I wonder how well everyone knows Japan? To be honest, I’ve only started getting to know various places in Japan in recent years, thanks to the increasing number of flight routes. The place I’m visiting this time is called Takamatsu, which became accessible after the direct flight route launched by HK Express. It serves as the gateway to Shikoku / Chugoku region in Japan, and it’s very convenient to connect to nearby prefectures like Hiroshima and Okayama. Plus, the small islands in the Seto Inland Sea—such as Shodoshima, Ogijima, Megijima, and Naoshima—caught my eye even more.
After landing at Takamatsu Airport, you can take a bus directly to Kotohira, or choose to take the Kotohira Electric Railway within the city. It takes about an hour or so to get there, which is where Konpira Shrine is located.
It’s not easy, but not too hard either—to reach the top of Konpira Shrine, you’ll need to climb over 1,300 steps. I think the biggest challenge is actually how beautiful the scenery along the way is, which makes you want to stop and take it all in. When I was walking up, the road was slippery due to the rain, and I even considered stopping somewhere along the way. From what I observed, not many people make it to the shrine at the top—most stop partway.
To succeed, you must keep putting in effort—that’s a common saying, but to reach the top, you really do need a bit of perseverance and determination. No matter how few people continue on, you have to keep going till the end.
Text and photos by Dan @ A Half Travel Journalist’s Story