Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Flights connect Matsuyama with Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, and Okinawa. The flight from Tokyo takes 1 hour and 25 minutes and costs ¥29,300 ($244/£122). Buses connect the airport to downtown in 30 minutes for ¥400 ($3.35/£1.70).

By Train -- The easiest way to reach Matsuyama is by JR train from Okayama (on Honshu island), with 15 departures daily; the trip takes 2 hours and 40 minutes, and the fare is ¥6,120 ($51/£26). There are also hourly departures from Takamatsu, taking less than 2 1/2 hours and costing ¥5,500 ($46/£23).

By Bus -- Buses depart nightly from Tokyo Station at 8:20pm and from Shinjuku Station at 7:10pm, arriving respectively at Matsuyama Station the next day at 8:36am and at Matsuyama Shieke (City Station) at 7:10am. One-way fares for either is ¥12,000 ($100/£50).

By Boat -- Matsuyama is also linked by ferry to various ports on Honshu and Kyushu islands, including Kobe (overnight trip time: 9 hr.), Osaka (overnight: 9 1/2 hr.), Oita (near Beppu; 3 1/3 hr.), and Hiroshima (70 min. by hydrofoil). The fare to Matsuyama is ¥6,300 ($52/£26) from Osaka or Hiroshima and ¥3,200 ($27/£14) from Beppu. Boats dock at Matsuyama Port (Matsuyama Kanko Ko), where buses transport passengers to Matsuyama Station in about 20 minutes for ¥450 ($3.75/£1.90).

Visitor Information

The Matsuyama City Tourist Information Office (tel. 089/931-3914; daily 8:30am-8:30pm) is inside JR Matsuyama Station to the left as you exit the wicket. Be sure to pick up the booklet "Shikoku Passport"; although only in Japanese, it provides many discounts on attractions, hotels, and restaurants. The Dogo Tourist Information Center (tel. 089/943-8342; 8am-8pm) is across the street from the Dogo Onsen streetcar stop. The Ehime Prefectural International Center (EPIC), located between Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen (tel. 089/917-5678; Mon-Sat 8:30am-5pm), provides information on Ehime Prefecture, including Uchiko, Tobe, and the Shimanami Kaido cycling path. You'll also find English-language newspapers and three computers you can use for free. To reach EPIC, take streetcar no. 3, 5, or 6 heading toward Dogo Onsen to the Minami-machi stop. Backtrack and look to the right for the INFORMATION sign; the office is in a barrack partially hidden behind another building. More information is available online at www.city.matsuyama.ehime.jp.

Internet Access -- In addition to EPIC, above, you can also check e-mail (and get information about the area) at COMS on the second floor of the Matsuyama International Center, 6-4-20 Sanbancho (tel. 089/943-2025; Tues-Sun 9am-5:30pm) for ¥100 (85¢/45p) an hour. It's a 7-minute walk from either Matsuyama Station or Matsuyama Shieki; or take the streetcar to the Minami-horibata-cho stop.

Orientation & Getting Around

JR Matsuyama Station, which serves long-distance trains, is on the west edge of town, with most attractions, hotels, shopping, and restaurants spreading to the east. Matsuyama Castle lies less than 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) due east of the station. Just southwest of the castle is the Okaido shopping arcade, a covered pedestrian passageway lined with restaurants and shops and considered to be the heart of the city. Dogo Onsen, Japan's oldest hot-spring spa, is on the eastern edge of the city.

The easiest and most convenient form of transportation in Matsuyama is streetcar. The no. 5 line runs from Matsuyama Station to the Okaido arcade, Matsuyama Castle, and Dogo Onsen. The fare is ¥150 ($1.25/65p) per trip or ¥300 ($2.50/£1.25) for a 1-day pass (Ichinichi Joshaken). An old-fashioned locomotive-style streetcar nicknamed "Botchan" (after a novel by Natsume Soseki set in Matsuyama) runs between Matsuyama Station and Dogo Onsen. This costs ¥300 ($2.50/£1.25) per ride but only ¥200 ($1.65/85p) if you have the 1-day pass.