Ehime Prefecture

Matsuyama

Do
Ride a Ferris wheel with see-through floors
A few Ferris wheels in Japan have see-through gondolas, cabins with clear floors and seats, so the city or the sea opens up right under your feet as you rise. Each wheel has only a handful of these cabins, so pick the see-through line at the boarding area and expect a short wait.
Town
Matsuyama
An onsen town with three public baths
Dogo Onsen, in Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku, is one of Japan's oldest hot spring towns, with three public bathhouses a short walk apart. Each is different: a wooden landmark from the 1890s, a granite bath on the shopping street, and a newer annex with an open-air bath. A combined ticket covers all three, and Dogo is about 25 minutes by tram from JR Matsuyama Station.
Do
Sip coffee with your feet in a warm foot bath
An ashiyu is a foot bath: a shallow pool of warm water, often from a hot spring, where you sit and soak only your feet. At a foot-bath cafe you order a drink or a sweet and keep your feet in the water while you eat, a good rest after a day of walking. Several are at hot-spring inns, but anyone can drop in without staying, and rolled-up trousers are all you need.
Do
Compare the waters of five hot spring towns
These are five of Japan's best-known onsen towns: Kusatsu, Gero and Arima, the classic three, plus Beppu, which has more hot spring water than anywhere else in Japan, and Dogo, one of the oldest. Each has its own water and a landmark at its heart, from wooden channels of steaming water to a bathhouse where you are buried in warm sand. They are spread across Japan, so pick the one that fits your route; Arima is the closest, about an hour from Osaka.
Do
Ride a tram that shares the street with cars
Japan's trams, or streetcars, run down the middle of ordinary streets and stop at small platforms among shops and homes, so the ride shows you a city at street level. Buy a one-day pass, get off wherever something catches your eye, walk a little, and catch the next tram. Apart from the line in Tokyo, these are in cities you would visit on a longer trip, such as Hiroshima, Nagasaki or Hakodate.
Town
Matsuyama
An onsen town around a 130-year-old bathhouse
Dogo has been a hot spring town for some 3,000 years, and at its heart stands a three-story wooden bathhouse from 1894, said to be one of the models for the bathhouse in Spirited Away. After your bath, stroll the arcade in a yukata, a light cotton kimono, snacking on Botchan dango and fried fish cakes. It is 20 minutes by streetcar from central Matsuyama.

Explore More Areas

Ehime Prefecture
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
Matsuyama Castle
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
Dogo Onsen Main Building
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
Isaniwa Shrine
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
Ishiteji Temple
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
Bansuiso
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
大天守
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
旧鈴木邸
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
長者ヶ平駅
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
伊豫豆比古命神社
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
空の散歩道(足湯)
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
Dogo Onsen Annex Asukanoyu
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
愛媛縣護國神社
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
伊丹十三記念館
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
三津厳島神社
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
坊っちゃんカラクリ時計
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
愛媛県美術館
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
道後公園
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
庚申庵史跡庭園
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
Dogo Shopping Street (Dogo Haikara Street)
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
松山市立子規記念博物館
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
坂の上の雲ミュージアム
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
ミウラート・ヴィレッジ（三浦美術館）
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
道後温泉遊技場 ウラ道後
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
湯築城資料館
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
Dogo Onsen Tsubaki no Yu
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
マテラの森
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
湯築城跡
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
坊っちゃん列車ミュージアム
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
松山市考古館
Google
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
道後ぎやまんガラスミュージアム【道後歴史物語】