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Matsuyama — Japan's oldest hot spring, a hilltop castle and an island-hopping cycle route — at a Shikoku pace.

Photo: Jyo81 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Japan

Ehime, Shikoku

Matsuyama

Japan's oldest hot spring, a hilltop castle and an island-hopping cycle route — at a Shikoku pace.

Dogo OnsenCastle townShimanami KaidoHealth check-upMikan & sea breamHaiku
Plan a trip to Matsuyama

Why Matsuyama

Matsuyama is the largest city on Shikoku and one of the easiest small cities in Japan to love: a 400-year-old castle on a hill in the middle of town, trams that still rattle past the station, and Dogo Onsen, whose bathhouse has been welcoming people for three millennia by legend and 130 years in its current wooden form.

It is also where our health check-up trips are based. The Ehime Kouseiren Health Check-up Center is 20 minutes from Dogo by car, which is why the check-up day sits between two nights at the onsen — fasting the evening before, soaking the evening after.

Good for

  • A full Japanese health check-up with an onsen to recover in
  • Couples and families who want Japan without the crowds
  • A cycling day you will talk about for years
  • Second-trip Japan after Tokyo and Kyoto

5 places

What to see in Matsuyama

The handful that shape a first visit — each with the tip we give every traveler.

Dogo Onsen Honkan

Photo: z tanuki · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Onsen

Dogo Onsen Honkan 道後温泉本館

The three-storey wooden bathhouse of 1894 that is said to have inspired the bathhouse in Spirited Away. The public baths reopened in 2024 after a seven-year restoration; the surrounding town of ryokan, footbaths and the covered arcade is where you stay.

Our tip — Bath after the check-up day, never the evening before a fasting morning — heat and no dinner do not mix.

Matsuyama Castle

Photo: Jyo81 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Castle

Matsuyama Castle 松山城

One of only twelve original-keep castles left in Japan, on a 132 m hill in the city centre. Ropeway or chairlift up, a walk through the gates, and the whole Seto Inland Sea from the top floor.

Our tip — Go at opening; the keep is small and tour groups arrive by ten.

Ishiteji Temple

Photo: Maarten Heerlien from Voorschoten, The Netherlands · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Temple

Ishiteji Temple 石手寺

Temple 51 of the 88-temple Shikoku pilgrimage, a ten-minute walk from Dogo. A national-treasure gate, a cave tunnel lined with Buddhas and pilgrims in white passing through all day.

Our tip — Free, always open; the cave is the part people remember.

Shimanami Kaido

Photo: Dyota Condrorini · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Ride

Shimanami Kaido しまなみ海道

A 70 km chain of bridges hopping six islands across the Inland Sea to Onomichi, with a dedicated cycle lane the whole way. Rent a bike in Imabari (40 minutes from Matsuyama) and ride as far as you like — a ferry or bus brings you back.

Our tip — Half a day gets you to Oshima's viewpoint over the Kurushima bridges; e-bikes make it easy.

Botchan Ressha

Photo: 光朝 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Ride

Botchan Ressha 坊っちゃん列車

A replica of the 1888 steam train from Natsume Soseki's novel Botchan, running between the city centre and Dogo. Ten minutes of brass, wood and bell — the city's postcard.

Our tip — Runs a few times a day; the regular tram covers the same route every ten minutes.

Trips

Trips based in Matsuyama

All Trips

Getting there

  • Tokyo Haneda1 h 30 by air to Matsuyama Airport, then 25 minutes by limousine bus or car to Dogo. Several flights a day (ANA, JAL, Jetstar).
  • Osaka / KyotoShinkansen to Okayama (45–60 min), then the Shiokaze limited express across the Seto Ohashi bridge to Matsuyama (2 h 40).
  • HiroshimaSuper Jet ferry from Hiroshima port to Matsuyama Kanko port, 1 h 10 — the scenic way in.

When to go

  • March – MayCastle cherry blossoms, mild cycling weather; the check-up center runs on weekdays throughout.
  • October – NovemberMikan harvest, clear Inland Sea views, the best light for the Shimanami Kaido.
  • December – FebruaryQuiet onsen season; cold but rarely snowy, and the baths are at their best.

Beyond Tokyo

Add Matsuyama to your Japan

Tell us your dates and who is coming — a designer replies with a plan that fits Tokyo and Matsuyama into one trip.

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