The deeper side of Kagawa you don't know - The charm of eastern Kagawa where history and the future intersect

A tour of attractive spots through posters! A tour of Higashikagawa discovered by junior high school students

When walking around Higashikagawa, you can see posters all over town where junior high school students are having fun introducing places to visit.
The posters were shot in 2022 and 2023 and were created by student council members from three junior high schools in the city as "tourism promotion posters that promote the charm of the local area." Under the theme of "Making our hometown more exciting," they visited Instagram-worthy spots and introduced the good points of the area from their own perspective.

The poster project started from an idea submitted to the public in the "Higashikagawa City Exciting Idea Contest!!" Undaunted by the scorching heat of summer, the children toured their favorite spots in their daily lives that they found beautiful, thought up poses, and worked hard to take photos.
For the junior high school students, these places are part of their everyday lives, so it must have been difficult for them to notice the good things about their local area, but they participated enthusiastically and created a poster that conveys their affection and pride for their hometown.

One of the spots used on this occasion was Shiratori Shrine. The shrine is said to have been the place where Yamato Takeru arrived as a white bird, and is a symbol of the history and culture of the region.
Colorful windmills, which change their motif with each season, spin around the shrine grounds, making a rustling sound. The shrine also holds an annual festival called "Omikan Yaki" at the end of the year, where people eat roasted mandarins and pray for good health. Cute stamps and fortune slips based on this festival are also available.
The giant camphor tree at Shiratori Shrine, which is about 800 years old, is a sight to behold. It was also used in the poster shoot.
Behind the grounds is the Swan Pine Grove, a beautiful pine forest that is definitely worth a stroll around after visiting the shrine.

"Hikida Bay Art," which was also chosen as the scene for the poster, is one of Higashikagawa City's attractive spots. Large wall artworks continue, allowing you to enjoy art while feeling the sea breeze. There is a wide variety of styles, including works that dramatically depict local specialties and the fertile seabed, as well as colorful and pop expressions.
This coastal art prompted people to gradually start painting other shutters and other items in the area, spreading a creative atmosphere throughout the area. The area is transforming into a place that offers new discoveries and fun for visitors, and is also gaining popularity as a photo spot.
The Hiketa area has been selected as a new exhibition venue for the Setouchi Triennale (Setouchi Art Festival) in 2025. It is expected that the historic townscape and modern art will blend together to create a unique charm that complements each other. For visitors to Setouchi Triennale, there will be more opportunities to learn about Higashikagawa as part of their tour of the arts in Kagawa Prefecture, and the area will become even more popular.

The poster project, which visualized the charms of Higashikagawa by the students, is a work filled with their passion for the region and their unique perspective. Through the fresh eyes of the junior high school students, the hidden charms of Higashikagawa were rediscovered, and the local adults seemed to gain new insights from their creative expressions.
This project also shows a view of Higashikagawa that is not found in conventional tourist guides, with a youthful sensibility, and is an approach that brings new experiences to travelers. Why not use this poster as a reference and go on a trip to discover the new charms of Higashikagawa with a refreshing perspective, just like the students?

[Inquiries regarding posters] Higashikagawa City Board of Education

Shiratori Shrine

Higashikagawa City Waterfront Art Project

Historical townscape and innovative aquaculture technology, Hiketa townscape and Adoike pond

Hiketa is a historic port town along the eastern coast of Kagawa. It has been known as a "wind-waiting port" since the Heian period, and flourished as a transportation hub for transporting goods, including soy sauce brewing, sugar, salt, and other white products of the region, known as "Sanuki Sanpaku," which became popular around the middle of the Edo period.

The old streets of Hiketa, which continue from the Edo period, are a popular tourist spot. Merchants' houses, soy sauce breweries, and townhouses line the streets, and various buildings spanning the eras from the Edo period to the Showa period still remain.
In particular, Sanshu Izutsu Yashiki is a tourist facility that was renovated from a merchant's house that has been producing soy sauce and sake since the Edo period. It is a museum that conveys the history of soy sauce and sake, and also functions as a tourist information center. There are various ways to enjoy the area, such as experiencing the traditional industries of the region, touring the mansion, purchasing souvenirs, and eating at restaurants.
The Sano family, who owned this building known under the trade name "Izutsuya," were involved in a variety of businesses including soy sauce and sake, and financially supported Osaka Gloves Co., Ltd., a company whose president was Tanaji Tatsuyoshi, who boosted the local industry with glove manufacturing.

During the annual Hinamatsuri (Girl's Festival), many tourists visit the town, with the beautiful buildings as a backdrop. Hiketa is a town that is full of history and culture, and is a fun place to stroll around, stopping off at various places along the way.

Hiketa is home to Adoike Pond, the site of the world's first successful yellowtail aquaculture. Adoike Pond is a deep inland bay surrounded by land, with a natural environment like a large pond, with seawater flowing in and out through a sluice gate. In 1928, Noami Wasaburo established a groundbreaking aquaculture technique in Adoike Pond, bringing about a major revolution in Japan's fishing industry.
Understanding the harsh conditions of the fishing industry, Noami meticulously studied feeding methods and water quality management, and after overcoming numerous failures, he succeeded in farming yellowtail.
A major issue facing the aquaculture industry in Hiketa is red tide. To mitigate this damage, Hiketa has adopted a unique method of using large fish pens that are 25m deep, deeper than the usual 9-10m. At Mare Ricco, a facility where you can learn about these aquaculture techniques and history, you can learn about aquaculture using models, and experience feeding and fishing for yellowtail.

A new initiative has now begun at Yasudo Pond.
That is "oyster farming."
Rather than using oyster raft farming, where oysters are farmed by dropping them into the ocean, oyster farming is done using a method called "single seed", where individual oysters are grown in a cage.
With this method, young oysters are placed in special baskets and allowed to grow while being rocked by the waves. In addition, IoT technology is used to collect and analyze water temperature and quality data in real time to maintain an optimal growing environment.
This allows even inexperienced fishermen to grow oysters efficiently, helping to solve the labor shortage problem caused by the aging population.
The experimental farming is progressing smoothly, and the first shipment is scheduled for this winter. Following the already branded "Hiketa Yellowtail," it is expected that this will become a new specialty product of the Yasudo Pond brand, under the name "ADO MILK."

The Hiketa area is where timeless history and an innovative future intersect. It is a special place where you can experience the world of good old history while also coming into contact with the challenges facing the region's future.

Sanshu Izutsu Mansion

Mare Rico Experience Learning Center