I am a first year student at Kagawa Junior college. My major is infant Education.

My hobbies are playing soccer, listening to music, and reading books.

They have often spent more than 60 days walking along the whole circuit of the eighty-eight temples that compose the longest, oldest and most popular pilgrimage in Japan.

Even those who have arrived here in weariness of life, in unhappiness or weak health, have usually left the island with a lighter heart, more enlightened, and in many cases in improved health.

Though todey the island is quite accessible and traveling around it can be very easy, some of the eighty-eight temples still remain very hard to reach.

This pilgrimage circling the island is nationally known as 0-Shikoku-san, showing that "Dear old Shikoku Pilgrimage" is synonymous wiht 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 people 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 archeological findings.

Remote as it was for many centuries, however, Shikoku did not stand aloof but observed, movenents 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 and techniques. These cultural assets now peculiar to Shikoku have added another dimension rewarding travelers to this island.

A new type of attraction in Shikoku is the fruit of modern technology that the waves of development have finally brought here in the 1980's and 90's - the colossal bridges connecting Shikoku with the main island, pleasure resorts, theme 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 least is a spiritual climate of Shikoku that has produced people like the father of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, who is often credited as afather 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 workd as an independent nation. They were all rare cosmopolitans in Japanese history. There must have been something inspiring on this island.

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 Chikko just opposite JR Station is the terminal of Kotoden trams to and from Kotohira, theseat of 'Kompira-san.'

The New Takamatsu Airport handies non-stop flights to and from Seoul, Korea. Another place in Takamatsu appropriate as a gateway to Shikoku is the Takamatsu Heike Monogatari Historical Museum that features not only the famous historical literature called Heike Monogatari but also about 50 great historical figures closely associated with Shikoku or native to Shikoku.

Takamatsu became the capital in 1587 with the advent of Land Ikoma I as governor of Sanuki Provinca. The castle he built on the harbor was succeeded by 4 generations of his descendants, and then by 11 grnerations of Matsudaira lords, governing Takamatsu Province with a fief of 120,000 koku.

One ninth of the former castle ground is preserved as Tamamo 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: 100yen

The busy street in front of JR Takamatsu is the main street of down town Takamatsu, and leads to the main gate to Ritsurin Koen Park, a Nationar Special Scenic Spot. This spacious garden laid out with shapely mounds, cool ponds and about 160 varieties of trees and flowers provides a classic example of a Japanese garen 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 in June, giant lotuses in August, and Japanese bush clover in September, and brilliant maple leaves in November add to the pleasure of strolling.

Tram + Cable: 30 minutes' tram ride from Chikko to Yashima (Shido-sen Line) + 5 minutes' cable-car ride.

Yashima, a pine-wooded tableland to the northest of downtown Takamatsu, is one of the world's rare lava mesas, about 290 m high, 3 km wide, jutting 5 km out into the sea.The hilltop, overlooking the archipelago of the Inland Sea, features Yashima-ji (No,84), an apuarium and observatories all Iinked by forest promenades. One of the observatories, Dankorei, commands a view of the inlet fringed wiht memorials to the Gempei Yashima Battle (the second last battle in Gempei War fought between the two rival clans, the Minamotos and the Tairas).

Once a British poet, Edmund Blunden, visited Yashima and wrote a poem that was engraved on a stone here at Dankorei observatory:

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 martial clans - the Minamoto and Taira clans - began to acquire greater and greater influence 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, inviting animosity from the reigning Emperors, 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 be-tween 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 heped 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 Japanese 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 houre.

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 a pole with a bright red fan on its top and beckoned to the puzzled warriors on the shore.

"What does she mean?" said Yoshitsune.

"Perhaps she is inviting of us to shoot the fan. Or she may be inviting you to came out onto the front life for her archers," said his attendant.

"Then let it be shot down by someone," said Yoshotsune.

Soon a young man called Nasu no Yoichi appeared on horseback with bow and arrow in his hands. The north wind was string. The boat was tossing up 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?

ypshi 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."

3 minutes' walk from the cable-car station.

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

30 minutes' walk from JR Takamatsu Station.

Japan's largest wax doll museum. The first floor 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, Wenceslau de Moraes, Inokuma Genichiro, Takahama Kyoshi, Ninomiya Chuhachi, Setouchi Jakucho, Makino Tomitaro, Yasuoka Shotaro, Kagawa Toyohiko, Yokoyama Ryuichi, Terada Torahiko, Abe Yoshishige, Nambara Shigeru, Masaoka Shiki, Kotoku Shusui, Nakae Chomin, Kikuchi kan, Manabe Hiroshi, 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 Japanese literature and art.Some 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 chaning The Tale of the Taira Family even before it was written down in the first half of the 13th century. I ts opening passage is especially famous for its Buddhist idea of impermanence that goes as follows:

The bell of Gion Monastery tolls

The impermanence of all worldly things.

The color of sal blossoms shows the truth that

Even the most prosperoys inevitably decine.

The proud will fall like a dream on a spring night.

The valiant must perish, too, as

Frail as bust 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 school students:800yen Children:600yen )

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 fro a dual track ordinary line at present and future.

The first person to air the idea of the Seto Ohashi Bridge was Okubo jinnojo, 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 come 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.

Surpisingly, Jinnojo had also foretold man`s traveling to the moon in his favorite drink-ing 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 the moon in a space ship.

I ts 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 sightseeing 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 i tself applies modern art to stone and water.

Admission to the tower: 800yen.

Admission to the Hall: 510yen

To the Seto Ohashi Memorial Park: 10 minuter from JR Sakaide by shuttle bus (free of charge).

The Gold Tower near JR Utazu Station offers a marvelous view, too. The 144 m 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.

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 Marugame is famous for uchiwa or round paper fan manufactur-ing, 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 60 m 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 onthe 3rd weekend in May.