Toon City, pronounced Tō-on, is a city in name only. There’s no built-up center to it at all, which may seem strange to people who are used to the conventional meanings of words. But in Japan, if enough people live in a given area, it’s called a city, even if it has none of the normal ch..
In Japan, the names for municipalities bear scant resemblance to entities of the same name in the west. So in Japan, a ‘village’ can cover a vast area including hundreds of hamlets. Similarly, a ‘city’ can be a largely rural or urban area with no definite center. Iyo City i..
Kuma Highland—Kuma Kōgen in Japanese—is a large inhabited area at a high elevation in central Ehime bordering Kochi Prefecture. It encompasses an astonishing range of geological features, which makes it a fascinating area to visit. But be warned—once you’ve scratched the su..
Matsuyama isn't usually known for its ramen. If you ask the locals, they aren't really able to say what Matsuyama’s unique regional spin on the noodle dish is. Considering the relative scarcity of ramen shops, I jump at the op..
On the banks of the Isshite river sits an unexpected, vintage train car. The bikes parked outside and the cheerful, if somewhat peeling, blue and yellow paint alert the traveler that this is no accident site. Wildflowers, plant pots, and hand painted..
No more than one minute’s walk from Mitsu train station in the North-West of Matsuyama, is a tiny, rustic, no-nonsense okonomiyaki joint with a sassy obaachan chef of local renown. Featured in the Matsuyama 2016 Okonomiyaki rally, this is the r..
Just a few blocks from the seafront castle of Imabari, the Imabari Kokusai Hotel is one of the city's better places to bed down for the night. You can't miss it - the hotel's main tower looms large on the Imabari skyline and it's a ve..
Seapa Makoto onsen and restaurant is located next to picturesque Kashima port overlooking the island of Kashima, a big blob of mountain just off the coast in the Seto Inland Sea. The onsen sits on the seawall just above the beach at Hojo, offering a ..
Spa Ryokan Dougoya is a budget guesthouse but with classic ryokan styling located in Dogo, Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku. It is located close to the station, as well as to the Shopping Arcade and Dogo Onsen! The traditional Japanese house is bui..
Every March, Dogo Onsen is dressed up in lanterns and red pinstripes to celebrate its cultural history and provide a platform for the local community to get together. The onsen itself is saturated in folklore and has ties to Studio Ghibli, novelist ..
These days, outside of Harajuku, Japan’s cosplayers seem scarcer than they once were in the 1990s. It’s been suggested that this may be due to the rise of “utility” or “normcore” fashion. So these sort of gathering..
Shikoku is home to many talented craftspeople. Some of Shikoku’s most famous and enduring crafts include Awagami (Tokushima washi paper), Tobeyaki (Tobe’s distinctive blue pottery), and Iyo-Kasuri (hand-woven, blue patterned fabric). The..
