Marugame-machi (丸亀町), Takamatsu

Marugame-machi is the most celebrated and historically significant shopping district in Takamatsu City on Shikoku Island in Kagawa Prefecture, running through the heart of the city as one of the longest and most continuously active covered shopping arcades in Japan. It is a district of considerable commercial heritage, ongoing urban regeneration, and a quietly confident civic pride that reflects Takamatsu's position as the most prosperous and culturally active city on Shikoku.

The arcade has been the commercial backbone of Takamatsu since the Edo period, when the city served as the castle town of the Matsudaira clan and the streets around Marugame-machi hummed with the activity of merchants, craftsmen, and the samurai class who patronized their establishments. That centuries-old commercial continuity has given the arcade a depth of local identity and community attachment that distinguishes it from more recently developed retail environments.

The Marugame-machi Shopping Arcade stretches for approximately 470 meters through the center of Takamatsu, forming the most important single section of a much longer network of connected covered arcades that together extend for nearly 2.7 kilometers through the city. This combined arcade system is one of the longest in Japan and serves as the primary commercial artery of central Takamatsu.

The most architecturally distinctive and celebrated feature of Marugame-machi is its remarkable glass dome atrium at the northern entrance of the arcade, completed as part of a major regeneration project in 2006. The dome, designed by architect Hiroshi Naito, creates a dramatic and light-filled public space that has been widely recognized as one of the most successful and sensitively designed urban regeneration interventions in Japan.

The regeneration of Marugame-machi is studied internationally as a model for revitalizing traditional Japanese shopping arcades that faced severe commercial decline in the late 20th century due to suburban retail development and changing consumer habits. The project separated land ownership from building ownership and introduced a carefully managed tenant mix that successfully attracted both established and new retailers while maintaining the arcade's historic character.

The Marugame-machi regeneration project was implemented in multiple phases over several decades, with each phase introducing new architectural interventions, retail mix improvements, and public space enhancements that progressively transformed the arcade from a declining commercial street into one of the most vibrant and frequently visited retail destinations on Shikoku. The project is now considered a landmark achievement in Japanese urban commercial planning.

The arcade contains a carefully balanced mix of established local businesses, national retail chains, specialty food shops, cafes, and restaurants that together create a retail environment serving both the everyday needs of Takamatsu residents and the interests of visitors exploring the city. The ground-floor retail is complemented by residential and office uses on upper floors, creating the kind of mixed-use urban vitality that the regeneration project deliberately sought to achieve.

The Ritsurin Garden (Ritsurin Koen), one of the most celebrated and extensively landscaped traditional gardens in Japan, is located a short distance south of the Marugame-machi arcade and is the most important cultural attraction in Takamatsu. The garden was developed by the Matsudaira clan over approximately 100 years from the early 17th century and covers 750,000 square meters of ponds, hills, pine trees, and tea houses that together represent one of the finest surviving examples of daimyo garden design in the country.

Takamatsu Castle (Takamatsu-jo), also known as Tamamo Castle, sits on the northern waterfront of the city and is one of only three remaining original sea castles in Japan, built directly on the shoreline of the Seto Inland Sea so that seawater could be drawn into its moats. The castle grounds, though lacking the original main keep, contain beautifully preserved turrets and stone walls accessible from the city center near the northern end of the arcade network.

The Seto Inland Sea waterfront immediately north of the city center is one of Takamatsu's greatest natural assets, offering views across the calm and island-dotted waters toward Naoshima and the broader Setouchi island chain. Naoshima Island, accessible by ferry from Takamatsu Port in approximately 50 minutes, is one of the most internationally recognized contemporary art destinations in Japan, housing major works by Yayoi Kusama, James Turrell, and other celebrated artists within a remarkable island landscape.

Takamatsu is perhaps most famous nationally as the home of Sanuki udon, one of the most beloved and celebrated regional noodle traditions in Japan. The thick, chewy wheat noodles served in a light dashi broth are considered the finest expression of udon culture in the country, and the Kagawa Prefecture tradition of small, unpretentious, extraordinarily high-quality udon shops is deeply embedded in the identity of Takamatsu and the surrounding region.

Marugame-machi and central Takamatsu are served by Kawaramachi Station and Katahara-machi Station on the Kotoden Kotohira Line, and by Takamatsu Station on the JR Yosan Line and JR Kotoku Line a short walk to the north. From Osaka, Takamatsu is accessible via the Marine Liner rapid train service through the Seto Ohashi Bridge in approximately 1 hour, and from Tokyo by Shinkansen to Okayama followed by the Marine Liner connection in approximately 3 hours 30 minutes total.