10 things to do in Matsuyama

Checked 15 November 2026 · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada

1. 01
   Japanexperterna.se / CC BY-SA 3.0
   See~4hNeeds a 6-hour call

   Dogo Onsen Honkan

   A three-storey wooden bathhouse of 1894 and the first public bath named an Important Cultural Property. Six years of repairs ended on 20 December 2024 and the whole building is in use. The ground-floor Kami-no-Yu bath is ¥700 for 60 minutes, 06:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30), and cannot be reserved. With a rest room upstairs, a yukata and tea: ¥1,300 to ¥2,500. Towels are for hire. A few minutes away the annex, Asuka-no-Yu, with a red tower on its roof, is ¥610 for 90 minutes (with the second-floor hall ¥1,280), same hours; a ticket for the Honkan, Asuka-no-Yu and Tsubaki-no-Yu is ¥1,440. By the station the Botchan Karakuri Clock performs on the hour from 08:00 to 22:00 (every 30 minutes on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and every day in March, April, August and November), with a free footbath fed by the Dogo spring beside it.

   Shuttle or taxi to Mitsu Station, train 15 min, tram about 20 min, then 3 min on foot: allow 60–70 min each way from the quay (our estimate)Full guide: Dogo Onsen from the cruise berth
2. 02
   Zairon / CC BY 4.0
   See~4hNeeds a 6-hour call

   Matsuyama Castle by ropeway

   The keep stands on Katsuyama, 132 m above the city. A ropeway and a chairlift share one ticket, ¥520 return; the chairlift stops in rain. From the top station it is about 8 minutes uphill to the keep, our estimate: ¥520, 09:00–17:00, to 16:30 in December and January, last entry 30 minutes before closing. The castle advises reaching the ropeway station an hour before last entry. At the foot of the hill, the Ninomaru Historical Garden fills the castle’s second enclosure with ponds, pines and stone: 09:00–17:00, to 16:30 in December and January and 17:30 in August; adult ¥200, closed on the third Wednesday of December, like the keep.

   Train to Matsuyama-shi 15 min, tram to Okaido, 5 min on foot to the ropeway; about 50 min each way from the quay (our estimate)Full guide: Matsuyama Castle from the cruise berth
3. 03
   Jyo81 (ja: User) / CC BY 3.0
   Do~4.5hNeeds a 6.5-hour call

   Botchan Ressha, the steam-tram replica

   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.

   Dogo Onsen ⇄ Matsuyama-shi Station, about 20 min, calling at OkaidoFull guide: Botchan Ressha, the Botchan train
4. 04
   Dokudami / CC BY-SA 4.0
   See~5hNeeds a 7-hour call

   Ishite-ji, Temple 51

   Temple 51 of the Shikoku pilgrimage. The Niomon gate, built in 1318, is a National Treasure; the main hall, the three-storey pagoda and the bell tower are Important Cultural Properties. A covered approach of stalls leads in. More local worshippers than pilgrims come here, the temples’ association says. Treasure-hall hours and fees are not confirmed.

   1.3 km east of Dogo Onsen Honkan, about 20 min on foot; taxi from Dogo about ¥700 (our estimates)Full guide: Ishite-ji, Temple 51
5. 05
   Rekishi-JAPAN / CC0
   See~3.5hNeeds a 5.5-hour call

   Bansuiso

   A French-style villa built in 1922 for Count Hisamatsu Sadakoto, a descendant of the lords of Matsuyama, on the south slope of the castle hill. 09:00–18:00, adult ¥400; closed Mondays unless a holiday. The Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum is next door: 09:00–18:30, ¥500, closed Mondays and for a period each February–March to change the exhibition.

   About a 5 min walk from Okaido tram stop (its own figure); train and tram from the quayFull guide: Matsuyama Castle from the cruise berth
6. 06
   Fred Cherrygarden / CC BY-SA 4.0
   Eat~3.5hNeeds a 5.5-hour call

   Tai-meshi, sea bream on rice

   Ehime has two tai-meshi. In the Matsuyama style the bream is cooked with the rice and flaked in. In the Uwajima style, a fishermen’s dish, raw slices are steeped in soy, egg, sesame and stock and poured over hot rice. Gansui serves the Uwajima kind: lunch 11:00–15:00 (last order 14:30), no reservations, and it closes when the bream runs out. The Dogo shop closes on Wednesdays.

   Gansui Dogo is inside the Dogo arcade; its main shop is at 3-7-8 Okaido, a short walk from the castle ropeway; train and tram from the quayGoogle Maps
7. 07
   Asturio Cantabrio / CC BY-SA 4.0
   Take home~3.5hNeeds a 5.5-hour call

   Mikan and Ehime citrus

   Ehime grows 42 kinds of citrus, more than any other prefecture. Unshu mikan starts in September; Beni Madonna runs from late November to mid-January; iyokan, Kanpei and Setoka follow, and Beni Princess from March to early April.

   In the Dogo arcade and the Okaido arcades, a short walk from the tram stops; ask at the Dogo Tourist Information Office, 08:30–17:00Google Maps