Matsuyama Trip

From Kyoto I went to Osaka by train, just stayed in Osaka long enough to eat some amazing takoyaki, and then caught a 7 hour bus ride to Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku. It was a quick, rather serendipitous decision to visit my friend, but those are the best kind. I guess I have a very daoist approach to travel.

Now I'd like to argue that everyone visit Shikoku. No one ever does! I know a lot of people from the US who have been to Japan, and they always hit the normal places: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima, but that is what makes Shikoku such a great place. Very few foreigners and very normal Japanese people. I felt like I just left all the name brand posh and anime character world, the almost caricature of the Western view of Japan, in the cities and walked into real life. Like going from Japan as a destination to Japan as a backdrop to people living their lives.

First of all, just getting there is an experience. You travel through beautiful rolling green hills that have a look unique to Japan. You won't find mountains and hills quite this color green or with quite the depth and detention anywhere else but Japan. Then it opens up to the ocean, and surprisingly, your float across it. There is a famous bridge that connects the main island of Honshu and the small island of Shikoku. Crossing it was amazing. Maybe just to me, it is just a bridge after all, but for me I felt like I was flying over the ocean. Every direction you look is just wide expanse. Up is beautiful blue sky, down the ocean is flying past, left is ocean horizon, right is ocean horizon.

Matsuyama the city is a surprisingly good size city. I thought it would be much smaller, but it's slightly larger than Sacramento, California if that gives you any idea. It's cute, but not quaint.

It also has quite the history. I visited Matsuyama Castle and randomly stumbled upon a couple of Geisha performing on the top floor. There is a very famous Buddha statue, but most of all, Matsuyama is home to the oldest Hot Spring in Japan. It's called 道後温泉 or "Dougo Hot Spring" and is over 3,000 years old, I think. It's also what Miyazaki Hayao based the bath house off of in Studio Ghibli's movie 線と千尋の神隠し or "Spirited Away." Neat little trivia fact for you.

Definitely worth a visit. Just don't stay in too long like me. I know it feels nice and relaxing, but get out when your face turns red or you will die. haha. I went late on a slightly breezy evening, so it was really refreshing to just relax in the top room to the left in the picture there (the one with all the tan panels) and feel the cool air. Then we drank some Yuzu juice from a little store right outside. Wonderful evening.

It's an entirely different experience to the one you'll find in the major cities on Honshu. Worth the 7 hour bus ride through gorgeous mountainous vistas.^^