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The sun is well above the horizon and the blue of the sky is deepening. It is 8 a.m. Bicycles zip to and fro down a street of tightly shuttered shops; businessmen in suits and women with skirts aflutter peddle hurriedly to their workplaces. Another day has begun.
Downtown, banks and corporate buildings rub shoulders with the prefectural office buildings, city hall, museums, culture halls, and other public buildings. The city’s main street cuts through the urban cluster on a roughly north-south axis. Car traffic increases as the sun climbs higher. The median strip dividing the large six-lane avenue is lined with majestic camphor trees almost 10 meters tall. Their rich green foliage is a refreshing sight for pedestrians.
Well maintained roads, public facilities, and soaring structures mark Takamatsu, capital of Kagawa Prefecture, as a thoroughly modern city. Takamatsu is located at the northeast corner of Shikoku, one of the four major islands in the Japanese archipelago. The city has since ancient times functioned as the gateway between Shikoku and the main Japanese island of Honshu.
Takamatsu is only around one hour from Tokyo by air, but the principle route of entry for both people and products is by car or train across the Seto-Ohashi Bridge—actually a series of six bridges—that spans almost 10 km of straights.
Of course, the sea itself is another important carrier of traffic. Takamatsu Harbor stretches along the northern edge of the city and has functioned as a commercial transport hub since the latter half of the 15th century. The flow of people and goods through Takamatsu has continued unabated for centuries and the city remains to this day the political, economic, and commercial center of Shikoku. |
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| Takamatsu Station is the gateway to Shikoku. The tall building in the background is the new Takamatsu Symbol Tower, which just opened at the end of March. The 30-floor building houses prefectural and commercial offices as well as a variety of shops. |
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