This autumn foliage trip is coming to an end, and the final stop is Yashima in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture. The reason I came here was because I watched the anime “The Golden Pupil from Udon Kingdom” and wanted to do a pilgrimage to its sacred sites [click here to see related photos]. This anime is heartwarming and touching, and it actually promotes tourist spots in Kagawa Prefecture, so it’s worth checking out.
Yashima is a fairly popular spot in Kagawa Prefecture, where families often come for leisure on holidays. You can get to Yashima by JR or the Kotoden railway, and since I had a JR Pass, I naturally took the JR. The stationmaster at JR Yashima Station is a tanuki (raccoon dog) named Ponta.
All the attractions on Yashima are on the mountain, so whether you take the JR or Kotoden, you’ll need to take a bus up to the summit. But as someone who enjoys walking, I chose to hike up.
Starting from the station, I went to Sanuki Toshogu Shrine. Although it’s quite large, I didn’t find it particularly special, though it must be beautiful during the autumn foliage season. By now, most of the leaves have already fallen.
Next, I passed by Omiya Hachiman Shrine, where I occasionally saw a few visitors praying. Their destination was clearly the same as mine—the summit of Yashima.
I found the Yashima hiking trail through Google Maps and planned to follow the route on the map, but I unexpectedly discovered a shortcut and naturally decided to take it. [Google Maps coordinates: 34.344600, 134.104791]
The shortcut is a small path where you might encounter wild boars, so you need to be careful while walking. It wasn’t long before I reached the hiking trail. The path is paved with asphalt, so it’s not difficult to walk. Along the way, I also saw some autumn leaves.
I didn’t expect to still see autumn leaves at the end of November (usually, you’d only see them in warmer places like Tokyo). There were even more here than at Konpira Shrine, making for a nice ending to the last day of my trip.
The Yashima hiking trail is also part of the Henro pilgrimage route walked by Kobo Daishi, and its endpoint is Yashima-ji, one of the 88 Temples of Shikoku.
The main hall, rebuilt in 1618—400 years ago—is an Important Cultural Property.
The highlight of Yashima-ji is the Suzugamine Daimyojin next to the main hall, dedicated to Tamasaburo Tanuki, one of Japan’s Three Famous Tanuki. It’s said that there are many tanuki in Yashima, some of which possess magical powers and can transform into humans.
At the back, there’s the Suzugaoka Mound, which has many tanuki statues and decorations.
It’s quite interesting that Yashima-ji is associated with tanuki. Besides that, Yashima also has an aquarium, but I didn’t go—I explored other places instead.
This is the Tōrihō no Ike (Glass Treasure Pond), also known as the Blood Pond. During the Genpei War, it was used as a place to wash swords. With autumn leaves on the pond, it evokes the image of the pond being dyed red after sword washing.
I arrived at the Nishione Observation Deck, where the yellow and green hues on the mountaintop were truly beautiful.
Walking further along, the view became even more expansive, with Takamatsu City spread out below.
I reached the place for throwing tiles to ward off misfortune, which I had also seen at Kanpakkei Gorge.
Near the tile-throwing spot, there were vibrant autumn leaves, and it was rare to see the city beneath the colorful foliage.
Walking further, I arrived at the Lion’s Spirit Rock Observation Deck, one of the three major observation decks of Yashima, where there’s a teahouse where you can enjoy food while taking in the view of the mountains below.
From here, Takamatsu City is most clearly visible, and the clouds had just cleared, making for a pleasant scene. The night view from here is also incredibly captivating.
The second of the three major observation decks is the Tanzan Observation Deck.
This side faces west and is a great spot to watch the sunset. Opposite is Mount Godaisan, where you’ll find Ritsurin-ji, one of the 88 Temples of Shikoku.
From here, I looked toward Yashima’s North Ridge. I hadn’t originally planned to go there, but at that moment, I felt an impulse to head there.
So I actually went. I headed to Yagura-tei on Yashima’s North Ridge, which is about a 40-minute one-way walk.
Ninety-nine percent of visitors stay on the South Ridge, and almost no one goes to the North Ridge. Along the way, there’s a large grassy area for resting, with lots of autumn leaves. I took a break here and ate my packed lunch.
As I strolled along, I arrived at the third of Yashima’s three major observation decks, Yagura-tei. At first glance, it doesn’t seem particularly special.
But up close, it turns out to offer a breathtaking view of the Seto Inland Sea, as well as the edge of the North Ridge. There’s a hiking trail here that leads down to the very end, Nagasaki-no-Hana, but since I had to catch a flight that evening, I didn’t go any further. Still, seeing such a beautiful view made the trip worthwhile.
Then I began the return journey. Finally, I went back to the area around Yashima-ji and took a different route down the mountain. This is the site of Yashima Castle. Although it’s been repaved, it somehow feels like it’s lost a bit of its original charm.
But having such a view is still quite something — a final glance before leaving.
The stairs down the mountain are very steep. The sign says 230 meters, but even though I was walking fairly fast, it took me 10 minutes. Could it be referring to a vertical drop of 230 meters? Mount Yashima is 292 meters high, and after descending, there aren’t many slopes left. Sometimes Japanese signs are really quite puzzling.
Yashima Navi (Japanese)?http://www.yashima-navi.jp/
Kagawa Tourism Official Website – Mount Yashima (English)?https://www.my-kagawa.jp/en/sightseeing/sightseeing06
Shikoku Pilgrimage – Yashimaji Temple (Japanese)?http://www.88shikokuhenro.jp/kagawa/84yashimaji/
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Having traveled to over 30 countries/regions, lived in Taiwan for a year and a half, explored all 19 counties and cities, spent several months traveling and living in Japan, covering all 47 prefectures, and completed a two-month work-exchange experience in Canada to see the Northern Lights. Enjoys visiting off-the-beaten-path attractions. Travel stories have been published on Yong’an Travel, U Blog, DC Fever, likeJapan, now.com, and Travel Bar. Open to various forms of collaboration.