Autumn Travel Guide to Kagawa: Fall Foliage, Setouchi Scenery, and Seasonal Food

With the summer heat still lingering, September is a good time to venture to Shodoshima and the other islands of the Seto Inland Sea.
Along with visiting places overlooking the sea, travelers can see harvest scenery at the Nakayama Senmaida Rice Terraces, where golden rice stalks and red spider lilies add seasonal color. A place where you can learn about Shodoshima’s long-established soy sauce culture is also worth adding to the itinerary.
Including the ferry journey to the islands, this is an ideal season for planning a distinctly Setouchi trip.

As the heat eases in October, the weather is well suited to climbing the stone steps to Kotohira-gu Shrine and exploring the town at its entrance.
The shrine’s annual grand festival is held from October 9 to 11, with a sacred procession taking place on the evening of October 10.
Walk along the historic approach and through the temple town to experience the energy of an autumn festival while discovering Kotohira’s culture.

As the mountains change color in November, visit places known for autumn scenery, such as Kankakei Gorge, Ritsurin Garden, and Kotohira-gu Shrine.
On Shodoshima, travelers can also experience the island’s food culture through autumn-harvested olives, soy sauce, local sake, and more.
After touring the fall foliage in the gorge and gardens, savor Sanuki udon and Setouchi seafood to experience the deepening season throughout the day.

Shikoku’s only national government park covers approximately 865 acres along the shore of Manno Pond. From spring through autumn, visitors can see seasonal flowers in bloom, including tulips, nemophila, hydrangeas, and cosmos.
In addition to seasonal flowers, the grounds are dotted with places to experience nature, including Shoryu Falls, the Nature and Ecology Garden, which recreates a traditional rural landscape, and the Manno Pond Scenic Promenade. Large playground equipment, lawns, and bicycle rentals make it easy to explore the spacious park while viewing the autumn flowers.

This scenic area features approximately 800 rice terraces of varying sizes layered across slopes at elevations of 490 to 820 feet in the Nakayama district of central Shodoshima. The terraces take on different appearances with each season, filled with vivid green rice plants from spring through summer and golden rice stalks in autumn.
Selected as one of Japan’s 100 Best Rice Terraces, the area is also home to the nearby Komame Shokudo, where meals are prepared with rice harvested from the terraces. Take time to admire the rural scenery as it changes with the seasons.

This hilltop castle, with a history spanning 400 years, is a symbol of Marugame. Stone walls rise approximately 197 feet from the inner moat toward the keep, allowing visitors to see their distinctive fan-shaped curves up close.
The keep is one of only 12 surviving original wooden castle keeps in Japan and is designated an Important Cultural Property. Its white exterior harmonizes with the surrounding nature to create a picturesque landscape. From the top floor, visitors can look out over the Seto Inland Sea while taking in the stone walls, castle keep, and surrounding scenery together.

Built in 1835, this is Japan’s oldest surviving traditional playhouse. During the Edo period, markets were held in the bustling town visited by worshippers traveling to Kotohira-gu Shrine, while plays and sumo matches were staged in temporary structures. This building was later established as a permanent theater.
Features such as the budodana overhead rigging and kakesuji rope-and-pulley system have been restored, offering a sense of an Edo-period playhouse. Although it was once closed, the theater was preserved through the dedication of local residents and is now designated an Important Cultural Property.

This concrete reservoir dam was built on the upper reaches of the Kunita River in the Asan Mountains. It measures 477.4 feet long and 99.7 feet high. Viewed up close, its distinctive structure of five arches and six buttresses immediately stands out.
One of Japan’s earliest concrete multiple-arch dams, it was designated an Important Cultural Property in 2006. After decades of exposure to wind and rain, its imposing appearance resembles a medieval European castle and continues to fascinate visitors.

This museum is operated by Marukin Soy Sauce, which has continued making soy sauce with traditional methods for more than 100 years. Its large gassho-style building, one of the largest of its kind in Japan, is registered as a Tangible Cultural Property.
Inside, actual tools and display panels explain the history and production methods of soy sauce. The museum shop carries standard and limited-edition products, while visitors can also try soy sauce soft-serve ice cream made with raw soy sauce brewed in wooden barrels at the naturally fermented brewery.

This enormous Chinese juniper towers over the grounds of Hoshoin Temple, the 54th temple on the Shodoshima 88-Temple Pilgrimage. Measuring approximately 55.4 feet around its base and 68.6 feet tall, the giant tree is said to be more than 1,600 years old and is designated a Special Natural Monument of Japan.
About 3.3 feet above the ground, the tree divides into three large trunks, and its magnificent branches resemble an entire forest. Some sections look like an elephant, dragon, or turtle. Look up at the trunk to appreciate the tree’s immense scale.

Kankakei Gorge on Shodoshima is located in the heart of Setonaikai National Park. Its unusual rock formations were created through volcanic activity and erosion over many years.
A ropeway crosses the deep gorge, offering views of the Seto Inland Sea and the mountains covered in fresh greenery or autumn colors, depending on the season. In addition to the ropeway’s expansive views of the sky, sea, and gorge, hiking trails lead to the summit, allowing visitors to see the foliage-filled valley from different elevations.

Designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, this garden was developed over generations as a villa of the Matsudaira family, the lords of the Takamatsu Domain. With Mount Shiun as its backdrop, the garden features ponds, landscaped hills, and approximately 1,400 pine trees.
This strolling garden consists of six ponds and 13 landscaped hills. It is often described as presenting a new view with every step. Highlights include the view from the landscaped hill Hiraiho and Kikugetsutei, a teahouse favored by generations of feudal lords. Take a leisurely walk through the garden, where autumn colors mingle with evergreen pines.

Located on Mount Zozu, Kotohira-gu is the head shrine of all Kotohira shrines and welcomes approximately 4 million visitors annually. A long stone staircase extends from the town at the shrine’s entrance to the Main Shrine, with a total of 785 steps. Climbing one step at a time offers views of cultural properties, artworks, and the natural scenery along the approach.
After visiting the shrine, return to the town below to try treats such as Kyuman sweets, croquettes, and soft-serve ice cream made with Sanuki ingredients. The local Kotohira experience continues even after the walk through the autumn scenery.

Located along the approach to Kotohira-gu Shrine, this udon restaurant has a 65-year history. The building, a registered cultural property, is a former inn constructed more than a century ago. Handmade udon is served in its calm, traditional interior.
The broth blends kombu from Hokkaido with dried sardines from the Seto Inland Sea, dried mackerel, and bonito flakes, extracting their savory flavors over 15 hours. The thickness of the noodles is adjusted according to the season and temperature. Freshly fried tempura, chicken tempura, and torimeshi chicken rice made with Sanuki-grown rice are also available, making this a convenient place for a meal after visiting the shrine.

Because the previous owner ran a fish market, this Japanese restaurant in Takamatsu serves generous portions of seafood from the Seto Inland Sea. Its lunch menu consistently offers more than 20 choices, including bluefin tuna yukhoe rice bowls, octopus and sillago tempura, and shrimp with mayonnaise, along with sushi and grilled dishes.
The spacious dining area has counter seats, Japanese-style seating, and private rooms for small groups. Limited-time dishes made with locally harvested oysters are available in winter, allowing diners to select Setouchi seafood to suit their mood.

MORIKUNI is the only sake producer on Shodoshima. Its brewers carefully make sake using ingredients such as Oseto, a Kagawa sake rice grown in the Nakayama Senmaida Rice Terraces, and Sanuki Olive Yeast, developed from olives grown on Shodoshima.
The signature Shima Series features playful names such as Fuwafuwa., Fufufu., Utouto., and Bibibi. The grounds also include a gallery and bakery converted from former brewery buildings, where visitors can pair sake with ingredients from Shodoshima.

This restaurant and café is located in the mountains of Shodoshima overlooking the Nakayama Senmaida Rice Terraces. Guests can take a break amid the rural scenery while enjoying the Rice Terrace Onigiri Set Meal, prepared with rice harvested from the terraces.
The restaurant occupies a renovated building once used as a rice mill and believed to date from the early Showa period. In addition to indoor seating, there is a terrace overlooking the rice fields. Shodoshima somen noodles, juice made with island-grown fruit, and handmade sweets are also available, adding to a visit to the terraces.

Located a 10-minute walk from JR Hashioka Station, this well-regarded Sanuki udon restaurant serves slightly thin, pleasantly chewy noodles with fragrant broth. Choose from options including kake udon, bukkake udon, and meat udon.
For kake udon, both the noodles and broth can be ordered hot or cold and customized with tempura, green onions, grated daikon, and other toppings. In winter, the local specialty shippoku udon also appears on the menu, offering another distinctly Kagawa-style bowl.

Located in Hishio no Sato, an area lined with soy sauce breweries, this inn offers stays in spaces created from traditional homes and storehouses. Guests are welcomed by individually designed rooms and a dining area housed in a traditional home registered as a Tangible Cultural Property.
All eight guest rooms have free-flowing natural hot spring baths. A private bath with both indoor and open-air tubs is also available. At dinner, guests can savor a soy sauce kaiseki meal incorporating Shodoshima soy sauce and seasonal ingredients from the Setouchi region while spending an evening immersed in the island’s food culture.

This resort hotel is located a 3-minute walk from the popular sightseeing destination Angel Road. Every guest room offers panoramic views of the graceful islands of the Seto Inland Sea and the imposing form of Yashima in Shikoku, framed like a painting.
The hotel has 100 rooms, including rooms with open-air baths, suites, and Japanese-Western-style rooms. Its open-air bath overlooking the nearby sea is another welcome feature for travelers. Guests can experience the island scenery alongside meals featuring produce from Shodoshima’s sea and mountains.

Located near the approach to Kotohira-gu Shrine, this hot spring inn is easy to combine with a shrine visit. After walking the stone steps, guests can soak in an open-air bath overlooking the shrine and enjoy the seasonal scenery.
A wide range of accommodations is available, including Hatsune Premium Japanese-Western-style rooms with open-air baths. The hotel’s Ikiri restaurant incorporates elements of Chinese and Western cuisine into kaiseki meals made with seasonal ingredients. It is a place to connect a shrine visit, hot spring soak, and meal at a relaxed pace in Kotohira.