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Botchan Ressha, the steam-tram replica

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Botchan Ressha, the steam-tram replica, Matsuyama

Botchan Ressha, the steam-tram replicaPhoto: Jyo81 (ja: User) / CC BY 3.0

Iyotetsu runs the Botchan train only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and not from 30 December to 3 January.

Round trip
4 hr 30 min
From the ship and back
Fits
a 6.5-hour call or longer
Margin already counted
Getting there
Dogo Onsen ⇄ Matsuyama-shi Station, about 20 min, calling at Okaido
See the rides below
Booking
Just turn up
Nothing to reserve

Checked · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada

Why go

Iyotetsu’s replica of the Meiji steam tram in Soseki’s novel Botchan, running on the city tram tracks. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only. From Dogo Onsen at 09:19, 13:19 and 14:59; from Matsuyama-shi Station at 10:04, 14:04 and 15:44. ¥1,300 a ride, 36 seats, no reservations: pay the crew. Numbered tickets for the Dogo departures are handed out from 08:30.

Why it earns the hours
  • Number 3 of ten on our list for Matsuyama.
  • On a weekday call call our verdict is "No" — it does not run. The ordinary tram covers the same route for ¥250.
Before you count on it
  • 4 hr 30 min door to door needs a 6.5-hour call: a 2–3 hour stop cannot hold it. Pick something closer instead.
Open the full guide →
Before you go

Things worth knowing

  • For the departures from Dogo Onsen, numbered tickets are handed out at the Dogo ticket counter from 08:30.
  • Check Iyotetsu’s service page on the day: runs can be suspended.
Where it is

Botchan Ressha, the steam-tram replica and your ship

Both pins on one map, so the distance is a fact rather than a feeling.

The arithmetic

Where the 4 hr 30 min goes

The hour before all-aboard is not in this bar; it is already set aside. The minutes are our estimates from timetables and maps, not timed on the ground.

Out1 hrDogo Onsen ⇄ Matsuyama-shi Station, about 20 min, calling at Okaido
There2 hr 30 minWhat you came for
Back1 hrTo the gangway

If your ship is late, cut the 2 hr 30 min in the middle. Never cut the hour at the end.

Asked about Botchan Ressha, the steam-tram replica

Questions

Does the Botchan train run every day?

No. It runs on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only, and not from 30 December to 3 January.

Can I reserve a seat on the Botchan train?

No. Each train has 36 seats; you pay the crew ¥1,300 on board. For the Dogo Onsen departures, numbered tickets are handed out from 08:30 at the Dogo ticket counter.

The day this belongs to

Routes that already include it

Finished days timed from official timetables and our estimates, with this stop in them.

Dogo Onsen: the Honkan bath, the clock and lunch, MatsuyamaDogo Onsen: the Honkan bath, the clock and lunchNeeds a 7.5-hour call · ~5.5h door to doorCalls with six hours or more ashore, any day of the week. The Honkan takes no reservations for the ¥700 bath and can have a queue
Pairs well with

What to put beside it

Each of these still lands you back aboard with the hour to spare.

Build your own day
Dogo Onsen Honkan, MatsuyamaSee · ~4h

Dogo Onsen Honkan

A three-storey wooden bathhouse of 1894 and the first public bath named an Important Cultural Property.

See the detailMatsuyama Castle by ropeway, MatsuyamaSee · ~4h

Matsuyama Castle by ropeway

The keep stands on Katsuyama, 132 m above the city.

See the detailIshite-ji, Temple 51, MatsuyamaSee · ~5h

Ishite-ji, Temple 51

Temple 51 of the Shikoku pilgrimage.

See the detail
The one rule: be back on board 60 minutes before all-aboard. Build the whole day on the Matsuyama plan page.
Everything in one pageThe complete Matsuyama guide: berth, into town, your hours, tours that fitOpen the complete guide →