Shikoku 3-Day Itinerary: Day Three

Read Day 1 here - Uzu no michi, Mount Bizan
Read Day 2 here - Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge
Read Day 3 here - Kochi Castle, Ritsurin Garden

We got into Kochi (??) in the evening last night but the morning of day three, we noticed that the temperature was warmer than Tokushima which was not that far more north. We didn't have much time today as it would be a long journey back to our town so we did not get to explore Kochi as well as we would like.

Kochi Castle

We took the tram from Kochi Station to go to Kochi Castle (200 yen). The tram went to Harimaya Bridge, then we had to hop off and transfer to another tram which took us to Kochi Castle. The castle opened at 9am and we were there about 10 minutes before so it was quiet and relaxing. Entrance to the castle cost 420 yen and there were some displays inside. At the top of a few flights of stairs was a panoramic view of Kochi city. This is the fourth Japanese castle I have been to after the ones in Himeji, Nagoya and Matsuyama. Unfortunately I would have to rank Kochi Castle as number four.

Displays inside Kochi Castle

Model of Kochi Castle

Panoramic view from Kochi Castle

Instead of taking the tram back, we walked back under the arcades (covered shopping streets). We passed by Hirume Market (?????) which had an assortment of food goods. I found a kinken shop (??????) nearby which is a discount ticket shop and bought my train ticket from Kochi Station to Takamatsu Station (3050 yen).

Taking the 11:13am train to Takamatsu Station (??), we arrived at 1:32pm. We hopped onto another train (210 yen) that departed at 1:40pm for Ritsurinkoen kita-guchi Station (???????). This latter train only comes every half an hour. The ride to Ritsurin Koen/Garden was only 5 minutes and it was another few minutes walk to the north entrance of the garden. Entrance fee was 420 yen each.

Koi at Ritsurin Garden

Tranquility at Ritsurin Garden

Boat ride at Ritsurin Garden

The garden was beautifully trimmed and the abundance of koi fish in the water brought colour to the otherwise largely green garden. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and made the green glitter. I really experienced what the Japanese call komorebi (????) here. It's a great place to slow down your footsteps and collect your thoughts.

Walking back to Takamatsu Station took about 40 minutes and there was a long shopping arcade on the way. Again I bought my train ticket from Takamatsu Station to Okayama Station (??) at a discount shop and it cost 1320 yen. We took the 3:40pm train to Okayama Station and the journey was about an hour.

Okayama Castle

We took a tram from Okayama Station to Shiroshita stop (100 yen) which was only a few stops away. From Shiroshita, it was about a 10 minute walk to Okayama Castle. We saw it from the outside because it was closed by the time we were there.

That is the end of our Shikoku trip and we even managed to fit one sightseeing spot from Okayama in the end. From Okayama you can take the Shinkansen or train to wherever is next on your Japan journey.

Read Day 1 here - Uzu no michi, Mount Bizan
Read Day 2 here - Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge
Read Day 3 here - Kochi Castle, Ritsurin Garden

Shikoku 3-Day Itinerary: Day Two

Read Day 1 here - Uzu no michi, Mount Bizan
Read Day 2 here - Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge
Read Day 3 here - Kochi Castle, Ritsurin Garden

For day two of our trip, we headed to another part of Tokushima Prefecture (???).  Yesterday when we arrived at JR Tokushima Station, we went to the travel agency located there and asked about tours for Iya Valley and Oboke Gorge. She recommended the Bonnet Bus tour. I found the Bonnet Bus tour online prior to the trip but since it required telephone reservation and I didn't have enough Japanese to communicate, I didn't make the call. The travel agent called and made reservations for us and we paid her on the spot. It was 7500 yen for an almost 6 hour tour including lunch. 

Bonnet Bus

The All Shikoku Rail Pass can also be purchased there for 6300 yen for 2 days of unlimited JR rides in Shikoku. It even allows rides up to Okayama for when you leave Shikoku. 

JR Tokushima station

In the morning of day two, we took the 9am train from Tokushima Station to Awa-ikeda Station (????). We arrived at around 10:15am and waited until 10:40am for the tour to begin. There were about 20 people in the tour and half were foreign tourists while the other half were Japanese. The tour itself was mostly in Japanese but they gave us a poster in English at the beginning so at least we knew the names of the places we were going to. The language barrier wasn't a huge problem as long as you knew how to tell time in Japanese so you can understand when the guide wants you back on the bus.

The bus was a small and old vehicle but it zipped through the narrow, often single-lane, mountains roads. In mid-October, the weather forecast said low 20C in the afternoon but it was much colder in the mountains so dress warmly! 

Iya Valley

Peeing boy statue

A 40 minute drive took us to the first stop, which was the statue of a peeing boy overlooking Iya Valley (????). Some parts of the tour had English recordings playing over the loudspeaker to explain the sights. I didn't quite catch the story behind this statue but in any case, it was quite amusing to see the placement of this statue. The valley was very deep from our height up in the mountain and that itself was great.

Lunch

The next stop was already lunch. I was expecting a simple meal because it was included in the tour fee but it was actually a nice meal in a restaurant overlooking the valley. We were served soba noodles, a grilled fish, rice, miso soup and an assortment of other side dishes. I was very full at the end of the meal. 

Kazurabashi

After a short drive, we arrived at Kazurabashi (????). The bridge was 45 metres long over the Iya River. I have been to a few other suspension bridges before but this one was pretty special. It didn't sway especially dangerously but the floor boards were wide apart such that my small feet could easily slip through. As well, it looked like the bridge was only held up by vine and some pieces of wood (I sure hope there was more reinforcement underneath!) 

Walking on Kazurabashi

Vines that held up the bridge

The Heike Folk Museum was next and it was a traditional Japanese house with different old items inside from baskets to money. Then we went to a rest area in Oboke (???) and a monster greeted us as we alighted the bus. The rest area had a monster mansion and since it was the month of Halloween, they had staff in costume roaming the area and also costumes for kids to wear and take photos in. 

Monster!

The last stop of the tour was a boat cruise down Yoshino River in Oboke. This was the first time where I had to take off my shoes to ride a boat. The floor of the boat was matted and we took off our shoes at the bow before sitting down. The ride was leisurely and we rode in a calm part of the river where the guide pointed out at rocks that resembled animals on the way. He did so in Japanese and none of the rocks looked particularly like animals to me so I didn't know what animals they were supposed to represent.

Yoshino River

Boat ride

Observing interesting rocks

We were driven back to JR Awa-ikeda Station by 4pm. Overall I think this tour was pretty worthwhile because it would have been difficult navigating the large area via public bus. As well, all the places we went to, except for the rest area, required admission fee and the tour fee included all of those plus a good lunch.

We took the 4:30pm train from Awa-ikeda Station to Kochi Station (??). The ride was about 75 minutes and cost 2820 yen.

Read Day 1 here - Uzu no michi, Mount Bizan
Read Day 2 here - Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge
Read Day 3 here - Kochi Castle, Ritsurin Garden

Shikoku 3-Day Itinerary: Day One

Read Day 1 here - Uzu no michi, Mount Bizan
Read Day 2 here - Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge
Read Day 3 here - Kochi Castle, Ritsurin Garden

We were able to explore three prefectures in Shikoku (??) over three days. Shikoku is one of the four main islands of Japan. Departing from Sannomiya Station in Kobe, we took a bus to Naruto koenguchi (?????) where the whirlpools are. We took Shinki Bus which took 78 minutes and cost 2280 yen one way for advance purchase at the conbini.

Naruto Bridge

The bus dropped us off by 10:15am and a lady at the tourist booth told us that the next tidal change was at 11:30am. Since we had more than an hour to wait, we opted for the promotion which was 900 yen for entrance to the museum and Uzu no michi. The museum was small but informative about the whirlpools and famous bridges in Japan and around the world.

Interactive parts of the museum

Uzu no michi (???) was a walkway under the Naruto Bridge and had glass flooring so tourists can see the whirlpool in action below. I was mesmerized as the water swirled stronger and stronger as it approached 11:30am. The colour was a bright blue mixed with navy and pictures did not do it justice. I have heard that some people were disappointed by the Naruto Whirlpools but I think that it is just important to check the high and low tide times of each day to see them at their height of action.

Uzu no michi

Whirlpools forming under my feet

Uzu no michi

A short walk away from the bridge, down a flight of stairs behind the museum was the bus stop for heading to Tokushima (??). The ride took a little over an hour and cost 710 yen one way.

After dropping our things off at our hotel in Tokushima, we headed to Mount Bizan (??) with the intention of riding the ropeway up to see the sunset and night view (1200 yen round trip). However, there happened to be an anime festival that weekend and the queue for the ropeway was at least 1.5 hours long because there was an event on Mount Bizan.

On the hike up Mount Bizan

View of Tokushima City from Mount Bizan

Instead of waiting, we opted to hike up the mountain. It took about 45 minutes and most of the trail were rocks or tree roots. Only the beginning and end of the trail had proper stairs. I actually preferred the rocky trail because it was less tiring than stairs.

Sunset from Mount Bizan

The view at the top was great! We could see far out into the city and the sunset were gorgeous shades of crimson and orange descending behind the shadowy mountains. The queue going down the mountain was pretty long as well so we began our hike down before nightfall since it was not lit. We did not get to see the the night view but the beautiful sunset made up for it.

Read Day 1 here - Uzu no michi, Mount Bizan
Read Day 2 here - Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge
Read Day 3 here - Kochi Castle, Ritsurin Garden

Hiroshima and Matsuyama 5-Day Itinerary: Day Four

Read Day 1 here - Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Manga Library
Read Day 2 here - Miyajima, Mount Misen
Read Day 3 here - Ferry to Matsuyama
Read Day 4 here - Matsuyama Castle, Dogo Onsen, Ishiteji Temple
Read Day 5 here - Return journey

Today was a full day city tour of Matsuyama (??) and we purchased a one-day tram pass (500 yen). Our first stop was the Matsuyama Castle which was on top of Mount Katsuyama at 132 metres above sea level. There is a ropeway that takes you up for 2000 yen roundtrip but we opted to walk. There were a lot of stairs and some parts were steep but it wasn't a long walk (around 15 minutes).

Matsuyama Castle

The castle area is free to walk around in but the castle itself cost 510 yen to enter. There were three floors and at the top we could see a panoramic view of the city. No shoes are allowed inside and they provide slippers to wear but you may want to bring/wear socks. The stairs inside the castle were steep but not as steep and narrow as the Himeji Castle ones.

View from Matsuyama Castle

After descending the mountain we found lunch at Ehime Kitchen which was delicious. We took the tram back to the Dogo Onsen (????) area and went to the Dogo Onsen Hanko's tour of where past imperial families have used their facilities 10 times. It cost 260 yen and was a short tour. We opted for the tour instead of bathing at the onsen because it was very crowded during Silver Week.

Dogo Onsen

Next on the agenda was walking from a back route to the Ishiteji Temple (???). We were recommended this path by the person at our hostel and she gave a chuckle when she said there were some strange statues on the trail. The path can be reached going past Dogo Onsen and walking away and uphill from the shopping streets.

On the way you will see a sign that says Youth Hostel. You can follow that sign uphill until another Youth Hostel sign points for you to turn right. Instead of turning right, keep going straight. This part was completely empty unlike the busy Dogo Onsen Arcade a block back.

Entrance to the cave

On the way, there is a kindergarten and graveyard. On the right is an entrance to a cave which is 200 metres long and leads to Ishiteji temple. The large stone on the front roughly resembled a skull. Across the street from the cave further down the road was a broken sign which read "Welcome" in English and another word I did not recognize. There was a scary looking figure carved above the wooden sign. Beyond the wooden sign was a very large dome shaped bronze structure called the Mandala that looked like a space ship behind the gnarly trees that obstructed my vision of it. I was honestly a bit jumpy at this point from all the weird sights.

Walking along the trail, you will see a very large statue of a Buddhist monk named Kobo Daishi. I found out the names of all the strange things I saw in a brochure at the temple but before knowing what they were, it all seemed a bit strange. The land on the sides of the trail were a bit forlorn with an abandoned looking building and stone and colourful crumbling statues watching those who approached on the trail.

Ishiteji Temple

Finally we reached the Ishiteji Temple and the inside was more "normal." There were elements that were common to other Japanese temples but the trail that led to this temple made it feel special. We didn't go into the cave nor the Mandala because they were closed but read this blog post on the entire experience. It was definitely the most adventurous day of our trip.

Since the bathhouse in Spirited Away was inspired by Dogo Onsen, we joked that the unique sights that we saw in Matsuyama must have helped with ideas in the movie as well.

After the goosebump inducing hike, we went to Tsubaki no Yu down the road from Dogo Onsen for a bath. It was a more modern onsen than Dogo and less crowded. It cost 400 yen and you must bring your own towel and soap. Though if you forget, those are available for rental. Using the hair dryer cost 10 yen and the locker also cost 10 yen.

Dogo Onsen and Tsubaki no Yu are known to have really hot water. This was my first public bathhouse experience in Japan so I cannot compare to other public baths but it was certainly much hotter than the baths I have tried in ryokans and hotels. The relaxing onsen soaked away all the tiredness from traveling the last few days and I felt so refreshed despite a bit sleepy.

We ended the night with a nice bowl of udon and re-watched Spirited Away with snacks back at the hostel.

Free public foot bath outside Dogo Onsen Station

Read Day 1 here - Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Manga Library
Read Day 2 here - Miyajima, Mount Misen
Read Day 3 here - Ferry to Matsuyama
Read Day 4 here - Matsuyama Castle, Dogo Onsen, Ishiteji Temple
Read Day 5 here - Return journey

Hiroshima and Matsuyama 5-Day Itinerary: Day Three

Read Day 1 here - Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Manga Library
Read Day 2 here - Miyajima, Mount Misen
Read Day 3 here - Ferry to Matsuyama
Read Day 4 here - Matsuyama Castle, Dogo Onsen, Ishiteji Temple
Read Day 5 here - Return journey

We purchased a one-day tram pass (600 yen) and rode it from Miyajimaguchi to the Hondori (??) area which took almost an hour. We roamed around the area and had lunch at Coco Ichi before taking the tram to Hiroshima Port Ujina Terminal.

At the terminal we bought our ferry tickets to Matsuyama (??). There are two types of ferries: car ferry and super jet. The former takes 2.5 hours to reach Matsuyama and the latter takes 1 hour at double the price. There is currently a promotion for foreign visitors to Japan for the ferries. We were able to save 1600 yen for the car ferry option by showing our passports and paid 2000 yen for the one-way ticket.

Car ferry from Hiroshima to Matsuyama

The car ferry is not very frequent so please check the schedule ahead of time here. Although 2.5 hours sounds long, it didn't feel like a burden at all. We sat in the comfortable boat which sold snacks at convenience store prices and enjoyed the view. I really enjoyed the scenery of the ride because there were mountains, islands and blue water in every direction. The port towns that I have seen in Japanese animated movies came to life as we passed by different islands lined with little houses at the base.

Matsuyama Kanko Port

We finally arrived at the Matsuyama Kanko Port by 6pm. The sun was setting and the view was gorgeous. Initially we were going to visit the Mitsuhama Port (???) so we took the train instead of the limousine bus to leave the ferry terminal. It is easier to just take the Iyotetsu limousine bus that will take you straight to the Dogo Onsen (????) area for 620 yen.

We walked about 10 minutes to Takahama Station and rode the Iyotetsu train to Mitsuhama Station (160 yen). It is a one kilometre walk from the station to Mitsuhama Port. We were hungry by that time so we ate dinner at an Italian restaurant across the street from the station. After dinner we figured everything would be closed at the port anyways so we did not walk to the port and instead walked to the JR station.

Not realizing that trains were very infrequent at the Mitsuhama JR station (1 train per hour), we just missed our train and had to wait an hour for the next one. Mitsuhama JR is only 1 stop and about a 5 minute ride from Matsuyama JR station but we had to wait an hour for it. It cost 210 yen.

Dogo Onsen

When the train finally came at 9pm, we were elated and quickly arrived in Matsuyama. From Matsuyama, we took the tram line 5 (160 yen) to Dogo Onsen Station. Our hostel for the next two nights, Sen Guesthouse, was less than 10 minutes walk away. The Dogo Onsen area was still crowded with people in yukata at 10pm. Perhaps this was due to the holiday because the next night at 10:20pm, all the shops were closed and there were much fewer people walking around.

Read Day 1 here - Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Manga Library
Read Day 2 here - Miyajima, Mount Misen
Read Day 3 here - Ferry to Matsuyama
Read Day 4 here - Matsuyama Castle, Dogo Onsen, Ishiteji Temple
Read Day 5 here - Return journey