Ritsurin Garden
The largest of Japan's cultural-property gardens, with six ponds and thirteen landscaped hills.
piggybackjapan.com
Ritsurin Garden
SaveThe largest of Japan's cultural-property gardens, with six ponds and thirteen landscaped hills.
A boatman rows visitors around the south pond, so the garden can be seen from the water.
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- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Diaper binDiaper disposal bin：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Kids' toiletKids' toilet seat & step stool：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：with conditionsconditions
Green = we confirmed it. Grey = not checked yet. Grey with a line through = the place does not have it.
Near here
Worth a look before you go
First-hand
Takamatsu One-Day Itinerary: Ritsurin Garden, Mt. Yashima and More
Ask at the entrance for the free stamp rally. Two hours round the grounds past 1,400 pines, then matcha at the teahouse.
travelynotes.com2025
Guide
Ritsurin Garden Kagawa Guide: Daimyo Garden & Six Ponds
Three minutes from JR Ritsurin-Koen-Kitaguchi to the North Gate. Thirty lockers by the East Gate, six by the North.
jeepe.jp2024
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Things to do in October: the wooden boat at Ritsurin Garden
Booked on the day; a boat 30 minutes later had room. You get an umbrella and a life jacket. Geishun bridge is very low.
ameblo.jp2023
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Autumn in Tokushima and Kagawa (6): five hours in Ritsurin Garden - morning porridge, the boat, the guided tour
Book the morning porridge at Kaen-tei, eat it at Hanka-tei: three groups a day. In at 8:00, boat at 9:00, out at 13:06.
4travel.jp2021
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Matcha and plum blossoms at Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu
The tatami room at Kikugetsu-tei has heated carpet, and wide-set pillars leave the pond filling the view from your seat.
s-imanani.com2023
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Basics
- Fee：Adults ¥500, elementary and junior-high pupils ¥170, preschool children free. Groups of 20 or more pay ¥400 and ¥140. Admission is free on 1 January and on 16 March, the garden's anniversary. Free entry for holders of a disability certificate or a medical certificate for a designated intractable or chronic childhood disease (a carer comes in free too), and for residents of Kagawa Prefecture aged 65 and over on showing a longevity handbook - the age discount does not apply to visitors from outside the prefecture. Prices went up on 1 June 2025; the children's rate did not change.■■■
- Hours：Open every day of the year, roughly from sunrise to sunset, so the hours change every month: 7:00-17:00 in January, 6:30-18:00 in March, 5:30-18:30 in April and May, 5:30-19:00 from June to August, 6:00-17:30 in October, 7:00-17:00 in December. There are no lights in the garden and it gets very dark half an hour after sunset. After closing time you leave by the East Gate. The garden closes at short notice when a storm warning is issued for the Takamatsu area.■■
- Time needed：90 min
- Booking：Admission tickets are sold at the gate, with nothing to book in advance. The boat ride on the south lake is separate and can be reserved by phone.■Official booking site ↗
evidence & sources (6)
- my-kagawa.jp: Stroller friendly, Nursing space, Indoor / outdoor
- ritsuringarden.com: Stroller friendly, Nursing space, Stroller access notes
- Official: main site
The lords of Takamatsu spent more than a century finishing this garden, which served as their villa. Six ponds and thirteen landscaped hills fill the grounds, and the view changes with every step. A boatman rows a small wooden boat around the south pond. The Shoko Shorei-kan, a symmetrical hall of 1899, was once the prefectural museum. Paths are laid with gravel, and strollers and wheelchairs are lent at the ticket window. There are no lights, and it goes dark soon after sunset.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Strollers, wheelchairs and walking trolleys are lent free at the ticket window. The paths are laid with gravel, and rolling suitcases are asked to go in a locker before you enter. A separate garden map for people using a stroller or a wheelchair is published, because some stretches are hard to push through. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | my-kagawa.jpritsuringarden.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing space | Yes (3) | Three rooms: in the east wing of the Shoko Shorei-kan, by the Kobusha toilets, and at the tourism office. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | my-kagawa.jpritsuringarden.com |
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Outdoor | A garden you walk through in the open air. There are no lights, and it gets very dark half an hour after sunset. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | my-kagawa.jp |
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | English-speaking staff | A free English volunteer guide walks the model course on the first and second Sunday of the month, except in July and August. English guides can also be arranged for a booked tour, up to a week ahead, on 087-833-7411. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | my-kagawa.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Quietness (guide)Extra info — guide only | Yes | Balls and play equipment cannot be brought in, and running or jogging is not allowed. Picking plants or insects, catching fish or birds, and feeding animals are also out. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | my-kagawa.jp |
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | Three minutes on foot from JR Ritsurin-koen-Kitaguchi station, ten from Kotoden Ritsurin-koen station, one from the Ritsurin-koen-mae bus stop, about seven minutes by car from JR Takamatsu station and about thirty from Takamatsu airport. The prefectural car parks hold 30 cars at the East Gate and 32 at the North Gate, at ¥100 per 25 minutes, with the accessible bays on the entrance side of the East Gate car park. Coin lockers stand by the East Gate (30) and the North Gate (6) at ¥200-400; anything that will not fit is held at the tourism office for ¥400 a piece. Only guide dogs and other assistance dogs may come in. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ritsuringarden.commy-kagawa.jp |
Not checked yet (4)
Official family-friendly certification, Best-fit ages (guide), Crowding (guide), Lost-child support