My alarm went off at 8am and after a quick shower I packed my bag and checked out of the hotel. It's a beautiful morning with clear sky and the sun makes it feel quite warm.
First stop was the JR office at Takamatsu station to pick up my Shikoku Rail Pass for the next days.


Afterwards, I took the train for 10 minutes towards Ritsurin Garden, apparently the largest garden of its type in all of Japan.
It's a beautiful garden and I spent almost two hours wandering around. The colors will be even more impressive in the next months I assume.
Japanese Apricots already in full colors:






Then it was time for a late breakfast. I wanted to try more Udon as I've read it's one of the specialities of Takamatsu.
First stop for a late breakfast: Matsushita Seimenjo


Directly afterwards it was time for early lunch Udon Sakaeda

This last was definitely my favorite broth and overall dish. The noodles were good in all three places (including yesterday night) and I can't really name a favorite. The Tempura was definitely best last night at Tsurumaru.

I strolled back to Takamatsu station to visit the castle (ruins). It's a nice area with well maintained gardens and I walked through everything in around 30 minutes. Not much of the typical Japanese castle remaining tho.





Final stop in Takamatsu before hopping on the train to Kochi was the free observation deck on top of the "Symbol Tower" at the station. Impressive overview of Takamatsu and surroundings, including an overview of the just visited castle.