By Cathy Hirano

Roof-top Island Yashima
After a long hiatus, the Takamatsu blog is up and running again, so I'm back with more glimpses of this city. This time let me take you to Yashima, a distinctive flat-topped lava plate on the east side of town. Standing 300 meters above sea level smack in the middle of town, it provides a quick and pleasant escape from city life. In summertime, it's a great place to take a picnic supper because it's cooler at the top.

If you want to see all the sites on Yashima or to hike around the north ridge, plan for half a day (see Access info below). If you just want to stroll around the south ridge and look at the scenery, you can do it in an hour or less. The cherry blossoms in early April are particularly nice

and the autumn leaves in November are quite spectacular.


There's also a good view of the city lights in the evening all year round.

Hiking Trails:
There are quite a few hiking trails up the mountain starting from various points below but not all are well marked or easy to find. The most common one, which is part of the Henro no Michi or Pilgrim's Way, starts part way up the hill near Yashima elementary school. It's steep but doable and a good workout. Some of my neighbors, who are in their sixties and seventies, get up at 3 AM every morning to do this hike before breakfast! To see all possible trails, check out this site (Japanese only): http://www.e-yashima.jp/kokuritsu/yuhodou.html The blue line starting near the bottom of the map is the most common Henro no Michi trail. Alternatively, if your knees won't take a lot of climbing but you still want to hike, the north ridge trail just goes around the top. I think it took me about an hour the last time I did it.

View of North Ridge

Yashima Temple:
The Henro no Michi leads to 88 temple sites scattered all around Shikoku Island. Yashima Temple is number 84 on this famous pilgrimage circuit. The Chinese priest Ganjin founded it in 754 and it was later converted to the Shingon sect of Kobe Daishi about 1200 years ago. The main building was rebuilt in 1618 and is an Important Cultural Property. The bell, which dates back to 1223, is rung for the repose of those killed in a famous battle at the foot of this mountain during the Genpei War (1180-1185).

Yashima Temple

Closeup
You are quite likely to see pilgrims (ohenro-san) like those in the photo below wearing white vests and straw hats and carrying a staff. They come from all over Japan (and sometimes from overseas) to do the 88-temple circuit.

Pilgrims

Praying

The Temple Treasure House:
The modernistic building beside Yashima Temple is the Treasure House containing artifacts from the Genpei battlefield as well as an exhibit of ceramics and a gold image of the Buddha. I confess, however, that I have never been inside. Admission is 500 yen (300 yen for children) and it's open from 9:00 to 17:00. Green tea and sweets are served for 500 yen.

Treasure House

Red Torii Gates and Tanuki
A row of small red torii gates winds behind Yashima Temple, leading to a little shrine to the fox god. Two large tanuki (raccoon dog) statues guard the entrance.

While both foxes and tanuki in Japanese folklore are shape changers and mischief-makers, it's unusual for tanuki to guard a fox god's shrine. These statues, however, are a tribute to Yashima Tazaburo, the legendary tanuki who warned Yashima's priest of impending danger and guided the Buddhist saint, Kobo Daishi, through the mist. Yashima Tazaburo appears in Miyazaki Hayao's animation feature Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko (The Heisei Tanuki War PonPoko).

Part of the promenade along the south ridge is lined with souvenir shops. Here's one of my favorites.


It has a small art gallery for solo exhibits by local artists and it's always interesting to take a look.


The man who owns the one below sells vintage figurines from Japanese cartoons, etc. just for fun.


The main attraction of the promenade for me, however, is the lookout points with their magnificent views. It's the custom for visitors to throw small, unglazed plates (Kawara nage) over the cliff for good luck. 8 plates cost 200 yen. It's quite exciting on a windy day especially with a head wind!

Here's what the plates (kawara) look like.

This friendly tourist modeled for me.

And then, of course, there is this Yashima specialty, stewed octopus, which can be had for 300 or 400 yen.


Yashima Hilltop Aquarium:
Yashima Hilltop Aquarium exhibits rare species of fish and sea animals such as the American manatee, which is in danger of extinction. It also offers dolphin and sea lion shows. Although small, the aquarium is entertaining, especially if you are with kids.

Aquarium entrance
As a bit of trivia, the aquarium's construction produced one of this area's most successful businesses, Nippura, an acrylic manufacturer that now supplies a large share of the world's aquariums with tanks, etc.
Admission: Adult 1200 yen, under 18 and over 65 years 700 yen. Hours: 9:00 to 17:00

Yashima Access:
Yashima is only 15 minutes by train from JR Takamatsu station (Kotoku Line 210 yen) or from Kotoden Kawaramachi station (Nagao Line 240yen). There is a shuttle bus (100 yen) from both the JR and the Kotoden Yashima stations to the top, which takes about 10 minutes.
By car:
From downtown Takamatsu, take Route 11 east towards Tokushima and turn left at the MacDonald’s on the left side of the road. Yashima Driveway runs up the hill past Shikoku Mura. The toll for passenger cars is 610 yen. The parking lot at the top has 400 parking spots.
By Kotoden train:
take a train from Takamatsu-Chikko Station to Kawaramachi Station (4 minutes, frequent departures) and transfer to the Shido Line. Get off at Kotoden Yashima Station (13 minutes, 3 trains/hour). The entire trip takes about 20 minutes and costs 310 yen. Sanjo Shuttle bus runs once per hour to the summit (10 minutes, 100 yen).
By JR train:
take a local train from JR Takamatsu Station traveling in the Tokushima direction. Get off at Yashima Station (15 minutes, 210 yen, 2 trains/hour). From the station the Yashima Sanjo Shuttle bus runs once per hour to the summit (20 minutes, 100 yen).
Please Note:
The earliest shuttle bus is after 8:00 AM and no shuttle buses run from Dec. to Feb. except on January 1, 2, and 3.