Ehime Travel Guide
Ehime is a strong Japan travel destination for castle towns, hot springs, islands, cycling, citrus, and relaxed Shikoku travel.
Quick facts
- Best for: castle towns, hot springs, islands, cycling
- Recommended stay: 1 to 3 days
- Best season: Spring, autumn, and key local festival seasons
- Main bases: Matsuyama Castle, Dogo Onsen, Shimanami Kaido, Uchiko
Why visit Ehime
Ehime runs along Shikoku’s north-west coast and has the island’s most comfortable pairing of city and hot spring. Dogo Onsen is one of the oldest hot springs in the country and its wooden main building is a working public bathhouse rather than a hotel; it has been through a long preservation project, so check current hours and which baths are open before you go. Above the city, Matsuyama Castle keeps an original keep reached by ropeway or a climb. Uchiko preserves a street of merchant houses and a restored playhouse, and the Shimanami Kaido begins here at Imabari, crossing the islands to Onomichi.
Getting to Ehime
Matsuyama has an airport with flights from Tokyo and Osaka, and limited express trains run in from Okayama, which is the usual rail route onto Shikoku. The city itself is small enough to cover by tram. The Shimanami Kaido is the reason many people come: you can ride it in either direction, and starting at Imabari means finishing in Hiroshima prefecture — see our Hiroshima guide for the other end.
Top Attractions in Ehime
Dogo Onsen
Dogo Onsen is one of Japan's oldest hot springs, with a bathing history said to stretch back over 3,000 years, and its wooden Honkan bathhouse is one of the country's most iconic onsen buildings, widely noted as an inspiration for the bathhouse in Spirited Away.
Price Paid. Honkan day-bathing starts from around yen 460 for the ground-floor Kami-no-Yu bath, with higher tiers…Time needed 45 minutes to 1.5 hours for a bath, longer if combining with a stroll through Dogo Onsen town
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Matsuyama Castle
Matsuyama Castle is a hilltop castle whose main keep is one of only twelve original castle keeps surviving from Japan's feudal era, reached by ropeway or chairlift and offering views over Matsuyama city and, on clear days, the Seto Inland Sea.
Price Paid for the keep and the ropeway/chairliftTime needed 1.5 to 2.5 hours including the ropeway ride and a walk around the castle grounds
Shimanami Kaido
The Shimanami Kaido is a roughly 70-kilometer expressway and cycling route that links Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture to Imabari in Ehime Prefecture across six islands of the Seto Inland Sea, and it is best known internationally as one of the world's most scenic long-distance cycling routes, with a dedicated bike path across every bridge.
Price The dedicated cycling path itself has no toll for bicycles under a promotional exemption that has been…Time needed A full day for strong riders to complete Onomichi to Imabari in one direction; many travelers spread it over…
Uchiko Town
Uchiko Town is a former merchant town in central Ehime that grew wealthy from wax and washi paper production, and its preserved Yokaichi-Gokoku district still lines about 600 meters of street with white-walled, lattice-windowed houses from the late Edo to Meiji periods.
Price Free to walk the historic streetTime needed Half a day, roughly 2 to 4 hours, to walk the preserved street and visit a couple of museum houses
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Where to stay
- Use Matsuyama, Imabari, Dogo Onsen as practical bases depending on your route.
- Stay near the main station for transport-heavy trips.
- Choose an onsen, coastal, or historic area for a slower overnight stay.
Sample itinerary
- Day 1: Start with the main city, food area, and easiest signature sights.
- Day 2: Visit the top nature, shrine, castle, or cultural area.
- Day 3: Add a day trip, onsen, coast, island, or rural stop if your schedule allows.
Food to try
- Tai meshi
- Mikan citrus
- Jakoten
- Uwajima seafood
Common questions
Can you bathe at Dogo Onsen?
The wooden main building is a working public bathhouse rather than a hotel, but it has been through a long preservation project, so check current hours and which baths are open before you go.
Which end of the Shimanami Kaido should you start from?
Starting at Imabari in Ehime means finishing in Hiroshima prefecture at Onomichi. It can be ridden in either direction.
How do you get to Ehime?
Matsuyama has an airport with flights from Tokyo and Osaka, and limited express trains run in from Okayama.
Is Matsuyama easy to get around?
Yes, the city is small enough to cover by tram.
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