Matsuyama
Ehime’s main city, and home to the famous Dogo Onsen and Matsuyama Castle.
Matsuyama is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture
It is most known for its onsen hot springs and mkian oranges
It’s the largest city on Shikoku Island, the smallest of Japan’s major islands
Matsuyama is a city located in the northwest area of Ehime Prefecture. With just over half a million people, it’s the largest city in both the prefecture and Shikoku Island as a whole.
How we got there
Because Matsuyama is on Shikoku Island, the best way to get there is by flying into Matsuyama Airport. Once in the city, the Iyotetsu trams are a convenient way to get to various destinations such as the central Okaido area, Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen.
Iyotetsu tram in Matsuyama, Ehime - Barrettish
About Matsuyama
Matsuyama is most known for its onsen hot springs, and the most famous area for them is Dogo Onsen. It’s a quaint town area filled with many ryokans (traditional Japanese inns), shops and attractions.
It’s also home to Matsuyama Castle, which sits on a mountain in central Matsuyama, overlooking the city.
Foodwise, the area is known for mikan oranges and a dish called taimeshi (sea bream fish and rice). It’s usually cooked in one of two ways; with the fish and rice steamed together, or with the fish eaten in sashimi style with a raw egg and rice.
I visited in late 2021 and found it to be a relaxing city that exceeded my expectations, although I admit that I didn’t really have any. I recommend spending a day or two here.
I also created a video while visiting Matsuyama and Ehime Prefecture:
Where we stayed
I experienced two hotels - one by myself while I worked and one as a couple.
Dormy Inn
The first was Dormy Inn, located on Okaido shopping street, a central area in the city.
Not only was it convenient and reasonable, there was a partial open-air onsen along with great amenities, free food served at certain hours, and free desserts such as popsicles.
https://www.hotespa.net/ [J]
MAP
Hotel Kowakuen Haruka
The second hotel, Hotel Kowakuen Haruka, was a Japanese-style ryokan right off the Dogo Onsen shopping street. Our Superior Twin room was about 35 m² (377 ft²), and half the room was tatami.
The breakfast was a buffet of both Western and Japanese foods, and there’s an onsen hot spring as well.
Asuka no Yu at Dogo Onsen
Dogo Onsen is one of Japan’s most famous onsen hot spring areas, and is the main tourist destination in Matsuyama City.
The main attraction is the Dogo Onsen Honkan, a public bathhouse that dates back in 1894. It’s said to have served as an inspiration for the Miyazaki film “Spirited Away”, but unfortunately it was covered due to an ongoing renovation.
The Iyotetsu tram goes right up to the Dogo Onsen shopping arcade.
The entrance to the Dogo Onsen shopping arcade.
The shopping arcade is about 250 meters long, and has various shops selling things such as local snacks and gifts to Imabari Towels, Japan’s most famous towels that are made in nearby Imabari.
The Dogo Onsen shopping arcade.
Botchan Karakuri Clock
The Botchan Karakuri Clock is right next to the shopping arcade’s main entrance. In the evenings, it comes alive.
The clock extends upwards on the hour while playing music, and its doors open as figurines move about. You can see some it in this part of my video.
The Botchan Train
The Botchan Ressha, or Botchan Train, is a small replica of a train that was used by locals for 67 years from 1888. It’s now diesel-powered and runs right to the central area of Dogo Onsen.
Dogo Onsen Starbucks
Starbucks has many “special” locations in Japan that are in historically significant buildings. This one is right in Dogo Onsen Station, a Meiji era building that was built in 1895.
Matsuyama Castle
Matsuyama Castle sits on top a centrally located mountain, giving visitors a wide view of the city.
It‘s one of the 12 castles in Japan that have basically remained intact over the years. It was originally finished in 1628. The tower today was built as a replacement in 1820.
The castle is only a few blocks from the Keisatsusho-Mae station on the Iyotetsu tram.
From there, you can either take a single-chair lift or a gondola up the mountain. From there, it’s a short uphill walk to the castle.
The lift up and down Matsuyama Castle
We went up for a visit on the last day of our trip. Being that it’s high above the city and it’s a place surrounded by nature, it’s quite peaceful.
https://www.matsuyamajo.jp/ [J]
Matsuyama City’s manhole cover
The main dish to try here is taimeshi.
Where we ate
Matsuyama Taimeshi Aka
Taimeshi is a local dish and is generally eaten in 2 different ways: 1) With the fish and rice steamed together or, 2) with raw fish eaten with hot rice and a raw egg/shoyu sauce poured over it.
We had the second version at Matsuyama Taimeshi Aka. If you have experience with authentic Japanese food, it’ll taste delicious, just like it sounds with no surprises. If not, think of it as good sashimi on rice.
This location is right in the central area of Dogo Onsen, and it’s worth stopping by to try the local cuisine.
Mikan no Ki
Because Ehime is known for its mikan oranges, there are orange-themed items everywhere. Snacks, baked goods, candies, stuffed animals, you name it.
Mikan no Ki is a shop in the Dogo Onsen shopping arcade that has orange items galore. Amongst them are local flavors of ice cream and sherbet, and they feature a range of different types of mikan orange flavors.
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Imabari
Some of Japan’s most gorgeous seaside views, Imabari is a quaint destination to get away to.
Imabari is a small city in the northwest part of Ehime Prefecture
It is most known for its towel manufacturing
It overlooks the Setouchi Inland Sea and has beautiful seaside views
Imabari is a small city located in the northern corner of Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku Island. While it’s not really a tourist destination, it’s well known throughout Japan.
How to get there
The main train is Imabari Station. You can get to it from Ehime’s main city of Matsuyama by catching a JR Limited Express train. This is what we did and it took around 40 minutes, and cost under USD $15 each way.
About Imabari
Imabari is most famous for its towel manufacturing. Its climate and water help make it ideal to do just that, and that industry has thrived for over a hundred years.
If you’ve ever used a quality Japanese towel, there’s a high chance that it was made here. A lot of local factories are in the Imabari Towel union, and they have high very standards to which towels can and can’t bear their label of approval.
I also created a video visit Ehime where I spent some time in Imabari:
What we did
Imabari Towel factory visit
The Imabari Towel union is the most famous in Japan. When people hear “Imabari Towel”, they associate it with quality.
I visited Imabari for work - shooting photos of a couple of the local towel manufacturers. It was impressive.
The craft of towel-making is a huge focus as it dates back over a century here. There are several big manufacturers and numerous brands, and in order for them to get the privilege of having the “Imabari Towel’ brand mark, their towels need to go through strict quality checks.
Seeing the back side of all of this, it’s clear that quality is the main focus. In fact, each and every towel goes through human checks.
Each brand is focused on slightly different points, but ones that I like/use are Fil-usine, Kontex [J], Iori, and Olsia.
Ship yard
Another industry that Imabari is known for is ship building. Its biggest ship-building company, Imabari Shipbuilding, dates back over a century and is said to have a the fourth-largest global market share in 2016.
While not a must-see or anything, visiting the central area for these massive ships and seeing things up close was impressive.
As with any trip, checking out some local food and drink spots is recommended. Here are a few.
Where we ate
Umi-no-mieru Cafe
Relaxing cafe with an amazing view.
Umi-no-mieru is a quaint cafe overlooking the Setouchi Inland sea. People go here for many reasons ranging from business meetings to dates, but they’re all here because it has one of the best views in town.
There’s both indoor and outdoor seating, and sipping on a drink while enjoying the clear view of the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge is a great way to escape for a bit.
Daichi-so
Daichi-so is a ryokan (Japanese-style hotel), but it also has a restaurant open to the public.
Positioned on a cliff, the restaurant offers wide views of the Setouchi Inland Sea, overlooking numerous islands as well as the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge.
We went for lunch and they have various teishoku set options, including the local cuisines like taimeishi, which is sea bream fish and rice either steamed together or raw and separate.
Great place to have lunch and enjoy the view.
Matsu Seimen-jo
While the other eating options are for enjoying a meal or drink with a view, this one is for actual locals.
Matsu Seimen-jo specializes in fast food udon. Shikoku, the island that Imabari is on, is known for its udon.
Resembling the more internationally known Marugame, Matsu Seimen-jo also has a cafeteria-like ordering experience. Choose one of several base udon bowls, then choose the sides that you want.
Quick, authentic, and delicious.
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Visiting the Furano area of Hokkaido in the summer, a popular tourist destination for Japanese