The Ritsurin Garden Autumn Illumination in Takamatsu has begun. If you want to enjoy a nice evening of scenic beauty and a leisurely walk, look no further. Ritsurin Garden (栗林公園) in Takamatsu is the place to be this autumn.
Autumn Illumination at Ritsurin Garden
Every year, Ritsurin Garden hosts a nightly illumination event for a limited period of time during the autumn season. This year, you can enjoy the beautiful scenic walk from November 23rd to December 2nd.
Make sure to take your camera with you to capture amazing pictures of this majestic garden. Ritsurin Garden also offers a boat ride on a Japanese wasen (和船) to see the beautiful lights around the garden. The boat tour is offered at the Nanko South Pond. As beautiful as the garden is at night, you should also pay it a visit during the day to enjoy the autumn colors in their complete glory.
History of Ritsurin Garden
Being one of the most famous historical gardens in Japan that measures about 750,000m², Ritsurin Garden, which translates to Chestnut Grove Garden, first came to be during the late 16th century and was extended to the size we see it today by Ikoma Takatoshi, a feudal lord of Takamatsu, in the 1630’s. Buildings were later constructed inside the garden that still stand today. The construction took over 100 years before it was finished. The garden was opened to the public for the first time in 1875 and was designated as Special Place of Scenic Beauty in 1953.
Visiting Ritsurin Garden
The garden can take a whole day just to explore. There are so many things you can see and do. Many people even have picnics and spend an entire day inside the garden. The garden offers many shops and places to eat snacks. It even has a teahouse that was built in 1640.
The Ritsurin Garden Autumn Illumination is ideal for people of all ages. The garden at night is a thing of beauty. You will be amazed at the amount of work and effort the staff puts in order to bring the garden to life in the night’s darkness. Make sure to dress appropriately because it will get very cold at night.
If you have a whole day to spare, I highly recommend that you enjoy the garden’s two different faces, during the day and at night. You will be amazed at this Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
Ritsurin Garden information
Website
Address
1-20-16 Ritsurincho, Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture 760-0073
Timings
- Round the year, the garden is open from sunrise to sunset. Exact hours vary each month.
- During the Autumn Illumination, it is open until 9 p.m. The illumination begins at 5 p.m. Final admission to enter the garden is at 8:30 p.m.
Admission fees
- ¥410 for adults and ¥170 for children up to 15 years old.
- There are no additional fees to see the illumination.
Access
- From Takamatsu, take the JR Kotoku line and get off at Ritsurin Koen Kitaguchi Station. The garden is about a three-minute walk from the station. The one-way trip costs ¥210.
- Alternatively, you can take the Kotoden line from Takamatsu Station and get off at Kotoden Ritsurin Koen Station, from which it will take about ten minutes to walk to the garden. The one-way trip costs ¥190.
- If you decide to take the bus from Takamatsu Station, get off at the Rirsurin Koen Mae stop, which is one-minute walk away from the garden entrance.
- You also can drive to the garden, but parking is limited and please take into consideration that the Autumn Illumination will attract more tourists than usual.
- You can also go on your bicycle and park for free.
