Matsuyama Things to Do

On top of Takashimaya department store, there is a ferris wheel. if you visit the beer garden there they'll usually give you a discount ticket to ride for 100 yen, but if you want to get a good overview of the city it's worth having a look at any time.

This place is marginally interesting, with the small replica European style castle, and grounds that you can freely walk around in. It's not a bad place to go an chill out and get some views of the city.

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Soseki Natsume (the guy on the old 1,000 yen bill; since 2003 or 2004 they replaced all the luminaries on the handbills) authored a book called "Botchan", a story about an angry young man from urban Edo on his first teaching assignment in a rural area - this brooding new graduate seemed to have found at least some solace in his daily excursion to this bathhouse. The author Soseki himself actually spent a year in this area on his first teaching assignment post graduation...

There are four levels of bathing options:
1) Usual "Sento" Public Bath
2) Bathing with Rental Towel and Yukata, and Tea with large public relaxation tatami room
3) Same as 2), but with a different bath and price
4) Private Resting Room with all the amenities, including a tour of a special room of the spa exclusively perused by Emperor Showa in the 1950's.

Simple Alkaline (Hypotonic Alkaline) Spa
Temperature is about 42 degrees C, pH 9.0, Radon Content 1.49 mache/kg
(spa mineral components abstracted from http:// www.chaharu.com/data/kounou/)

There is a quiet little garden at the foot of Matsuyama castle that is not a bad place to relax. It's about 100 yen. To get there from Matsuyama castle, just walk down the hill on the opposite side from the ropeway to the castle, and you'll find it. Will post some photos once I find them.

Just up the road from Dogo is Oku Dogo, where there is a hotel, which not only has a good buffet restaurant and summer beer garden, but an onsen as well, with various kinds of baths. It's fun to have a few beers and then head outside to have a bath.

I enjoyed my visit, although it was soured by a racist local who didn't like the idea of sharing a large bath with a non-Japanese.

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The Dogo area is well worth a look for a number of reasons.

You can take a bath on the famous onsen, there are plenty of souvenir stores to have a look at, there's a delightful little clock that plays out the 'Bocchan and Madonna' (famous Matsuyama story) story on the hour, and Dogo station itself is worth having a glimpse at as well.

This beautiful park is especially enchanting in spring, when the cherry trees are in full bloom. Small stone bridges, water and beautifully shaped trees - this idyllic picture is only disturbed by the blue plastic blankets the park authority spreads under the cherry trees in spring time, when whole japanese families come to celebrate the cherry blossom. There are food stalls where you can buy snacks, soft drinks and alcohol, and you can even rent a barbecue! So in the afternoon the peaceful park becomes a very popular and loud hang-out place, but the atmosphere is great!

Erected in the Hojoen Square in front of Dogo Onsen Station, the Karakuri Clock features lovely little figures reenacting a scene from the novel "Botchan" every hour from 8am to 10 pm.
This can be best admired while bathing your feet in the hot foot bath! :-)