To travel from Naruto to Kotohira, you can initially take the JR train directly to Ichinotani, then transfer to another train to reach Takamatsu, and finally, transfer yet again to get to Kotohira. However, considering I also need to take the JR train from Kotohira to Hiroshima the next day, I opted to use the Kotoden (Kotohira Electric Railroad) for my journey to Kotohira. This approach allowed me not only to experience other railways in the Shikoku region but also to enjoy the rural scenery of Shikoku along the way.
As mentioned in my previous article, “Transportation in Shikoku: The Railway Section,” Kotoden operates three routes. I took the Kotohira Line, which goes from Takamatsu Chikko to Kotoden Kotohira Station. The journey takes about 1 hour and 2 minutes.
Takamatsu Chikko Station is located next to Tamamo Park and is also adjacent to Takamatsu Castle.
Takamatsu-Chikko Station
Just a typical tram station on the road.
You can see the platform from here.
However, most of the train tickets in Taiwan are now using IC cards, so for people like us who buy tickets, we cannot go through the automatic ticket gates.
Before buying a ticket, of course, it is necessary to first take a look at the fare table.
Then buy the ticket!
Boarding the Qindian Qintingping costs ¥610.
Just as I mentioned, those who purchase train tickets can only pass through this “”staffed ticket gate”” where their tickets will be punched with a small hole.
This is the Kotohira Electric Railway.
The inside of the car looks like this.
Before boarding the car, you can see the moat next to it (Takamatsu Castle is divided into outer moat, middle moat, and inner moat).
It is said that this moat uses seawater, which is quite unique, and there are also koi fish inside…
Sha Qiao Bridge
You can’t see it while waiting for the bus, but as soon as you get on, you’ll soon see the Takamatsu Castle Keep.
After getting on the car, you can take a look at the street view.
Due to being a streetcar, and with many stations being unmanned, there is a small sensor at the exit of the station…
When getting on and off at an unmanned station, what should you do? For those using an IC card, if you want to enter the station, just tap it on the machine marked with “”入””. If you want to exit the station, tap it on the machine marked with “”出””. And what about those who buy tickets? Well, they can only go to the first car and then, when getting off, hand the ticket to the driver.
Finally, when you arrive at the exit of the Keihan Electric Railway Kinnotori Station, just tap your card and you’re good to go. For those who need to purchase a ticket, simply hand your ticket to the station staff and you’ll be all set.
Above is the process of traveling from Takamatsu to Kotohira~
Supplementary Explanation:
1. At unmanned stations, there are IC sensing machines and ticket vending machines at the entrance to the platform. At this time, you can purchase a ticket with cash and board the train directly. If you are getting off at an unmanned station, you can walk to the front door of the first carriage and hand the ticket to the driver.
2. Starting from March 3, 2018, Kotoden now accepts IC cards such as ICOCA, Suica, and others.
Reference Material:
Kotoden: http://www.kotoden.co.jp/
Tamamo Park: http://www.tamamokoen.com/
『Original Source：https://nicklee.tw/1220/』
