

Let me introduce myself. My
name is Tomoko Hiraki. I was born in Sanuki city, Kagawa Prefecture,
Japan on September 3, 1984.
I am a first year student at
Kagawa Junior College. My major is Infant Education.
My hobbies is listening to
music, watching TV and playing the piano.
My home page addres is:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/CollegeLife-Labo/4001/2004/503045.html
My Favorite Links
My friends
Akiko Nishikawa
Kana
Noguchi
Yurika Hashimoto
Mami Yoshida
Aya Hirafuku
Tomoko Hirai
Web Searches
Search Engine:Google
Directories:Yahoo! Japan|NTT
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その他のリンク
Textbook Links
Excite Translation
http://forum.nifty.com/flearn/
English-Japanese Vocabulary Quizzes
Bilingual
Vocabulary Quizzes
Sound Schedule
My favorite Region
Quoted from the Shikoku Bilingual
Guidebook by
Akiko Takemoto and Steve McCarty
PREFACE
Visiting or living in Shikoku is something
special< for this island has always been the spiritual sanctuary
of the Japanese people. No other place in Japan has been visited
by so many generations of pepole from all over the country.
They have often spent more than 60 days
walking along the whole cirvcuit of the eighty-eight temples that
compose the longest, oldest and most popular pilgrimage in Japan.
Even those who have arrived here in wearinness
of life, in unhappiness or weak health, have usually left the
island with a lighting heart, more enlightened, and in many cases
in improved health.
Though today the island is quite accessible
and traveling around it can be very easy, some of the eighty-eigh
temples still remain very hard to reach.
This pilgrimage circling the island is
nattonally known as O-Shikoku-san, showing that "Dear old
Shikoku Pligrimge" is synonymous with this island and provides
sanctuary to the soul of Japan. The scenes along the Shikoku Pilgrimage
correspond well to what Shikoku offers - the Seto Inland Sea,
the Uwa-kai Sea, the Pacific Ocean, the green mountains that crown
a large part of the island, cosy little towns and middle-sized
cities that fringe the coasts.
Its climate is mild; the seas are bountiful;
the land is fertile. Naturally local pepol have been content with
their blessed island, even if it has remained underdeveloped since
the 8th century. Until then the northern coast of Shikoku was
among the first areas to enjoy civilization in Japan, as proved
by so many archaeological findings.
Remote as it was for many centuries,
however, Shikoku did not stand aloof but observed movements on
the Inland Sea as an artery of Japan's cultural, political and
economic development. On the other hand, Shikoku's unique attractions
such as the Shikoku Pilgrimage, Kompira worship and the Dogo Onsen
Hot Spring spa have always drawn a large number of people from
the capitals and other parts of the main island of Honshu and
neighboring Kyushu.
Naturally those visitors brought something
new with them each time, just as refugees and exiles from the
capitals added color to the island's history. They were welcomed
and sometimes the culture they brought here was carefully preserved
or developed even long after being forgotten in its homeland -
language, festivals, arts how peculiar to shikoku have added another
dimen on rewarding travelers to this island.
A nwe type of attraction in Shikoku is
the fruit of modern technology that the waves of development have
finally broutht here in the 1980's and 90's - the colossal bridges
connecting Shikoku with the main island, pleasure resorts, them
parks, museums, skyline drives and relatively inexpensive golf
courses. So the charm of Shikoku can rightly be called an exquisite
coexistence of tradition and modernity, nature and art.
Last but not Ieast is a spiritual climate of Shikoku
that has produced people like the father of the Shikoku Pilgrmage, who is often
credited as a father of Japanese culture, the man who aired the idea, of the
Seto Ohashi Bridge, and two young men who turned out to be most instrumental in
carrying out the modernization of Japan, opening Japan's door to the world as an
independent nation. They were all rare cosmopolitans in Japanese history. There
must have been something inspiring on this island.
Wehope
this gudebook
will help you enjoy Shikoku, and Japan herself seen through Shikoku, finding
inspiration of your own by traveling around this smallbut
great island. Bon voyage!

Takamatsu City
-the Gateway to Shikoku-
Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa Prefecture, which
has traditionally been called the gateway to
Shikoku, with the whole land of the prefecture justting out into the Seto Inland
Sea like a porch.
JR Takamatsu Station next to Takamatsu
Harbor is the terminal of the Kotoku Line for Tokushima Pref,
theYosan Line for Ehime Pref.,and the Dosan Line for Kochi Pref,while
serving as the bus terminal to Tokushima Matsuyama and Kochi City.
Takamatsu Cikko just opposite JR Station is the terminal of Kotoden
trams to and from Kotohira, the seat of 'Kompira-san.'
The New Takamatsu Airport handles non-stop
flights to and from Seoul, Korea.
Another place in Takamatsu appropriate
as a gateway to Shikoku is the Takamatsu Heike Monogatari Historical
Monogatari literature called Heike Monogatari but also about 50
great historical figures closely associated with Sikoku or native
to Sikoku.
Takamatsu became the capital in1587 with
the advent of Lord I as governor of Sanuki Province. The castle
he built on the harbor was succeeded by 4 generations of his descendants,
and then by 11 generation of Matsudaira lords, governing Takamatsu
Province with a fief of 120,000 koku.
One ninth of the former castle ground
is preserved as Tmamo Koen Park across the street from JR Takamatsu
Station. The donjon is gone, but two of the 15 turrets and Mizute
Gomon Gate from the 17th century (Important Cultural Properties)
survived the air raid in 1945. Admission:100 yen.
Traditionally the popujar sightseeing
spots in Takamatsu are Ritsurin Koen Park near downtown and Yashima
Plateau overlooking the city and the Inland Sea. They are accessible
by bus or tram, with terminals at Takamatsu Chikko just opposite
JR Station.
Ritsurin Koen Park
30 minutes' walk from JR Takamatsu Station.
The busy street in front of JR Takamatsu
is the main street of downtown Takamatsu, and leads to the main
gate to Ritsurin Koen Park, a National Special Scenic Spot.
This Spacious garden laid out with shapely mounds, cool ponds
and about 160 varieties of trees and flowers provides a classic
of a Japanese garden or even a Chinese Taoist paradise fit for
meditation.
Originally it belonged to a local warlord,
and then to Lord Ikoma. when it was transferred to the Matsudairas,
they spent five generations developing it into a larger stroll-type
garden for their villa. Seasonal charms of flowers and blossoms
such as ume (Japanese plum blossoms) in February, camellias
in March, cherry blossoms in April, wisteria and azaleas in May
Irises and water lilies in June, giant lotuses in August, and
Japanese bush clover in September, and brilliant maple leaves
in November add to the pleasure of strolling.
Kikugetsu-tei, one of the pond-side teahouses,
was originally one of the Matsudairas' formal buildings. The museam
just inside the main gate houses a variety of mostly local handicrafts.
there is a zoo, inside the gate. Open daily. Admission to the
park: About 300 yen.
Yashima Plateau
Bus: 30 minutes' ride from Chikko to
the terminal (Kotoden Bus for Yashima-sanjo or Yashima Hilltop).
Tram + Cable: 30 minutes' tram ride
from Chikko to Yashima (Shido-sen Line) + 5 minutes' cable-car
ride.
Yashima, a pine-wooded tabieland to
the northeast of downtown Takamatsu, is one of the world's rare
lava mesas, about 290 m high, justting 5 km out into the sea.
The hilltop, overlooking the archipeiago
the InlandSea, features Yashima-ji (No.84) an aquarium and observatories
all linked by forest promenades.
One of the observatories, Dankorei commands
a view of the inlet fringed with memorials to the Gempei Yashima
Battle (the second last battle in Gempei War fought between
the two rival clans, the Minamotos amd the Tairas).
Once a British poet, Edmund Blunden,
visited Yashima and wrote a poem that was engraved on a stone
here at Dankorei observatory:
Like a long roof, men say, and will they
say, This hill of warrior ghosts surmounts the plain...
Gempei War
In 794 Kyoto became the capital of Japan
and it enjoyed peace for about 350 years (811 - 1155) - the longest
peace Japan has ever attained in her history.
The last 30 years of this period, however,
were far from peaceful. In 1156 the first battle took place in
the capital, thus opening up a new era dominated by martial emotions.
Two martil clans -the Minamoto and Taira clans - began to acquire
greater and greaterinfluence in politics through fighting against
each other in the name of "the Emperor" or "the
Ex - Emperor".
In 1159, the Tairas succeeded temporarily
in staving off the Minamotos. The 20 years that followed saw the
Tairas rise to increasingly control the Imperial Family, the Ex-Emperors,
powerful priests, warriors and lords, to say nothing of the Minamotos
in exile.
In 1181 the patriarch of the clan Taira
no Kiyomori died just when the Tairas faced more battles against
the Minamotos, who were gradually consolidating their power.
In 1183 the Tairas were driven from the
Capital along with the 6-year-old Emperor Antoku and his mother,
who was Kiyomori's daughter. They wandered far in search of supporters,
while fighting losing battles.
Now in 1185, Minamoto no Yoshitsune
attacked the remaining Tairas here at Yashima, then at Dan-no-ura
in the westernmost corner of the Inland Sea, where the proud
Taira finally fell, the noblewomen casting themselves into the
sea with the child Emperor Antoku.
Thus the age of ancient nobility yielded
to the age of Shoguns (1185-1867).
Yashima-ji Temple treasures in its museum
a folding screen depicting the Gempei no Kassen Battles. The bell
in the belfry, cast in Kyoto in 1223, was dedicated here for the
repose of the defeated Tairas. But no one can strike the bell,
as there is no hammer. They say, "Strike the bell, and invoke
the ghosts of the Tairas."
On the last weekend in March the Gempei
Yashima Festival is held, whose highlight is the Warriors' Pageant.
It was an insurrection caused by the
discord between Emperor Goshirakawa(1127-92) and Ex-Emperor Sutoku(1119-64).
Sutoku was defeated and banished to Sanuki(Kagawa Pref.) to die
a miserable death 8 years later. His ashes were buried at Temple
81. In 1184 the court elevated him to Shinto deity to placate
his ghost.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune(1159-89): By bringing
about victory in the civil war, Yoshitsune had greatly helped
Minamoto no yoritomo, his elder brother, who in 1192 was to establish
the first Shogunate at Kamakura. But Yoshitsune had to spend the
rest of his life escaping Yoritomo, until four years later he
killed himself. His tragic life and death was so appealing to
Japanese sentiment that he has taken on heroic proportion in Kabuki,
Noh and Joruri plays, based on what is called Yoshitsune
Literature.
Very few Japanease visit Yashima without
being reminded of an episode shown in the picture above:
It was on the afternoon of February 19,
1185, that Minamoto no Yoshitsune mounted another surprise attack
against the Tairas at the then Yashima Island. Frightened by the
imagined immensity of enemy forces, the Tairas jumped into their
boats and sailed off. A fierce battle lasted for hours.
Now the sun was setting. Both sides began
to retreat, when a fair vessel parted from the Taira legions and
stopped about 80 m from the beach. Then a beautiful lady appeared
from the cabin, produced to the puzzled warriors on the shore.
"What does she mean?"said Yoshitsune.
"Perhaps she is inviting one of
us to shoot the fan. Or she may be inviting you to come out onto
the front line for her archers," said his attendant.
"Then let it be shot down by someone,"
said Yoshitsune.
Soon a young man called Nasu no Yoichi
appeared on horseback with bow and arrow in his hands. The north
wind was strong. The boat was tossingup and down.The fan painted
with the golden sun at its center was fluttering on the pole.
All the Tairas in the boats and all the
Minamotos on the shore were watching Yoichi. What would he do?
Would he succeed?
Yoichi rode into the water as far as
he could. But it was still about 70 m to the target. He closed
his eyes and prayed. Then the wind fell for a moment. He shot.
The arrow pierced through a little above the rivet. The fan, flying
up a moment or two, came floating down, glittering in the setting
sun. There was great applause from both sides.
Then a man in armor appeared in the same
boat. He began to dance an elegant dance perhaps in genuine appreciation
of Yoichi's archery. Then Yoichi got another order and shot down
the dancing man, too. Some said, "Good shot !" But others
said, "Not fair."
The Tairas were silent this time. Was
it a precursor of their demise? Two months later, the Tairas finally
fell.

This is an open-air museum laid out at
the foot of Yashima Plateau. About 20 old rural buildings from
various parts of Shikoku have been reassembled here, including
a Farmers' Kabuki Theater, peasants' houses, a fisherman's house,
a sugar mill, a shed for steaming mulberry bark to make paper,
and workshops for making soy sauce and so on. There is a reprica
of Kazura-bashi from Nishi Iyayama-son, too.
Open daily: 8:30 - 16:30. Admission.
500Yen
On May 5 people including children from
Shodoshima Island, from which the Kabuki Theater came here, stage
an annual performance of their traditional farmers' Kabuki.

Japan's largest wax doll museum. The
first is dedicated to the 41 dolls of historical figures or modern
men and women of celebrity who have been closely associated with
Shikoku.
The one of Kobo Daishi in his nyujo
has its own corner as a special exhibition.
The other dolls include:
- Sakamoto Ryoma
- Nakaoka Shintaro
- Nakahama Manjiro
- WencesIau de Moraes
- Inokuma Genichiro
- Tkahama Kyoshi
- Ninomiya Chuhachi
- Setouchi Jakucho (Iiterature: 1922-
)
- Makino Tomitaro
- Yasuoka Shotaro (Iinterature: 1920-
)
- Kagawa Toyohiko (religion, social
work, Iiterature: 1888-1960 )
- Yokoyama Ryuichi (cartoons: 1909-
)
- Terada Torahiko (science, essay:
1878-1935)
- Abe Yoshishige (philosophy, education:
1883-1974)
- Masaoka shiki
- Kotoku Shusui
- Nakae Chomin
- Kikuchi Kan (Iiterature: 1888-1948)
- Manabe Hiroshi (illustration: 1932-)
- Yoshida Shigeru
- Itagaki Taisuke
The second floor exhibits about 300 dolls
portraying the 17 scenes from the Heike Monogatari or The Tale
of the Tairas. The Saga, composed of a large number of revealing
episodes, was and still is an inexhaustible source of Japanase
Iiterature and art. Some of the most famous scenes took place
and at the foot of Yashima Plateau at the northeastern tip of
Takamatsu.
One hi-tech doll seen at the end of the
exhibition is what was called biwa hoshi or a blind biwa
- playing bard who traveled around chanting The Tale the Taira
Family even before it was written down in the first half of
the 13th century. Its opening passage is especially famous for
its Buddhist idea of impermanence that goes as follows:
- The bell of Gion Monastery tolls
- The impermance of all worldly things.
- The color of sal blossoms shows the truth that
- Even the most prosperous inevitably decline.
- The proud will fall like a dream on a spring night.
- The valiant must perish, too, as
- Frail as dust blown by a puff of wind.
The doll begins to talk and sing the first line of the opening
passage when it senses visitors approaching.
Open daily. Admission: 1200yen
(High scool students: 800yen Children: 600yen)
Yoshida shigeru (1878-1967), Prime Minister from 1946 to 1954,
is credited with giving Japan direction through her most difficult
times after the war.
The Seto Ohashi Bridge
The Kojima-Sakaide Route, popularly known as the Seto Ohashi
Bridge, was completed in 1988. It is the world's longest two-tiered
bridge system, stretching 13.1 km from to Sakaide, connecting
the 5 islands in between.
The 11 bridges in the system include 3 suspension bridges,
2 twin cable-stayed, 1 truss and 5 viaducts. The upper level accommodates
a motor expressway of four lanes, and the lower contains Japan
Railway's system for a dual track ordinary line at present and
for a dual track superexpress line in the future.
The first person to air the idea of the Seto Ohashi Bridge
was Okubo Jinnojo (1849-1891), a Kagawa native, who at that time
was constructing the first Shikoku Roads to link all the prefectures
on the island. In 1889 Jinnojo disclosed his dream in a congratulatory
speech he made as a member of the Prefectural Parliament at the
opening ceremony of the first railroad in Shikoku between Marugame
and Kotohira.
Exactly a century later, the Bridge came into being after decades
of planning and ten years of construction, 13 million workers
involved (with the loss of 17 lives), and costing 1,190,000 million
yen.
Surprisingly, Jinnojo had also foretold man's traveling to
the moon in his favorite drinking song of his own making, which
went as follows:
I'll tell you, dear, don't laugh at me, a hundred years from
now, I'll be seeing you flying to and from moon in a space ship.
Its port, let me tell you, dear, will be that mountaintop over
there!
One of the best points to view the Bridge is Yoshima Island
a central pier of the Bridge. It also serves as a sightseening
outpost for the Shikoku and Inland Sea Districts, providing 2
parking areas for those who like to enjoy bridge-viewing, seafood
and shopping.
To Yoshima: 25 minutes from JR Sakaide by bus.
Another is a rotating tower 132 m tall at the Seto Ohashi Memorial
Park at the foot of the Bridge in Sakaide.The Memorial Hall provides
all kinds of information on the Bridge and its construction, while
the park itself applies modern art to stone and water.
Admission to the tower :800yen
Admission to the Hall: 510yen.
To the Seto Ohashi Memorial Park: 10 minutes from JR Sakaide
by shuttle bus (free of charge).
The Gold Tower near JR Utazu Station offers a marvelous view,
too. The 144m tower made of half-mirror glass is the tallest of
its kind in Japan, housing the Sky Lounge, restaurants, stores
and a World Toilet Museum.
Open daily. Admission to the tower: 800yen /1000yen(Toilet
Museum included).
To Gold Tower: 8 minutes walk from Keihan Fisherman's Wharfon
Yoshima, Memorial Park and Sakaide Port(1000-1500yen).
25 minutes' train ride from JR Takamatsu.
To the Castle: 15 minutes' walk from JR Marugame.
The three-storied donjon on top of a
green hill crowns the city of Marugame. When a Marugame Province
of 53,000 koku was formed in 1641, an old castle was reconstructed
and the castle seen today dates back to 1660, one of the few genuine
Edo Period castles remaining in Japan.
The present-day Marugme is famous for
uchiwa or round paper fan manufacturing, producing about
90% of these fans in Japan.
The Castle Park, 15 minutes' walk from
JR Marugame, is surrounded by moats, featuring the donjon, a couple
of main gates (all Important Cultural Properties) and walls from
the 17th century. The 4-level 60m ramparts, the tallest and among
the most beautiful in Japan, also contribute to the beauty of
the castle.
O-shiro Matsuri Castle festival is held
on the 3rd weekend in May.
The Inokuma Genichiro Modern Art Museum
adjacent to JR Marugame Station is dedicated to Inokuma Genichiro
(1902-93).
Banshoen Garden built in 1688 as villa
for the Lord of the Province is 10 minutes' drive from downtown
Marugame. One of the galleries ther houses Chinese ceramic ware
and a collection of Iranian earthenware and glassware dating back
to 2500 B.C. through the 1200's A.D. Open daily.
Admission to the Garden & Galleries:1000yen
(student:600yen, Children:400yen)
10minutes' walk from Nakazu-bashi Bus
Stop after 10 minutes' ride from Marugame Toricho near the castle.
(Kotosan Bus for Zentsuji via Tadotsu)
(From JR Kotoden) 5 minutes to JR Zentsuji
by ordinary train.
(From JR Takamatsu) 40 minutes to JR
Zentsuji by express train (Dosan Line).
25 minutes' walk from JR Zentsuji along
the street in front of the station.
Zentsu-ji Temple, is known as the birthplace
of Kobe Daishi Kukai. Kukai is one of the greatest geniuses Japan
has ever produced. He made a great contribution in remolding Japanese
religion, while making unparalleled achievements as a scholsr,
poet, artist, calligrapher, sculptor, arshitect, educator, socilworker,
inventor, discoverer and civil engineer.
The giant camphor trees near the five-storied
pagoda in the East Precinct are said to have already been several
hundred years old when Kukai was born in 774. The Mieido Hall
in the West Precinct at the foot of the green hill is the Birthplace.
Visitors may traverse the basenent of
the hall along a pitch-dark path. This introspective journey is
called kaidan-meguri. The entrance is at the right-hand
corner of the Hall. The entrance fee includes the admission to
the Museum.(300 yen)
The utter blackness along the path symbolizes
the darkness of the human mind or human ignorance of the Truth.
The notice says: "Go along with the palm of your left hand
pressed against the lotus flowers, is the Buddha's way. You will
be safely guided as long as you are on His Way.
After the Kaidan-meguri, arrows
guide you to the Museum. The temple treasures exhibited there
include a small clay pagoda Kukai as a mendicant priest, a rode
and a ritual stick (a National Treasure) of Indian make, both
presented to Kukai by his Chinese master Abbot Hui-kuo, and a
sutra scroll (a National Treasure) with each of the Chinese characters
accompanied by a little Bodhisattva on a lotus pedestal; Kukai
did the calligraphy, his mother the painting.

Shorinji Kempo is not merely a sport
or martial art, but a religiouse to approach the Buddha's spirit
in the principles of "self-realization" and "help
each other."
It was started by So Doshin I (1911-1980)
in 1947. Two years before he had been repatriated fpom Manchuria,
the northeastern part of China that "Imperialist Japan"
held for 13 years till the end of World War II. Doshin had seen
how people could be dehumanized in the dire extremities of war
and its aftermath. "Developing good humanity is the only
way to save Japan and the world at large, " he kept saying
to himself. Doshin, who had learned various martial arts in China,
pondered over the Zen philosophy of Bodhidharma himself was said
to have practised about 1,500 years ago when he brought Zen from
India to China. Finally, Doshin succeeded in restoring and reorganizing
the whole body of that art, which he named Shorinji Kempo. Now
its Headquar ters has more than 100 branches in 23 countries in
the world.

Kotohira-gu, a great shrine complex,
of ten affectionationately called Kompira-san, has been a celebrated
destination for pilgrims and tourists for hundreds of years.
According to legend, Kompira-san came
into being when Kumbhira -a guardian god of Buddhism, originally
a Hindu crocodile god of the Ganges, was beckoned by a Buddhist
priest of Matsuo-ji, a thousand-year-old temple in this neighborhood.
Kumbhira
from the holy waters of the Ganges was naturally believed to be
a mighty patron deity for seamen, fishermen and rice-growing farmers,
and in later years came to be considered a Great Incarnation of
the Buddha himself.
But the temple remained a Shinto shrine
in part, with Omononushi-no-mikoto, the native god of fertility,
medicine and commerce also summoned from the mythological land
of Izumo. Omononushi-no-mikoto, along with Daikoku-ten representing
Chinese folk religion, were then identified with the Indian god
Kumbhira (Kompira), a case of religious internationalism
in classical Japan.
In 1868 Buddhism and Shintoism were separated
by law, and Omononushi became the chief god along with the deified
Emperor Sutoku who had been enshrined here in the 15th century.
Yet "Kompira Worship" continued to flourish, for the
Hindu deity had already enshrined himself deep in the hearts of
the Japanese people.
There are 785 stone steps to climb before
one reaches the Main Shrine. Fortunately its route consists first
of a quiet promenade lined with gardens, shrines and museums.
The numberiess granite lanterns, fences and tablets bordering
the approach were all dedicated by Kompira worshippers nationwde,
as were the stone steps themselves.
Many of the shrine treasures in the Homotsukan
Museum the Gakugeikan Museum Omote-shoin and Oku-shoin Art Museum
were offered by famous artists, poets, lords of Provinces and
characters of historical renown. In the 17th century the Tokugawa
Shogun, augmenting its prosperity.
Asahi-no-yashiro Shrine in the Buddhist
style is the former Main Hall. The present Main Hall is a few
more flights of stone above.
Emado Hall near the Main Shrine is a
gallery for votive tablets and offerings mainly from seamen. In
March 1889 there was offerings a photograph of the Brooklyn Bridge
in NewYork -the Eighth Wonder of the World at that time -dedicated
by a Japanese acrobatic troupe that had completed a tour around
the U.S.A So it is thought that Okubo Jinnojo seeing the photograph
here, was inspired to envision the Seto Ohashi Bridge that he
proposed in May that same year.
About an hous's walk to Okusha or the
Inner Sanctuary further along the path through primeval forest
is enjoyable to nature-lovers, though one has to climb 583 more
stone steps.
On the night of October 10, a grand procession
starts at the Main Hall at 9 p.m., slowly marching down the 785
stone steps into the downtown streets as far as far as 0-tabisho,
the Sacred Destination This is the highlight of the 3-day Grand
Festival of this time-honored shrine.
Izumo: An ancient city in Shimane Pref.
on the Japan Sea; one of the political and religious centers during
the mythological age.
At the foot of the mountain there stands
Kompira Oshibai Kabuki Theater, the oldest Kabuki theater remaining
in Japan. A guide shows visitors around the building including
the primitive but ingenious device to operate the rotating stage.
Open daily except Tuesdays.
Admission: About 300yen
In Kabuki Season in mid-April or May,
firstclass Kabuki actors are invited from Tokyo or Osaka to perform
under almost the same condition as their ancestors did in the
17th through 19th centuries.
For further inrormation about the dates
and tickets call the office of JR Shikoku in Takamatsu: (0878)23-0973
To JR Kanonji from JR Takamatsu: 70minutes
by shuttle train.
To the Park: 20 minutes' walk across
downtown Kanonji
Kotohira Koen Park features a pine-wooded
sand beach and a shady hill with the ancient shrine Kotohiki Hachiman-gu
at the top and two of the 88 Temples - Jinne-in and Kannon-ji-at
the foot.
One should not miss the Zenigate huge
coin known as Kan-ei-tsuho carved about 2 m deep in the
white sand. It is best viewed from a hilltop observatory behind
the Hachiman-gu Shrine. Its broad rim looks completely circulsr
from there, but in reality it is elliptic with a circumference
of 345 m. When and how it came into being is a mystery, providing
a subject for endless debate among local people.
(From Tkamatsu Port)
35 minutes by speedboat to Tonosho Port.
Especially Noted Products: olives, olive
goods, soy sauce and somen noodles.
Shodoshima Island is the second largest
island in the Seto Inland Sea. It is nicknamed "Olive Island"
as olive saplings were successfully transplanted in 1908 from
Greece to the soil of this island of all places in Japan.
In spring and autumn a green number of
pilgrims arrive here island. For further information, call the
Shodoshima Reijo-0kai (0879)62-0227.
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