Takamatsu Symbol Tower

Opened in March 2004 at 151.3 metres tall, the Takamatsu Symbol Tower is the tallest building in Shikoku. It anchors the Sunport Takamatsu waterfront redevelopment and offers panoramic views of the Seto Inland Sea from its 29th-floor observation space.

Use

Office tower

Area

Takamatsu

Completed

2004

Floors

30 above ground

Height

151.3 m

Shikoku’s Tallest Tower by the Sea

At the edge of Takamatsu Port in Kagawa Prefecture, the Takamatsu Symbol Tower stands 151.3 metres above the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea. When it opened in March 2004 as the centrepiece of the Sunport Takamatsu redevelopment zone, it became the tallest building in Shikoku — a record it still holds. The 30-storey tower commands the waterfront, visible from ferries arriving from the islands of the Seto Inland Sea and from the elevated highways that ring the city.

The Sunport Takamatsu development occupies land once used by the national railway’s ferry terminal. Before the Seto Ohashi Bridge opened in 1988, Takamatsu was the primary gateway between Shikoku and Honshu, served by the long-running Uno Line ferry service. When the bridge replaced the ferries, the harbour area lost its original purpose and the land was gradually redeveloped into a mixed-use complex of offices, convention facilities and public space. The Symbol Tower is the tallest piece of that transformation, while the adjacent Sunport Takamatsu Complex Building houses a concert hall and international conference centre.

Views Across the Inland Sea

The observation space on the 29th floor provides an unobstructed panorama of the Seto Inland Sea, with the islands of Shido Bay visible to the east and — on clear days — the Seto Ohashi Bridge and the hills of Okayama Prefecture across the water to the north. The view also takes in Takamatsu’s compact urban grid, the pine forest of Ritsurin Garden to the south, and the mountain ridges of the Sanuki Range beyond the city. For a building in a medium-sized regional city, the combination of height, coastal setting and island scenery makes the observation floor one of the most distinctive in western Japan.

Summary

Completed in 2004 at 151.3 metres and 30 storeys, the Takamatsu Symbol Tower is Shikoku’s tallest building and the centrepiece of the Sunport Takamatsu coastal redevelopment. Born from the transformation of an old ferry terminal site, it has given the city a striking new landmark along a shoreline shaped by centuries of maritime history. A stop at the observation floor — and a look across the Seto Inland Sea — is one of the highlights of any visit to Takamatsu.