Kagawa Prefecture

Domestic flight from Tokyo Haneda to Takamatsu Airport (75 min, then 45-min bus). From Osaka: JR Limited Express Marine Liner from Okayama (60 min, JR Pass valid). Direct shinkansen from Tokyo to Okayama (3.5 hours) then Marine Liner.

Yes — and overnight if possible. Day-trippers from Takamatsu (60-min ferry) can see the Benesse House Museum, Chichu Art Museum, and Yayoi Kusama pumpkins. Staying overnight on Naoshima or nearby Teshima opens up the Lee Ufan Museum and the Teshima Art Museum.

Yes for fit travellers — 1-1.5 hours up, 30 min down, with rest stops. Older or mobility-impaired visitors can rent palanquins (¥6,800 one-way to step 365). Bring water; the cedar avenue is shaded.

Sanuki udon (chewy hand-cut wheat noodles eaten 3-4× a week locally), Naoshima art islands, Ritsurin Garden, the 1,368-step Konpira shrine, and Marugame Castle's tallest stone walls in Japan.

One day for Takamatsu and Ritsurin Garden. Two days adds a Naoshima art-island day. Three days lets you reach Marugame Castle and Kotohira's Konpira shrine.

The Onigashima caves on Megijima (Momotaro folk-tale setting), the hilltop fishing village of Ogijima with its Spanish-style village, and the architectural Teshima Art Museum on the next island over from Naoshima.

Beyond the obvious draws, Honjima (Shiwaku Islands), Kan'onji, Mure reward travelers willing to step off the main route — local pace, fewer crowds, and a closer feel for the everyday rhythms of the region.