Shikoku travel guide: where to stay, when to go, costs

Shikoku suits travellers who want art islands, a castle-and-onsen town and a river gorge on one island, and the sample plans below run 3 to 5 days. Spring and autumn are the best seasons; winter is usually sunny on the Pacific and Seto sides, per the Japan Meteorological Agency, but the art islands lose days. Stay in Takamatsu for Naoshima and Kotohira, Matsuyama for Dogo Onsen, or Kochi for markets. One caveat: Chichu Art Museum is closed from 12 January to 19 March 2027.

Best for: art islands, onsen and castle towns, vine-bridge gorges, markets, pilgrimage walking.

Dollar figures use about ¥155 to US$1 and are rounded; you pay in yen, so check the rate. Sums are converted from the yen total. Benesse, Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama Castle, Iya and the rail pass come from official pages; other admissions are secondary and marked.

Which trip fits you?

Choose Takamatsu for the art islands, Matsuyama for Dogo Onsen and the castle, or a five-day loop through Iya and Kochi.

Plans for the first three are below; the Henro is covered under rules.

When should you go?

Go in spring or autumn; winter is sunny on the Pacific and Seto sides, but the art islands close for part of January to March.

What is on in winter 2026-27?

The art islands close for part of January to March, while Dogo Onsen, Teshima on Friday to Monday and the light shows stay open.

• Art islands. Chichu is closed 12 January to 19 March 2027. Benesse’s notice of 30 June 2026 announces a maintenance closure from January to March 2027 across Naoshima, Teshima, Inujima and the Benesse House hotel, with exact dates shown for Chichu only, so check Benesse’s calendar before you pay for a ferry or a bed. Naoshima New Museum of Art is closed 24 November to 12 December 2026 and Lee Ufan Museum on 19 December.
• Teshima. Open Friday to Monday only from 1 December to the end of February, 10:00 to 16:00, last entry 15:30. A Sunday morning programme, 9:00 to 10:00, runs on 13 December 2026 and 17 January, 14 February and 14 March 2027 for $15 (¥2,300) with admission; confirm the 2027 dates against the maintenance closure.
• Matsuyama and Dogo. The Dogo Honkan closes one day each December, and repair closures are posted on its site. Matsuyama Castle’s keep is shut on the third Wednesday of December, which is 16 December 2026.
• Iya. The Kazurabashi is open daily 8:00 to 17:00 from September to March, except in severe weather. A 2024 notice showed a vine-replacement closure from 9 January to mid-February, so check yearly. One guide says the Oku-Iya bridges are closed December to March. Winter driving and narrow-road guidance is not found.
• Lights. A listing gives Sanuki Mannou Park’s Winter Fantasy as late November 2026 to mid-January 2027, and Ritsurin’s illumination as about 10 days in late November. Both are unconfirmed.
• Kochi and Henro. Kochi Castle is reported closed 26 December to 1 January. High Henro temples can have snow, and locals advise against winter walking, per a pilgrim guide.

Awa Odori 2027 dates are not announced, Yosakoi 2027 is reported as early to mid-August, and the Setouchi Triennale returns in 2028, reportedly mid-April to early November. All three are unconfirmed.

How do you get there and around?

From Tokyo, take the Shinkansen to Okayama, then the Marine Liner across the Seto Ohashi Bridge to Takamatsu.

JAL and ANA fly Haneda to Takamatsu several times a day, per a dated page, and route databases show low-cost flights from Narita in about 1 h 40. The Takamatsu Airport bus takes 40 to 50 minutes; quoted fares conflict, $5 to $6 (¥740 to ¥1,000). Okayama to Matsuyama by Shiokaze takes about 2 h 50 and to Kochi by Nanpu about 2 h 30. Kotohira is about 50 minutes by JR limited express, or about 1 h by the cheaper Kotoden. Not found: current flight fares, the Shiokaze and Nanpu fares, and the Takamatsu to Tokushima time and fare.

Cyclists can ride Shimanami Kaido between Imabari and Onomichi, about 70 km in 4 to 10 hours (unconfirmed); its Honshu end is in Chugoku.

Before you book Sellers show three different Marine Liner fares. Check the railway’s own fare before you pay.

What does the All Shikoku Rail Pass cost?

A 3-day pass costs $77 (¥12,000) and a 7-day pass $130 (¥20,000) for passes sold from 1 October 2026, per JR Shikoku’s notice of 6 August 2026:

• Prices. 3-day: $77 (¥12,000) adult, $39 (¥6,000) child. 7-day: $130 (¥20,000) adult, $65 (¥10,000) child. The 4-day and 5-day passes are gone, and the Kagawa Mini Rail and Ferry Pass ended on 30 September 2026.
• Covered. Unreserved seats on JR Shikoku, Tosa Kuroshio Railway, Asa Coast Railway (with limits on the DMV), Kotoden and Tosaden. Not the Sunrise Seto sleeper, buses, the Shodoshima ferry or Olive Bus. Iyotetsu has been out since March 2026 (unconfirmed), and the pass stops at Kojima, past the Seto Ohashi Bridge.
• Buying. Foreign Temporary Visitor status only. Two online resellers sell QR passes that scan at the gates; other sellers exchange for paper at Takamatsu, Matsuyama, Tokushima, Kochi or Kotohira stations or TiS Okayama.

Does it pay off? Only on a loop of about three long legs. Takamatsu to Matsuyama $44 (¥6,800), the Matsuyama to Kochi bus $26 (¥4,000) and Kochi to Takamatsu $41 (¥6,320) cost $110 (¥17,120), against $97 (¥15,000) with a 3-day pass and the $19 (¥3,000) pass-holder bus fare. The sums use reserved-seat fares and the pass covers unreserved seats, so a like-for-like comparison is tighter; the break-even is an estimate, not an official figure. The bus time is not found. For Takamatsu, Kotohira and the islands alone, skip the pass.

Driving needs a paper 1949 Geneva permit (Can I rent a car in winter with an IDP?).

Where should you stay?

Stay in Takamatsu for the art islands and Kotohira, Matsuyama for Dogo Onsen, Kochi for markets, and Tokushima or Iya for the gorge.

The Tokushima tourism board lists several Iya onsen hotels, among them Hotel Iya Onsen and Hotel Kazurabashi. Their fees, hours and tattoo rules are not found.

What are the highlights?

Book Chichu and Teshima online for a timed slot, because walk-ups are refused once a slot sells out. Fees are adult and can change; “online” is the advance price.

Teshima asks for shoes off in places and suitcases, umbrellas and tripods in lockers, and bans drones, phones, ink pens and any photo, video or sketch. Chichu bans photos and phone use too. Lee Ufan Museum costs $8 (¥1,200) online, opens 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) and closes Mondays. Inujima costs $14 (¥2,100) online, by reservation; its hours were not found.

Kotohira’s climb takes 40 to 60 minutes to the main hall, about 2 hours round trip, or 2.5 to 3 hours with Okusha, per a secondary guide. Kochi’s Sunday Market runs 1.3 km with more than 430 vendors, per the city. Secondary listings give Kochi Castle at $3 (¥420), 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30; Katsurahama Aquarium at $10 (¥1,600); and Naruto cruises at $12 (¥1,800) and $15 (¥2,400). Two secondary guides put the Naruto whirlpools at their best 1 to 2 hours either side of high or low tide, and the Uzu no Michi walkway costs $3 (¥510). Bryde’s whale tours from Usa run May to October at $39 (¥6,000) for adults, per one tourism listing (unconfirmed); more whale seasons are in Whale watching in Japan, month by month. Kotohira-gu fees, hours and closed days are in Western Japan temples and shrines.

How do you get to the art islands?

Takamatsu to Naoshima takes about 60 minutes for $4 (¥680) by ferry, and Uno to Naoshima about 20 minutes for $2 (¥370). Fares are adult, one way, from Benesse’s access page.

Naoshima’s port is Miyanoura and Teshima’s is Ieura. Timetables differ by weekday, and Ieura is skipped when the Teshima museum is closed. A secondary guide puts the last Naoshima ferry near 20:00, varying by season and weather.

What should you eat?

Eat Sanuki udon in Kagawa, tai-meshi in Matsuyama and katsuo tataki in Kochi. These prices come from dated secondary pages; dishes by region are in the Japan food guide.

Prices for Tokushima ramen and Ehime mikan, and restaurant booking lead times, are not found.

Where can you soak?

Dogo Onsen is the one Shikoku bath here with an official price list. The whole Honkan reopened on 11 July 2024, with work continuing and the baths open. It closes one day each December, and repair closures are posted on its site.

The first four are in the Honkan. A three-bathhouse ticket is $9 (¥1,440), 20% off, valid 2 days. The Yushinden alone is $3 (¥500), and private rooms can be booked on Dogo Onsen’s official booking site. Asuka-no-yu’s fee is not found.

No tattoo wording appears on the official Honkan, manners or Tsubaki-no-yu pages, so ask at the desk. Some guides give a policy without a source; it is not repeated here. The manners page asks bathers to wash first and skip phones and photos. More in Tattoos and onsen, Can I use an onsen with a tattoo? and Onsen etiquette; Best onsen in Japan, compared sets Dogo beside other onsen towns.

What do sample itineraries look like?

Three plans, costed for the rail, ferries and admissions named; beds, meals and trams are extra.

Itinerary 1: Takamatsu art and Kotohira, 3 days, staying in Takamatsu

1. Day 1: Ritsurin Garden, $3 (¥410), open from 7:00 in December and January. Udon for lunch.
2. Day 2: Naoshima by ferry, $9 (¥1,360) return. Chichu on a weekday, $16 (¥2,500) online, then the Art House Project, $8 (¥1,200). Book both online.
3. Day 3: Kotohira by JR limited express. The main hall is 785 steps, about 2 hours round trip. The official pages list no fee for the grounds and steps.

Sum: the priced lines above come to $35 (¥5,470), before the Kotohira train, whose fare is not found. From Tokyo, the reserved Nozomi and the Marine Liner add $115 to $130 (¥17,620 to ¥19,910) one way, depending on which Marine Liner fare is right.

Between 12 January and 19 March 2027, swap Chichu for Benesse House Museum, $8 (¥1,300) online, after checking Benesse’s wider closure. Teshima on a Friday to Monday adds $19 (¥2,900) for the return ferry and $12 (¥1,800) entry, $30 (¥4,700) in all.

Itinerary 2: Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen, 3 days, staying in Matsuyama

1. Day 1: Takamatsu to Matsuyama on the Ishizuchi, about 2 h 30, $44 (¥6,800). Matsuyama Castle: keep $3 (¥520) plus ropeway round trip $3 (¥520). In December it closes at 16:30.
2. Day 2: Dogo Onsen by tram. Tama-no-yu 2F, $13 (¥2,000), and Tsubaki-no-yu, $3 (¥500).
3. Day 3: Uchiko or Ishiteji, named by a secondary guide with no times found, or the Shiokaze to Okayama.

Sum: the Ishizuchi $44 (¥6,800), the castle and ropeway $7 (¥1,040) and the two baths $16 (¥2,500) come to $67 (¥10,340), before trams. The pass does not cover Iyotetsu, so it adds little here.

Itinerary 3: Takamatsu, Iya and Kochi, 5 days, spring or autumn

1. Day 1: Takamatsu and Ritsurin, $3 (¥410).
2. Day 2: Naoshima, ferry $9 (¥1,360) return, and Benesse House Museum, $8 (¥1,300) online.
3. Day 3: Rail to Oboke station, time not found, then the bus to the Iya Kazurabashi, about 20 minutes. Entry $4 (¥550); it closes at 17:00 from September.
4. Day 4: Kochi. Hirome Market from 8:00, the Sunday Market if it is a Sunday, and the castle at a listed $3 (¥420).
5. Day 5: Shimanto back to Takamatsu, about 2 h 10, $41 (¥6,320).

Sum: the priced lines come to $67 (¥10,360), before the Oboke and Kochi legs, whose fares are not found.

What are the rules, safety and taxes?

Learn the tsunami rule, expect typhoon cancellations from June to September, follow Henro etiquette if you walk and check lodging tax at booking.

Safety Kochi Prefecture’s safety guide (dated 2017) says a tsunami can follow any earthquake: move quickly inland or to high ground, and learn the words “jishin” and “tsunami”. Arrival times and heights vary by coast on the Nankai Trough (unconfirmed).

Typhoons run June to September, and the Kazurabashi and island ferries can close in bad weather. Bears on Shikoku are unconfirmed; see Bears in Japan.

The Henro is about 1,200 km between 88 temples. A pilgrim guide says stamp offices close near 17:00, to bow at the gate, to ring the bell once on arrival and not on leaving, and to accept gifts from locals (osettai) thankfully. No official rulebook is found. General rules: Shrine and temple etiquette; long walks are covered in the Wild and Trek guide.

A secondary list current to April 2026 shows no lodging tax for Shikoku’s four prefectures, Takamatsu or Matsuyama. That is absence of evidence, so check at booking; other cities are in Hotel taxes in Japan. Tax-free shopping changes from 1 November 2026, covered in What changed in Japan in 2026.

Can I…?

• Can I rent a car in winter with an IDP? Yes, with a paper 1949 Geneva permit.
• Can I use an onsen with a tattoo? Depends on the bath; Dogo Onsen states no policy on its official pages.
• Can I use a private onsen bath? Yes, where the venue offers one; some are for overnight guests only. Fees and slots vary.

Related guides: Onsen guide, Staying in a ryokan, Plan the trip and Japan culture.

Where next?

• Destinations: every region and city.
• Chugoku, across the bridge, for Okayama.
• Kansai, for Kyoto, Osaka and Nara.
• Kyushu, the next island west.
• Kanto, for Tokyo.