Best Of Matsuyama

OVERVIEW

Enjoy sweeping views of Matsuyama while riding an aerial ropeway to the city’s namesake castle and explore a historical shopping street whose highlight is Japan’s oldest hot springs. The cable car ropeway will take you up the lush slopes of Mount Matsuyama, atop which you will find the castle, a three-story structure built in the early 19th century to replace an earlier version that lightning destroyed. Matsuyama is one of only a dozen castles in Japan that have retained their original designs from the Edo Period. After a panoramic descent on the ropeway, you will head for the hot springs Dogo Onsen, whose roots date back 3,000 years. An official Important Cultural Property, the bathhouse features a labyrinthine interior of rooms, passages and stairways. You will also have time to browse the covered stores in the surrounding shopping area and enjoy a complimentary foot bath in the soothing waters from the hot springs.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy stunning views while riding a cable car ropeway to and from Matsuyama Castle.
• Tour the Edo Period castle, which still stands true to its 17th-century design.
• Visit a classic 19th-century wooden bathhouse at the oldest hot springs in Japan.
• Shop for high-end, locally made merchandise in a covered arcade by the bathhouse.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.