Transport

Luxuriously outfitted, the ride includes a snazzy (yet smallish) lunch box, comfy seats, and special viewing windows. Beer, local sake, and other soft drinks are also available. The 2 hour trip departs Kotohira at 10:48am (from Tadotsu at 10:18), and costs about ¥10,000** (including meals). Internet-made reservations of at least 10 days needed, but bookings are accepted no more than 30 days in advance.

**IyaTime Tip: It is also possible to take the Sennan Monogatari train without meals for only about ¥3600 (the extra ¥5500 for meals is actually optional). Also, you can take this train from Oboke (departing at 14:21) up to Kotohira or Tadotsu instead and a different optional lunch box is served for ¥4500 extra.

However, JR only offers internet reservations in English with the lunch box included.

And since JR usually does not take direct internet reservations for any train in the country, they also charge a handling fee of ¥870 when booking this on the internet. (Oddly, internet bookings are not available on the Japanese website)

So if you want to book without the meals, or to simply not pay the handling fee, then you have to either call them to make reservations, or purchase tickets in person at the Green Window of any major train station (tickets can be bought from 30 days before up to the day of departue these ways, but for any meal requires a 4 day advance booking).

Also, people with an All Shikoku Rail Pass can get a free base fare for this train, but will still need to pay for a reserved express seat and Green Car fees, totalling about ¥2400 (but reserving this way needs to be done in person with an already valid pass).

You can find their phone number on their Japanese website (they probably only speak Japanese on the phone, but should have English speakers at the Green Window in places like Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, etc.)
Ganbatte !!

There are several availability length options from 3 days (for about ¥9000) up to 7 days (for about ¥12,000) and it covers all the JR rail lines in Shikoku as well as all the private lines and trams. You can even use it for the ferry from Takamatsu to Shodoshima and with the Olive Bus that goes around the island.

There are lots of other perks that come with the rail pass (check their website to see the specifics, including their FAQs page) including: 

- Several ferries to/from Shikoku offer good discounts with this Rail Pass, with some even maintaining the availability for several days or weeks after the pass has expired;

- Some JR bus lines give a discount with the pass;

- You can even ride the big ferris wheel that sits atop the Iyotetsu Building in Matsuyama for free!

Are you or someone in your group traveling in Shikoku during your birthday month? Well, even though the ALL SHIKOKU Rail Pass is a bit better deal, this special ticket is about the same price for the 3 day plan and is also available to resident foreigners and Japanese , not just foreign tourists.

Its costs ¥9500 for unreserved seats (or ¥13,000 for Green car or reserved seats) and is good for 3 consecutive days, but it can only be bought and used within your birthday month (proof of birthday obviously required). However you can also travel with up to three other people with them also paying the same price. Pretty sweet!

Its valid on all JR Shikoku trains as well as most private lines (but not the city tram lines), as well as some JR buses. You can also use it to get a pretty good discount for JR Eki Rental cars, but this could be a bit hard to figure out without understanding some Japanese.

You can buy the Birthday Kippu at most staffed stations in Shikoku with either Green Windows of Warp Branches.

You'll need to travel a fair amount to get your money's worth with this somewhat ironically named "Free" ticket. Good for 3 consecutive days, its more or less the same as the Birthday Kippu but valid anytime of the year and costs ¥16,140.

Its available across Shikoku just like the B-day Kippu, but before buying do an evaluation of your travel plans and see if its worth getting compared to simply buying the standard fare tickets.