Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture

Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan - 10th February 2007

It was a very early start this morning having to board a ferry from Ujina Port with the car on a 2 hour and 40 minute cruise to Matsuyama. We arrived just after 9am and made our way to the Ryokan but we got lost along the way as the place was hard to find! After dropping our bags off, we parked the car and boarding the tram to a station close to Matsuyama Castle. Matsuyama in located high up on on a hill in the city. The hill itself is pretty wide and has the remains of various structures that were built along with the castle. The castle itself is very impressive and is said to be one of the few remaining castles in Japan that hasn't been destroyed by fire in the past. You can enter the castle and go all the way up to the top floor and look out far into the distance on a clear day however, unfortunately the weather wasn't very good and with the visibility being around 2-3km, we didn't get to see how the surroundings of Matsuyama look! After having some ebifry-don for lunch, we headed into the town centre for a look. On our way back to Dogo Onsen we boarded the Bo-chan train which you can see in the photo. It gets a lot of looks from passing cars and is a pleasure to ride if you have the chance! The rest of the day was spent in the Spa of the Gods at the famous Dogo onsen which is said to have special healing powers for all sorts of diseases! The crowds are amazing and we had a one hour ticket that let us have a place on the 2nd floor and bathe in a more exclusive bath and enjoy some green tea and sembei sweets until our time was up! It would have been nice to relax more but unless your the emperor himself, you don't get the luxury of time!

Matsuyama Castle
松山城


Dogo Onsen
道後温泉

Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture

Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture, Japan - 11th February 2007

We departed early on Sunday morning and headed south on Route 56 towards Uwajima. On the way we stopped at a nice little town called Uchiko where all the old traditional buildings dating back from the Edo period on the main street Yokaichi stand. It is a nice walk through the town and we walked all the way to Uchiko Train Station and also had a look at the old Theatre on the way back. We stopped at a local bakery to pick up some lunch and ate outside in a small park.
After spending a coulple hours in Uchiko we continued down south to our final destination, Uwajima.

Yokaichi - main street
八日市-道路


Lunch at a small corner park
広場での昼御飯


Old Steam Locomotive
汽車

Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture

Uwajima Castle, Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, Japan - 12th February 2007

It was a fairly early start this morning so we could get as much sightseeing done as possible before heading back up to Matsuyama and boarding the ferry back to Hiroshima. Unlike Matsue Castle in Shimane Prefecture the castle isn't surrounded by a moat but is located high up on the top of the hill in the city centre. Walking up some steep steps will get you up there quickly if you are fit! The castle itself is rather small but the inside is very accomodating. The view from the castle itself is spectacular and you can get your bearings of Uwajima quickly.

Uwajima - from Uwajima Castle
宇和島城から宇和島市の風景

Waterfall
滝


Mandarin Farm
みかん畑