Recommended sightseeing spots in Ehime

Ehime is on the Shimanami Kaido, which includes massive bridges that span the Seto Inland Sea.
You should stop on the islands on your way and enjoy the views and famous sightseeing spots unique to each island. There are famous sightseeing spots that draw many visitors, such as the 3,000-year-old Dogo Onsen and Matsuyama Castle.

The information on this website is as of when it was last edited, July 2017.
There may be changes to various items including when facilities are open and fees. Check the latest information from any of various sources such as the facilities’ website before visiting the facility. All prices include tax.

松山城Matsuyama Castle

  • MAPCODE 53-318-810
  • 1-6-12 Kiyomachi, Matsuyama-shi (ropeway parking lot)
  • http://iyokannet.jp/english/
  • 8:30-17:30(February–July, September–November)
    8:30-18:00(August)
    9:00-16:30(December–January)

The castle stands in the center of the city of Matsuyama.
The castle is located on the top of a mountain at an elevation of 132 meters, and you can ride a ropeway halfway up the mountain. It takes about 25 minutes to travel from the Matsuyama Airport to the ropeway parking lot.
Ropeway + admission to the castle adults: ¥1,020; elementary school students: ¥410

The ropeway ride takes about three minutes, and cars leave every ten minutes.

Spring, the season of cherry blossoms, is when I recommend people visit the castle.

Enjoy the view from the top story of the castle.

道後温泉Dogo Onsen hot spring

  • MAPCODE 53-349-770
  • 6-8 Dogoyunomachi, Matsuyama-shi
  • http://www.dogo.or.jp/ (Japanese)
  • 6:00-22:00 (Depends on the bathing course.)

Located in the city of Matsuyama, the Dogo Onsen is an extremely famous hot spring in Japan.
It is said that the hot spring goes back 3,000 years. The main facility is the Dogo Onsen Honkan (main building), which offers four different bathing courses. There are numerous traditional Japanese hot spring hotels in the surrounding area so you can enjoy an overnight stay there, too.
adults: ¥410; children: ¥160 (Depends on the bathing course.)

Located in the city of Matsuyama, the Dogo Onsen bustles with both tourists and local users.

This is a famous clock with revolving puppets. Each hour, music and characters from the Natsume Soseki–novel Botchan greet visitors.

The temple Ishiteji is located near Dogo Onsen. The main path to the temple is lined with various souvenir shops, restaurants, and bars.
MAPCODE 53-350-206
2-9-21 Ishite, Matsuyama-shi

亀老山展望公園Kiro-san Observatory and Park

There are three large bridges that span the Seto Island Sea, and one of them forms part of the expressway called the Shimanami Kaido, which extends to Ehime.
This observatory is located on the top of a mountain on the first island the bridge connects to from Ehime. It is ranked as the third top outlook spot in Japan among TripAdvisor’s Glad-to-Have-Visited Vista Spots.

Unfortunately, it was a cloudy on the day I visited, but I had a spectacular view of the bridge and sea.

This is the great turtle stone statue, which is where the name Mt. Kiro (Old Turtle Mountain) comes from.

Lunch was at Noto Suigun located on the north of the island at a restaurant that serves fresh seafood.

The Shinto shrine Oyama Zumi Jinja is located on Omishima, two islands away.
MAPCODE 154-286-300
3327 Omishima-cho Ura, Imabari-shi

This is a Shinto shrine that has long history and appears in ancient texts.

There is also a camphor tree that is said to have been planted 2,600 years ago.

耕三寺Kosanji Temple

  • MAPCODE MAPCODE 154-506-156
  • 553-2 Setoda, Onomichi-shi, Hiroshima

This is a temple located on Ikuchi-jima, the next island.
The temple is rare for Japanese temples in that its exterior is extremely colorful. A modern white marble art piece is located on top of the hill.
You should be sure to visit it because it is perfect for photos.

This is a new temple, whose construction began in 1936.

It is called the Western Nikko because it was modeled after Nikko Tosho-gu in the Kanto region.

This is Miraishin No Oka (Hill of Hope), a 5,000 m2 park of white marble.

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