Kagawa, Japan

Kagawa prefecture is on the Japanese island of Formerly known as Sanuki, Kagawa-ken is the smallest of Shikoku's four regions, and the second smallest of the country's 47 prefectures. To o-henrô, Kagawa-ken is known as Nehan-no-dôjô or ‘the Place of Completion' as it has the last 22 of the 88 pilgrimage temples.The region's hospitable weather and welcoming people have always been of great comfort to henrô as they complete their journey. However, if you're following the pilgrimage properly, remember that the journey is not complete when you get to Ôkubo-ji, Temple 88 – it's still a 40km journey back to Temple 1 in Tokushima to complete the circle. Kagawa-ken also serves as the major arrival point on Shikoku since the only rail link with Honshû is via the Seto-Ôhashi bridge to Okayama. Highlights of the region include the celebrated shrine of Kompira-san at Kotohira, the beautiful gardens of Ritsurin-kôen at Takamatsu and the folk village of Shikoku-mura at Yashima.