Takamatsu is the gateway to the Inland Sea and Naoshima, the Art Island, which was our real interest. We didn’t expect much from the large industrial city, but we had a great high-rise hotel as base and Ritsurin Gardens by day and night might have been our favourite Japanese garden of all. Our late morning train arrival precluded our ability to check in, but we are accustomed to that by now. We took a walk to have lunch in a traditional local restaurant where we had to order by taking a photo of the faux food in the window. Nothing special so, believe it or not, no photos of food!

Ritsurin Gardens was an outstanding gem. Autumn colours were only getting started but it didn’t matter because the most memorable feature of Ritsurin Gardens is its collection of 1,400 pines. Each is old and over 1,000 receive painstaking care to produce some of the greatest curated pine vistas. We found it all mesmerizing, with meandering paths, bridges and watercourses, and the use of cobblestone and rattan fencing: it was worth the journey here just for this. Most of these photos require no description.

More scenes from Ritsurin Gardens

The dinner choices our first night were a bit slim without a pre-arranged booking so we went for a simple option that was a nice change.

A daytrip by ferry to Naoshima was the plan. It is well-known for the stunning art installations. But planning your own daily itinerary does have its pitfalls. We neglected to check the boat schedule the day before and worse, we didn’t book a bicycle rental soon enough to ensure there would be one waiting for us on arrival. We couldn’t face bus delays and the possibility of long lines, but there was a car available to rent. Such a deal…$50 for the day, including insurance and fuel. Turns out the art tour was concentrated in one part of the island, and we only drove 8 miles! The joke was on us. Of course, the convertible roof was broken and made an awful racket. But it got us from point A to B to C, etc.

The Art House Project transforms old houses into unique art spaces, showcasing contemporary art installations that blend seamlessly with the traditional architecture. The structures are scattered throughout the tiny port town of Honmura. But viewing times were limited and not well coordinated. In retrospect, we spent too much time here trying to see each one.

The Benesse House Museum is the centerpiece of the art facilities on the island, a fusion of art and accommodation, all designed by star architect Ando Tadao. Chichu Museum, also designed by Tadao, is built into a hillside overlooking the southern coast of Naoshima. The museum building, itself a work of art, is mostly located underground and solely utilizes natural light to illuminate the artwork. This creates a viewing experience that is heavily influenced by the surrounding natural environment.

We had to pre-book a visit to the Chichu Art Museum. The timing of our tickets didn’t allow us enough time to explore the Benesse museum, but we were able to enjoy the sculptures in the park and on the beach before moving on to Chichu. Despite a rather small collection, and a kybosh on photos, we were pretty impressed with what we saw.

During our visit to Ritsurin Garden the day before we discovered the garden would be lit for the holiday season beginning the next evening. When we returned to Takamatsu after a day on Naoshima we rushed by taxi to the garden to catch the night lighting before dinner. It was a delightful spectacle.

Being Thanksgiving Day we had decided to splurge on a teppanyaki dinner at Restaurant Shiki in our hotel. The specialty was another version of wagyu…Olive Wagyu. With origins in this region, the 1,700 cattle are fed a diet of dehydrated and roasted mulch olives. Yet another example of superb beef and great fun to watch the preparation!

The morning we were leaving, we managed a wander through the Takamatsu Castle grounds. Not to be missed!