By Cathy Hirano

What’s a nice way to beat the heat in Takamatsu? Taking a stroll in one of the most beautiful spots in Japan—Ritsurin Garden. The largest traditional garden of its kind in Japan, it was awarded 3 stars in the Michelin Green Guide.



Established almost 4 hundred years ago as a villa for the ruling lord and his family, Ritsurin took almost a century to complete and is now maintained by a team of topnotch gardeners and volunteers.


Gardeners

One of my favorite features is the fact that Ritsurin Garden is open from sunrise to sunset. In July, that means it opens from about 5:30 AM when it is still pleasantly cool.

In summer, early morning is also the perfect time to enjoy the lotus blossoms in Fuyo-ho (Lotus Pond).



Enormous umbrella-like leaves cover the 5,500 m2 pond from one end to the other. These carp seemed to be enjoying the leafy jungle, too.



With plenty of good photo-ops, there are often photographers in the garden from first light. I, as you may know by now, am not a great photographer, so I picked a cloudy day and went later. The blossoms were still beautiful even after lunch, making me wish that I was a good photographer!





I definitely recommend taking a break in one of the teahouses. After all, this garden was created to be viewed from inside as well as from outside. Here are some of the views from Kikugetsu-tei, the largest teahouse and the only one open on both weekdays and holidays.






If it rains, the staff will rush to close the shutters. The mechanics are pretty special, so don’t be sad if this happens while you are there. The staff will quite happily show you how the shutters, which are all stored at one end of the building, are swung out and around the corner posts and pushed round to cover the entire façade.



So for those of you who are staying in Takamatsu, even for a short time, definitely take the time to drop in to Ritsurin Garden. If you can, plan to spend at least an hour if not more. It’s well worth it.

Admission: JPY400 (JPY170 for children)
Kikugetsu-tei: Entrance fee comes with tea and a sweet. JPY510 for green tea, JPY710 for powdered green tea. Or get a discount by buying a combined garden entrance/tea ticket when you enter.
More info: http://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/ritsurin/index_e.html

Takamatsu Access:
Takamatsu can be reached by direct flights from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, by express bus from Kansai International Airport (3 hr), and by direct flights from China and Korea. It can also be reached by taking the bullet train to Okayama and changing to the Marine Liner bound for Takamatsu (runs every 1/2 hour; takes 1 hour). For more info see http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu