Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Matsuyama Castle

One of Japan's 12 original castles, this hilltop fortress offers sweeping views over Matsuyama an...

Dogo Onsen

Japan's Oldest Hot Spring Bathhouse

One of Japan's oldest and most famous bathhouses, said to have inspired the bathhouse in Spirited...

Oyamazumi Shrine

Guardian Shrine of Japan's Samurai Treasures on the Shimanami Kaido

One of Japan's most significant Shinto shrines on Omishima Island along the Shimanami Kaido, hous...

Matsuyama

Matsuyama - Shikoku's Largest City with Ancient Hot Springs

The largest city in Shikoku, home to the Dogo Onsen bathhouse and one of Japan's twelve original ...

Ishite-ji

Shikoku's Most Visited Pilgrimage Temple

Temple #51 of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage and the most visited temple on the entire route, l...

Imabari Castle

Japan's Finest Sea Castle with Seawater Moat

One of Japan's finest sea castles, built by master architect Todo Takatora in 1602, with a moat f...

Cape Sada

Westernmost Point of Shikoku on Japan's Longest Peninsula

The tip of the long, narrow Sadamisaki Peninsula, the westernmost point of Shikoku, marked by a w...

Ozu Castle

Authentically Reconstructed Wooden Castle Above the Hiji River

A beautifully reconstructed castle built using traditional Edo-period wooden construction methods...

Tobe Zoo

One of Western Japan's Larger Zoos

A large prefectural zoo in Tobe, near Matsuyama, that lays out its animal areas along the natural...

Uwajima Castle

One of Japan's 12 original castles, a small but beautifully preserved hilltop tower overlooking U...

Mount Ishizuchi

Western Japan's Highest Peak and Sacred Mountain

The highest peak in western Japan at 1,982 meters and one of Japan's seven holy mountains, popula...

Bansuiso

French-Style Villa Built in 1922 near Matsuyama Castle

A French-style villa completed in 1922 as a second residence for Count Hisamatsu Sadakoto, locate...

Besshi Copper Mine (Tonaru)

Ruins of a Mountain Copper Mine Called the Machu Picchu of the East

The mountain ruins of the Besshi copper mine at Tonaru (Higashidaira), where stone and brick stru...

Uchiko

Historic Town with a Kabuki Theater and Wax-Merchant Streets

A preserved town that prospered from vegetable-wax production, home to the restored Uchiko-za kab...

Michi-no-Eki Futami

Sunset seats on the Iyo Sea

A beach park and roadside station on Route 378, the coast road nicknamed the Yuyake Koyake Line. ...