In 1934, Yashima was registered as the first National Park in Japan. Yashima attracts many people for its unique large rooftop-like shape and spectacular mountaintop view of the Seto Inland Sea and Takamatsu cityscape.
Since the stone wall of Yashima Castle was restored in Spring 2017, its historical value has been re-evaluated.
Yashimāru, the Yashima Mountaintop Facility, constructed on the mountaintop of Yashima, the symbol of Takamatsu City, opened in August 2022.

Yashimāru is a new hub that connects visitors to the nature, history and culture of Yashima.

The tourist parking lot on the top of Yashima is approximately 30 minutes from the Takamatsu city center by car.
There is a uniquely-shaped building a 10 minutes' walk from the parking lot.
Yashimāru is a facility that widely shares the attractions of Yashima and the surrounding area, including its nature, history and culture, provides various meeting and learning opportunities using these attractions and acts as an oasis of relaxation. the building is a work of art made for the Setouchi Triennale 2022.

Let's tour Yashimāru with Ms. Chujo, the Facility Director. 

Being able to see through the outside trees and landscape on the other side of the gallery, you feel as if you were outdoors even when you are indoors.
Yashimāru's courtyard is built following the contours of the mountain. The thin and long building extends around the courtyard like a river flowing along the terrain.
The entire premises represents as one architecture and the structure was designed to blend into the natural background.

As you continue walking through the gallery, it gets narrower and narrower and the green of the trees outside gets closer and closer to you.
The treetops come into your peripheral view and you feel as if you were walking in the forest.
Nature is separated from the space by the narrowing and widening of the the gallery and the vertically and horizontally curved gallery directs the visitors' eyes naturally as they walk through it. This enables visitors to experience a constantly refreshing and impressive space.

Check out the original merchandise featuring the Yashimāru design available in the café and the shop space. 
The merchandise is designed by UMA/design farm (Osaka City; Representative: Yuma Harada), using the motif of light reflected on glass and the shape of waves on the Seto Inland Sea.

When you turn right along the gentle curve after walking through the café and shop space, suddenly the landscape spreads before your eyes.
It is an observatory space facing Shishi no Reigan (Lion Rock), one of the three greatest views of Yashima, and is the most recommended place within Yashimāru.

It is on a level higher than the Shishi no Reigan observatory, with a view of the islands in the Seto Inland Sea and Takamatsu City spreading along the Kasuga River delta.

"You can see Goshikidai and the Great Seto Bridge and, in distance, you can even see Mt. Zozu and Kotohira," explains Ms. Chujo.

Through the opposite window, you can see the flowing curve of the rooftop.The roof tiles are made of Aji Ishi, granite produced in Mure-cho and Aji-cho, towns adjacent to Yashima.
As many as 30,000 tiles were made and delivered by the local Sanuki Stone Processing Association.

The color of the surface of Aji Ishi changes from silver to a bluish tone depending on the intensity of the light, which makes the store more attractive.

【See more recommendations!】
▼Aji and Mure

▼Worth Seeing If You Have Half a Day! Takamatsu Stone Culture and Stone Sculpture Artwork

The facility includes a multi-purpose hall for holding exhibitions, events or conferences.
The spacious hall can inspire good ideas and new projects.

"Yashimāru can be a hub for people who watch insects in the nature, people touring historical sites, or people who enjoy hiking, for example. I hope that it will become a link between the visitors and the fields around Yashima," says Ms. Chujo.

Yashimāru's impression changes depending on the season, the weather, and the time of day. Why don't you discover the scenery for yourself?

A panoramic exhibition space is scheduled to open in October in time with the fall term of the Setouchi Triennale 2022. The space will showcase a grand panorama that does not currently exist in Japan, combining Genpei War-themed pictures with a diorama.

Yashima deno Yoru no Yume (One Night's Dream in Yashima): The Only Panoramic Painting in Japan

The Panorama Exhibition sign on the wall of the gallery indicates that you are about to enter the space where Yashima deno Yoru no Yume is exhibited. Yashima deno Yoru no Yume is a panoramic painting portraying the Battle of Yashima, a battle between the Taira and Minamoto clans that took place in Yashima. The panoramic painting style was revived by contemporary artist Toyomi Hoshina who is a professor emeritus at Tokyo University of the Arts. He painted the only panoramic painting in Japan.

Panoramic paintings are a form of spatial art derived from trompe-l'oeil painted on the walls of rotunda buildings using perspective techniques. The painting combined with the accompanying three-dimensional diorama in front of a painting creates an extremely realistic scene.
Panoramic paintings started to be exhibited across Japan in the 1890s in panorama pavilions built based on similar structures in the West, and they were immensely popular. However, their popularity declined over time and they eventually disappeared.

Stepping into the exhibition hall after walking through a dark room, the first thing that catches your eye is the warriors on horses in the golden morning light.

The dynamic painting, a 5-meter by 40-meter panorama, depicts morning on the right, midday in the middle, and evening on the left. The accompanying sound of waves and the lighting changes as the scene shifts from one to the other.

An audio guide is available in Japanese, English and both traditional and simplified Chinese, enabling overseas tourists to listen to commentary while viewing the painting.

How to view the painting

• Pay for a ticket at the entrance.
• Viewing time is limited to 20 minutes.
• Approximately 10 viewers are allowed at a single time.

Nearby locations that you should visit when visiting Yashimāru

New Yashima Aquarium

The aquarium is popular for its theatrical dolphin show and the show that includes seals holding umbrellas.
The visitors can enjoy interacting with animals such as penguins, otters and sea turtles through feeding experiences.

Reigan Chaya

Sky café with a view of the sky and the sea.
The space was redesigned by the architect who designed Yashimāru, Mr. Takashi Suo of SUO Co., Ltd. The entire building is elevated, enabling the landscape to be seen from the tables while preserving the traditional Japanese aesthetic of the original building.

Shopping arcade with a nostalgic atmosphere

Shops selling specialty goods from Kagawa Prefecture and handicrafts line the nostalgic streets.
You can buy earthenware, a Yashima specialty, for Kawarake Nage (the throwing of an earthenware plate). If you go a little further, you can find a restaurant that serves the local specialty, An-mochi zoni, throughout the year.

Kenbokuen and the top of Mt. Nishione

It is a special natural area featuring the prefectural trees from around Japan.
If you go south following the ridge line from Kenbokuen, you will reach the top of Mt. Nishione. From the mountaintop, you can enjoy a great view of Takamatsu City that stretches southward from Yashima.

The Yashima, Mure and Aji areas are filled with attractions!

▼Trekking on the approach to Yashimaji Temple - Walking along the pilgrimage route

▼Wander into the Shikoku of Bygone Days, at Shikokumura Museum

▼Yashima

▼Taste Exquisite Grilled Oysters, Straight from the Sea

▼Consider the wood and make George Nakashima-branded furniture.

Access to the top of Mt. Yashima

Yashima is also popular for its beautiful road. The parking lot accommodates approx. 390 vehicles.

▼Useful information is available on all YASHIMA, the official Yashima tourism website.

The top of Mt. Yashima is also accessible by public transportation.
▼Access information is available on all YASHIMA, the official Yashima tourism website.