⭐ HIGHLIGHTS
Kagawa highlights
Experiences the Wherebest team recommends — don't miss these on a first trip
Sanuki udon, Japan's udon capital; the Naoshima art island with Yayoi Kusama's dotted pumpkin; Ritsurin, one of Japan's most beautiful gardens; and the hilltop Kotohira-gu shrine up 785 steps — Kagawa is Japan's smallest prefecture, yet it gathers udon, art, gardens and sea islands within a few hours.
Honestly, Kagawa is Japan's smallest prefecture, but it's so packed you can't see it all in a day — start with Sanuki udon, which locals eat as a main meal: chewy, cheap and addictive. Hop a ferry to Naoshima for its art museums and Yayoi Kusama's dotted pumpkin, come back to stroll Ritsurin, ranked among Japan's finest gardens, climb the 785 steps to Kotohira-gu shrine, then ferry to Shodoshima, the olive island with its Angel Road sandbar that appears at low tide — all in one prefecture linked by train and boat.
Experiences the Wherebest team recommends — don't miss these on a first trip
An Edo-era stroll garden that took over a century to build, with ponds, hills and hundreds of shaped pines backed by Mt Shiun; ranked among Japan's most beautiful gardens, you can take a boat on the pond or sip tea in a pavilion.
🎫 AdmissionAn art island in the Seto Inland Sea with museums designed by Tadao Ando, installations all over the island, and Yayoi Kusama's dotted pumpkin at the pier — the heart of the Setouchi Triennale art festival.
⛴️ Reached by ferryThe second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, famous for growing Japan's first olives, with the Angel Road sandbar you can walk across at low tide, the Kankakei gorge ropeway for autumn leaves, and old film sets.
⛴️ Reached by ferryA shrine to the god of seafarers on Mt Kotohira; it is 785 steps to the main hall (1,368 to the inner shrine), lined with old shops, with palanquin carriers for those who cannot manage the climb.
🚶 785 stepsOne of Japan's few castles to use seawater for its moat, now Tamamo Park, with surviving old turrets and a pretty garden, an easy walk from Takamatsu Station.
🎫 AdmissionA castle with some of Japan's tallest stacked stone walls; its original wooden keep survives (one of just twelve original towers), and Marugame town is also known for uchiwa paper fans.
🎫 AdmissionMain areas and cities that cover a trip — pick the base that fits your plan
Three sample stays · Luxury · Mid · Budget · compare 3 sites instantly
Kagawa (香川) is Japan's smallest prefecture by area, in the northeast of Shikoku along the Seto Inland Sea, with Takamatsu as its capital. It's best known for Sanuki udon — so much so it's nicknamed the udon prefecture — and is the gateway to art islands such as Naoshima.
It's easy from Okayama, about an hour by train across the Seto Ohashi bridge, or fly directly into Takamatsu Airport. From the city, ferries run to Naoshima and Shodoshima, while Kotohira-gu shrine and Marugame Castle lie in the west of the prefecture.
This page gathers stays by area, standout food such as Sanuki udon and honetsuki-dori, the main sights and a 3-day Kagawa plan, with one-click hotel price comparisons across Agoda, Booking and Trip.com. Information is current for 2026, but please re-check prices, island ferry times, opening hours and transport schedules before you travel.
Find Kagawa hotels in the right area · compare 3 sites instantly
Other prefectures in Shikoku · every prefecture in Japan with a full prep guide
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