To the East of the Takamatsu Sunport area is the Yashima 屋島 flat top mountain. You can’t miss it as it is visible for miles around and is distinctive in shape.
You can get there by Kotoden train from Kawaramachi station. Just outside the Kotoden Yashima station you can get a shuttle bus to the top. On the plateau you’ll find an aquarium and a temple, as well as a number of abandoned hotels. You’ll also get a great view across Takamatsu and the Seto Inland Sea from the plateau which is 293m above sea level.
Yashima Aquarium
First I went to the Yashima aquarium (or the ‘New Yashima Aquarium’ as they are calling it. They claim it is home to 300 types of fish. There are many tanks of multi-coloured fish and other sea creatures.
As well as the static fish tanks they have a dolphin show, and a sea lion show.
You can spend quite a few hours here looking at the fish, and watching the shows. Children especially will appreciate the aquarium if they are getting fed up with all the cultural sites in the area!
Yashima Shrine
Very close to the aquarium on the top of Yashima is the Yashimaji Temple. This is one of the 88 temples in the Shikoku Island 88 temple pilgrimage. You can spend 10-15 minutes here looking around.
Other attractions in Yashima
If you are making a visit to Yashima you might also want to visit the Shikoku-Mura museum which is at the foot of the mountain. Click the link to read my review of it.