Kotohiragu

Konpira-san, as everyone calls it, is on the slope of Mount Zozu and is dedicated to a deity of seafaring; sailors and shipowners have made offerings here for centuries, and the votive halls are hung with paintings of ships, ship models, and photographs from crews. There is a barrel-offering practice in which people at sea set casks adrift with an offering inside, for whoever finds them to deliver. The approach is the point: 785 stone steps to the main shrine and 1,368 to the inner one, up a stair lined with shops selling walking sticks, sweets and udon, since Kagawa is the udon prefecture. Palanquin carriers used to take the infirm up for a fee, a service that has now ended. Along the way are the Shoin with screen paintings by Maruyama Okyo and, in the town below, the Kanamaruza of 1835, the oldest surviving kabuki theatre in Japan.

What you actually see

• 785 steps - to the main shrine, and 1,368 to the inner one.
• Seafarers' offerings - halls hung with ship paintings, models and crew photographs.
• The stair shops - sticks, sweets and udon along the whole climb.
• The Kanamaruza - Japan's oldest surviving kabuki theatre, in the town below.

When to go

All year; early morning before the heat and the crowds. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The climb is a real one and the return on tired legs is harder. The palanquin service has ended - there is no assisted way up. Summer heat on the exposed upper steps is severe. The inner shrine adds another 583 steps that most people skip.

Nearby

Zentsuji is north; Takamatsu and Ritsurin are north-east.