Shikoku Mura is an open-air architectural park in Takamatsu. Over thirty traditional buildings from all over Shikoku and beyond were brought here and reconstructed, with all of their original furnishings. The buildings date from the Edo period through to the Taishō period. Four building are Important Cultural Properties.

The exhibits include farmhouses, a lighthouse and keeper’s cottage, a vine bridge, a sugar cane processing facility, and a soy sauce production facility. There’s also a kabuki theatre from a farming village where performances are still held occasionally. An art gallery designed by architect Ando Tadao houses Buddha images and scrolls. A waterscape park features pools and waterfalls with aquatic plants that attract dragonflies and other interesting insects. One of the residences built for foreigners in Kōbe now houses a tearoom where you can enjoy a coffee break or a meal.

The park is located at the foot of Yashima, the dramatic plateau on the east side of Takamatsu. A trail winds through the wooded grounds visiting each of the buildings in turn. The range and variety of the buildings is extraordinary, and you can easily spend a whole afternoon exploring. Photographers will find a visit particularly rewarding. The museum provides a fascinating insight to the sort of lives people led in Shikoku as Japan transitioned from a feudal to an open society. It’s especially convenient that all the buildings can be seen in one place.