Rainy Day in Kagawa: Best Indoor Spots & Activities

Kagawa Prefectural Higashiyama Kaii Setouchi Art Museum

On a day when raindrops trace their paths down the window glass, this museum reveals its true value — it is so perfectly suited to rainy days that one might almost call it a "museum designed for the rain."

The Kagawa Prefectural Higashiyama Kaii Setouchi Art Museum — centered on a collection of prints by Kaii Higashiyama, one of Japan's greatest modern painters — sits quietly on a hilltop in Sakaide City with a sweeping view of the Seto Inland Sea. The moment you step inside, the first thing that takes your breath away is the beauty of the space itself. Designed by the acclaimed architect Yoshio Taniguchi, this refined museum is a place for deep, meditative engagement with Higashiyama Kaii's lifelong pursuit of "landscapes of silence" — with the sound of rain as a natural accompaniment, the space becomes almost like a meditation room.

The misty forests and tranquil waterscapes depicted in his famous prints overlap uncannily with the rainy atmosphere of the Seto Inland Sea visible through the museum windows, creating an emotional resonance on a rainy day that fine weather simply cannot produce. The museum shop offers catalogs, postcards, and a range of original goods featuring Higashiyama Kaii motifs — expect to linger longer than planned.

Access: About 20 minutes by taxi from JR Sakaide Station, or about 10 minutes by car. Opening hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.). Closed Mondays (or following day if Monday is a national holiday). Admission: Adults 200 yen; special exhibitions priced separately.

---

Kotohira-gu Shrine Treasure Museum (Kotohira Town)

Kotohira-gu Shrine (Konpira-san) in Kotohira Town is famous for its stone stairway — 785 steps to the main shrine, and 1,368 steps to the inner shrine. On a rainy day, the misty atmosphere along the stone steps creates an ethereal, otherworldly beauty. But for those who want to fully appreciate the shrine's cultural depth while staying dry and comfortable, the Treasure Museum and the Ema-do (Votive Picture Hall) are ideal destinations.

The Treasure Museum houses a superb collection of ancient artifacts, artwork, and historical documents related to the shrine — including painted votive offerings and masterworks by celebrated Japanese painters. The Ema-do (Hall of Votive Pictures) is particularly remarkable, displaying a large collection of ema (votive tablets) related to seafaring and maritime safety — reflecting Konpira-san's deep historical connection to sailors and the sea.

Rainy days often mean fewer tourists at the shrine, allowing for a more contemplative experience at the museum and the atmospheric stone stairway path.

Access: About 20 minutes on foot from Kotoden Kotohira Station or JR Kotohira Station.

---

Ritsurin Garden (Takamatsu City)

Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu City — one of Japan's most celebrated strolling gardens and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty — is particularly beautiful in the rain. The teahouse pavilions and pine trees reflected in the rain-rippled pond surface create a scene of profound, meditative beauty that no sunny day can quite replicate.

The garden was completed in the early Edo period and took over 100 years to reach its current form. Walking through the garden in the rain, listening to the sound of water dripping from pine branches and pattering on the pond's surface, allows you to experience the garden's refined beauty in an entirely different register from a fine-weather visit.

The Kikugetsu-tei teahouse within the garden serves Sanuki matcha (green tea) and traditional Japanese sweets — warming up with a bowl of tea while watching the rain fall on the garden is a deeply restorative experience.

Access: About 3 minutes on foot from Kotoden Ritsurin Koen-Kitaguchi Station. Opening hours: Open from dawn to dusk (hours vary by season). Open year-round. Admission: Adults 410 yen.

---

Marugame Udon Tasting Tour (Marugame City)

When the rain starts falling, there is no better reason to dedicate yourself to the ultimate Kagawa comfort food — a udon tasting tour. Kagawa Prefecture is Japan's most famous udon region, home to the distinctive "Sanuki udon" style characterized by its thick, firm, chewy noodles and clear dashi broth. On a rainy day, the number of tourists decreases, queues at popular shops are shorter, and you can move between udon shops at a leisurely pace — making it arguably the best possible day for a Kagawa udon crawl.

In Marugame City, udon shops open from early morning, and the steaming bowls of fresh, hand-made noodles are irresistible on a grey, rainy day. Many shops follow the Kagawa tradition of self-service — choose your noodles, select your toppings, and pay a very affordable price. The entire experience is casual, democratic, and delicious.

Recommended approach: Start with a simple kake udon (plain noodles in broth), then progress to more complex variations like bukkake udon (cold noodles with concentrated dashi poured over) and kamaage udon (noodles served directly from the boiling pot).

---

Kagawa on a rainy day is an invitation to slow down and appreciate the subtle beauty of a place that reveals different depths in different weathers. From world-class art to ancient shrine treasures, refined garden beauty, and soul-warming udon — rainy Kagawa has everything.