Introducing places of interest: Setonaikai National Park (Kagawa Prefecture)
- Live Images of National Parks and Wildlife
(Internet Nature Information System) 
Goshikidai Plateau
Shodoshima Island
[Kankakei Gorge]
The second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea after Awajishima, Shodoshima Island is famous as the setting of the film Nijuyon no Hitomi ("Twenty-Four Eyes"). A scenic area rising 812 meters above sea level, the Kankakei Gorge is considered one of the three most beautiful gorges in Japan. The beauty of the ravine, the fresh verdure of spring, and the glorious foliage of fall at this location are truly impressive. The view of the Seto Inland Sea from the Kankakei Gorge is also breathtaking.
The entire eastern coastline of the island, the foot of Mt. Goishi in the southeast corner of the island, Mt. Shirahama at the southern tip of the island, and the entire area of Mt. Oto in the western part of the island are all part of Setonaikai National Park.
Naoshima Islands
[Megijima and Ogijima as seen
from Yukakutei]
Parts of Teshima and Naoshima islands and all of Ogijima and Megijima islands have been designated as belonging to the Setonaikai National Park. Teshima is an island that was shaken up by a controversy involving the illegal dumping of industrial waste. Its natural environment is being restored to its original state after years of lobbying by residents.
According to legend, Ogijima was given its name after a folding fan ("ougi") belonging to Nasuno Yoichi drifted ashore during the time of the Genpei Wars. A lighthouse on Ogijima is famously featured in the film Yorokobi mo Kanashimi mo Ikutoshitsuki ("Times of Joy and Sorrow").
Megijima is also known as Onigashima Island and is deeply intertwined with the legend of Momotaro. There is a cave atop Washigamine Peak in the north end of the island where fables say that ogres dwell.
Tosan
[Tsuda-no-Matsubara]
The Shirotori Coast, Kinrin Park, and Cape Ogushi in the eastern part of Kagawa Prefecture have been designated as belonging to the Setonaikai National Park.
The Shirotori Coast constitutes bold cliffs with complex geological layers visible to visitors. In particular, a lamprophyre dike swarm in Kaburagoshi has been designated a National Natural Monument.
Tsuda-no-Matsubara (Kinrin Park) is a site of scenic beauty combining a beach of white sand with a forest of thousands of beautiful old-growth pine trees, including a number of pine trees with exposed roots believed to be over six centuries old, set a kilometer back from the water’s edge. As one of the leading pine-covered areas in Shikoku, Tsuda-no-Matsubara was a place beloved by connoisseurs of art since days of old. Kinrin Park was named for the musical sounds created as the sea breeze cuts across the tops of the pine trees here. ("Kin" can be read as koto, a traditional instrument.)
The entire area of the Cape Ogushi has been maintained as Ogushi Natural Park. Visitors can take advantage of hotspring facilities, tennis courts, an outdoor music hall, and more.
Yashima
[Yashima Island]
Situated in the middle of the prefecture, Yashima is an island-shaped lava plateau consisting of a pyroxene andesite formation measuring 5 kilometers from north to south and 2 kilometers from east to west and sitting on a granite base. Until recently a real island, Yashima gradually became estranged from the sea through a build-up of the shallow zone at its base. Dannoura at the east end of this plateau is famous as the setting of the Battle of Yashima as chronicled in The Tale of the Heike.
Yashima comprises Hokurei (North Plateau) and Nanrei (South Plateau). The summit of Nanrei is the site of Yashimaji Temple, the eighty-fourth stop on the famous pilgrimage of eighty-eight temples on the island of Shikoku, and the New Yashima Aquarium (formerly known as Yashima Sanjo Aquarium). Shishinoreigan commands a spectacular view of Takamatsu City and the area in the direction of Seto Ohashi Bridge. From Dankomine, one can see Mt. Goken and the area in the direction of an old battleground used in the Genpei Wars. The view of the Seto Inland Sea from the Yukakutei lookout platform on Hokurei is also very famous.
Shiwaku Islands
[Shiwaku Islands]
The Shiwaku Islands consist of twenty-eight large and small islands, including Honjima, Hiroshima, Yoshima, Ushijima, Teshima, and Oteshima. The Shiwaku name derives from shioyaku ("boiling sea water to get sea salt"), in reference to the fact that the manufacturing of sea salt was a flourishing industry in Sakaide and other local areas, and from shiowaku, in reference to the fact that these seas have always been rife with turbulent tidal currents.
Virtually all areas of all islands comprising the Shiwaku Islands have been designated as belonging to the Setonaikai National Park. Well known as the base of the Shiwaku navy, these islands have played many historic roles. The Kasajima district on Honjima is designated as a preservation district of important historic buildings.
Also known as Sanuki-Hiroshima to differentiate it from Hiroshima Prefecture, the island of Hiroshima is the largest island belonging to the Shiwaku Islands. High-quality granite is produced here. The island also hosts a triathlon event.
It became possible to reach Yoshima by automobile after the Seto Ohashi Bridge was built across the island. The island features a parking area and a Fisherman's Wharf.
Goshikidai
[Goshikidai Visitor Center]
Goshikidai is a hilly plateau district whose highest peak is Mt. Inoshiri (483 meters above sea level). This area is marked by mesa and butte formations.
Goshikidai ("Five-Colored Plateau") is named for its five constituent hills named after different colors: Shiramine ("White Peak"), Kuromine ("Black Peak"), Kounomine ("Red Peak"), Aomine ("Blue Peak"), and Kiinomine ("Yellow Peak").
The Goshikidai Visitor Center is a source of fascinating information on the natural environment and the lives of the people residing in the Seto Inland Sea area.
Sanuki-Goshikidai National Park Resort Village, nature trails, and other facilities have been built in this district to allow visitors to savor local natural wonders and recreational activities at a leisurely pace.
Seisan
[Zenigata-Sunae]
In the Nishi-Sanuki area, Mt. Kotohira (Mt. Zozu) has been designated a part of the Setonaikai National Park. Mt. Zozu was so named for the fact that the peak as seen from the Kotohira Kaido highway resembles an elephant's head. Kotohiragu Shrine is located partway up the slope and has been protected as a sacred site of the Kotohira faith.
The Shonai Peninsula is famous for its connection to the legend of Urashima Taro. Its highest peak, Mt. Shiude, offers an excellent vantage point from which to obtain a 360-degree view of the Seto Inland Sea.
Comprising a beautiful pine-wooded sandy beach named Ariake-no-Hama, Kotohiki Park is the site of a depiction of a kanei-tsuho coin using sand. This amazing creation has been entitled Zenigata-Sunae.