INDEX
- First day
- Enjoy an exhilarating drive route and experience the great outdoors of Shikoku Karst all to yourself!
- Take a break at the open-air cafe "Karst Coffee" surrounded by the sky and mountains
- Try your hand at painting Tobe ware at the Tobe Town Ceramic Art Museum, which will enhance any dish
- Watch a romantic sunset at Futami Seaside Park, a sacred place for lovers
- All-you-can-eat and drink sweets and local sake!? Stay at Yamatoya Honten, a long-established inn with fun hospitality
- Second day
First day
This trip will introduce you to a two-day, one-night drive course around the prefecture renting a car, with Matsuyama Airport in Matsuyama City as your base. On the first day, you can enjoy the soothing beauty of nature, try your hand at painting pottery, and really get a feel for the charms of Ehime.
Enjoy an exhilarating drive route and experience the great outdoors of Shikoku Karst all to yourself!
First, enjoy a two-hour drive from the airport to the "Shikoku Karst" that straddles Ehime and Kochi prefectures. Karst is a unique landform formed by the erosion and weathering of limestone and other rocks by rain and wind, and the Shikoku Karst is also likened to the "Switzerland of Japan."
A tranquil grassland with a magnificent panorama at an altitude of 1,000 to 1,500 meters.
The unique landscape is dotted with limestone rocks like flocks of sheep, and the grasslands change color with the seasons, and the magnificent views will cleanse your soul. Enjoy an exhilarating drive on this single road, which has been selected as one of the "100 Famous Roads of Japan," and enjoy the great outdoors.
Shikoku Karst
| address | ： | Nishidani, Kumakogen Town, Kamiukena District, Ehime Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 0892-21-1192（久万高原町観光協会） |
Take a break at the open-air cafe "Karst Coffee" surrounded by the sky and mountains
While driving through the vast grasslands of Shikoku Karst, we came across a cute food truck.
At this open-air cafe, Karst Coffee, you can sit on a bench or swing on a swing and enjoy carefully made hand-dripped coffee, cafe au lait, juice, and baked goods in the great outdoors.
Coffee under the blue sky is something special! Take a deep breath and relax while looking out over the mountains, then depart for your next destination.
Karst Coffee
| address | ： | 8117-1 Nishidani, Kumakogen-cho, Kamiukena-gun, Ehime Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 080-8912-7592 |
| business hours | ： | Weekdays 11:30-16:30, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 10:00-17:00 (last orders 16:30) |
| Closed Day | ： | None (closed in case of bad weather) |
| ： | @karstcoffee |
If you're interested in Shikoku Karst, check out TikTok!
About 1.5 hours by car
Try your hand at painting Tobe ware at the Tobe Town Ceramic Art Museum, which will enhance any dish
After about an hour and a half by car, we arrived at the Tobe Town Ceramic Art Center.
Tobe ware is produced mainly in Tobe-cho, Iyo-gun, Ehime Prefecture. It features blue-painted white porcelain, and is simple yet has the warmth of something handmade, which is its charm.
Here, you can experience the traditions of Tobe ware and create your own original pottery through a painting experience, making it a perfect way to create memories of your trip! You can make things for each other, or you can fill it with your favorite images, and enjoy creating a work just for the two of you.
Tobe ware is attractive because it combines simple, high-quality design with functionality, and enhances a variety of dishes, from Japanese cuisine to Western food and sweets.
At the Tobe Town Ceramic Arts Center, you can also experience hand-building and pottery wheel-throwing. Spending some creative time outside of your usual routine while experiencing pottery is sure to refresh your mind.
Tobe Town Ceramic Art Museum
| address | ： | 82 Gohonmatsu, Tobe-cho, Iyo-gun, Ehime Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 089-962-6145 |
| business hours | ： | 9:00-17:00 (entry until 16:00) |
| Closed Day | ： | Thursdays (or the following day if the Thursday is a public holiday), December 29th to January 3rd of the following year |
| web | ： | Tobe Town Official Website |
Approximately 35 minutes by car
Watch a romantic sunset at Futami Seaside Park, a sacred place for lovers
Next, head to Futami Seaside Park, known as a sacred place for lovers. Located along the coast of Iyo City, Ehime Prefecture, this is a spectacular spot where you can see the sun setting over the Seto Inland Sea!
There are also many spots where you can enjoy a romantic atmosphere, such as Lover's Cape and the Bell of Happiness, which jut out into the sea.
At Futami Jakoten near Futami Seaside Park, you can also find heart-shaped Jakoten! Furthermore, at Umiyama Sanchoku Asahisan inside the Futami Roadside Station, you can find fresh local produce, so you can spend your time shopping for souvenirs and local specialties while you wait for the sunset.
Relax with your loved one on the white sandy beach, watch the sunset, and take a memorable photo... Enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea to your heart's content.
Futami Seaside Park "Futami Roadside Station"
| address | ： | 2326-2 Takagishi-kabuto, Futami-cho, Iyo City, Ehime Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 089-986-0522 |
| web | ： | Futami Seaside Park "Futami Roadside Station" Official Website |
Approximately 40 minutes by car
All-you-can-eat and drink sweets and local sake!? Stay at Yamatoya Honten, a long-established inn with fun hospitality
Stay overnight in the Dogo Onsen area. Dogo Onsen is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki and Manyoshu, and is said to have a history of 3,000 years.
Located in this hot spring town is our accommodation for the night, Yamatoya Honten. Not only is the Japanese garden that can be viewed from the lounge beautiful, but the traditional Sukiya-style rooms are also beautiful, and there is also a unique hospitality experience, with a "Dagashi Bar" that both children and adults can enjoy, and a "Sake Bar" that is perfect after a soak in the hot springs, all free of charge! The nostalgic sweets will make your heart dance.
For dinner, you can enjoy their signature kaiseki cuisine, which uses plenty of local Ehime ingredients. You can spend a luxurious time feasting on fresh seafood from the Seto Inland Sea and seasonal flavors.
Yamatoya Honten
| address | ： | 20-8 Dogo Yunomachi, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 089-935-8880 |
| business hours | ： | 10:00-18:00 (telephone reception hours) |
| web | ： | Yamatoya Honten Official Website |
If you're interested in Yamatoya Honten, check out TikTok!
Second day
Warm your body and soul at "Dogo Onsen Main Building"
Day 2 starts with a morning bath at Dogo Onsen Main Building!
Famous as Japan's oldest hot spring, this spot is located right next to Yamatoya Honten and is a historic building designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The main building, which was renovated during the Meiji period, underwent large-scale preservation and repair work, but reopened for business in July 2024 after a five-and-a-half-year hiatus.
Relax your mind and body by soaking in the hot springs in the clear early morning air.
In the resting room, you can enjoy Ehime specialty sweets such as Botchan dango as tea snacks, so be sure to try them after your bath. It is open from 6am, so we recommend taking a morning stroll around the hot spring town and touring the hot springs.
Dogo Onsen Main Building
| address | ： | 5-6 Dogo Yunomachi, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 089-921-5141 |
| business hours | ： | 6:00～23:00 |
| Closed Day | ： | None *There is a temporary closure for one day in December |
| web | ： | Dogo Onsen Main Building Official Website |
Approximately 20 minutes by car
Take a nostalgic stroll through Mitsuhama Shopping Street, which still retains the atmosphere of the Showa era
About 20 minutes from Dogo Onsen, you will arrive at Mitsuhama Shopping Street.
This shopping street is located in the Mitsuhama area, a port town facing the Seto Inland Sea, and is popular with locals and tourists alike. It is only a 15-minute drive from Matsuyama Airport, so you can stroll around right up to your departure time.
Along with shops that retain the old-fashioned retro atmosphere and those offering local specialties and famous dishes, the area has become a hot topic in recent years, with an increasing number of young people moving here, and you can also enjoy specialty shops and cafes. You can also enjoy choosing souvenirs.
You can also come across streets lined with historical buildings and old noble houses built during the Taisho era, so it's also recommended to stroll around the city while enjoying the architecture.
Mitsuhama Shopping Street
| address | ： | 1-5-2 Sumiyoshi, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| web | ： | Mitsuhamaru |
Recharge your energy at Matsuyama's local gourmet restaurant, Mitsuhamayaki "Izumi"
Matsuyama's specialty, "Mitsuhamayaki," is truly the soul food of this region!
This okonomiyaki is made by stretching wheat flour into a crepe shape, sprinkling fish powder on it, and then sandwiching ingredients such as cabbage, meat, chikuwa (fish cake), egg, and soba noodles between the dough, then pouring on a sweet and salty sauce. There are apparently about 20 specialty shops in the Mitsuhama area.
One of the popular restaurants, "Izumi," is a Mitsuhamayaki restaurant run in a 180-year-old storehouse.
The carefully grilled Mitsuhamayaki is exquisite, and the sweet and salty sauce will whet your appetite.
Enjoy chatting with the owner while you wait for your food to be cooked, and enjoy your lunch while feeling the warmth of the local community.
Okonomiyaki Izumi
| address | ： | 1-2-25 Mitsu, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 089-904-3686 |
| business hours | ： | 11:00-14:00, 16:00-18:00 *Take-out only until October 1st (Tuesday) (11:00-17:00) |
| Closed Day | ： | Wednesday, Thursday |
| ： | @okonomiyaki.izumi |
This is a travel plan that will allow you to experience the many charms of Ehime, including the vast nature surrounded by mountains and the sea, historical hot springs, and local cuisine. Why not visit and create wonderful memories just for the two of you?
The charms of traveling to Ehime are also being introduced by the tourism influencers Ryomai couple on JAL's official TikTok! Please take a look at the video.
Ryomai couple
A travel influencer living in Kansai. They started their social media activities to boost the tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple share tips for "outings" and "travel spots" that will make you want to visit tomorrow, and have over 500,000 followers on TikTok! (As of September 2024)
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The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
