(JR Yosan Line, about an hour on a rapid service and less on a limited express)→ Kan'onji Station. The basic fare is 1,240 yen, and limited express trains carry a separate charge. From the station a taxi reaches the lower shrine in about 13 minutes, some 4 kilometres.
Back out through Kan'onji Station: Come down the same path to the lower shrine and take a taxi back to Kan'onji Station for the JR Yosan Line towards Takamatsu. Services thin out through the evening, so fix the return ride and check the departure board before you start climbing.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Takaya Shrine is not one building but three points on a single mountainside in Kan'onji, at the western edge of Kagawa. The Shimomiya, the lower shrine, sits at the foot. The Chu-no-miya marks the halfway mark. The Hongu, the main shrine, holds the 404-metre summit of Mount Inazumi. Through its gate the town, the long sand spit of Ariake beach and the Hiuchi-nada stretch of the Inland Sea open out together. The gate itself is modern, a heavy stone torii raised after a road was cut through the forest to the top.

How to enjoy it

From the lower shrine the old pilgrim path takes about fifty minutes, passing the Chu-no-miya before the steps begin. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays the shuttle bus runs to the summit, and during its hours the forest road is closed to all private vehicles, motorbikes included. Tickets go on sale in the morning at the Kan'onji tourism association office rather than at the boarding point, cannot be reserved, and sell out on clear days.

Background & history

Takaya is one of the twenty-four shrines of old Sanuki province listed in the Engi-shiki, the Heian-period register of official shrines. Local people call it Inazumi-jinja, or simply Inazumi-san, after the mountain, and have long kept it as a god of rice. Its main hall originally stood on the summit, was moved down to the foot of the mountain, and was later rebuilt on the peak again. In 2018 the view through the summit gate was named one of the Shikoku 88 Views.

Before you go

Cash: There is no admission charge at the shrine. The summit shuttle bus is ticketed, an adult return costing 1,500 yen. Tickets are sold at the Kan'onji tourism association office inside the city community centre, not at the boarding point, and seats cannot be booked in advance. Kan'onji Station has a staffed ticket window for JR travel.
Good to know: The road to the summit is a forest track built for forestry work, not a public highway. It closes when weather warnings are issued, and rockfall, wild animals and winter ice are all live risks. It is shut completely for slope works from 28 September to 25 December 2026, when the summit can be reached only on foot. During shuttle hours on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, private cars and motorbikes are barred from it.
Another way: On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays the privately run Hearts Shuttle sightseeing bus links the lower shrine with other viewpoints in Kan'onji and neighbouring Mitoyo. The city's Noriai community bus also covers the area on the Gogo-Takamuro route, four runs a day. Tell the driver you are heading for Takaya-jinja, then walk the last stretch to the lower shrine.
After you get off: Kan'onji Station sits on the coastal flat, well short of the mountain, so the practical link is a taxi to the lower shrine. From there the pilgrim path climbs through woodland, passes the Chu-no-miya and finishes on the stone stairway at the top.