Matsuyama was the final stop on our trip through Shikoku and as often was the case during our travels in Japan, we found an interesting mixture of historic sites and wacky newer attractions in the city. For instance, there’s Dogo Onsen, Japan’s oldest public bath, which inspired the bathhouse from ‘Spirited Away’ and Matsuyama-jō, which…
Newest Posts
JapanThe Best Things to Do in the Pretty Historical Village of Uchiko, Japan
The cute village of Uchiko in western Shikoku has a beautiful and well-preserved historical centre with loads of traditional wooden buildings from the late Edo and early Meiji Eras (approx. early 18th to late 19th century). Uchiko was originally a centre for the production of silk and paper, and became wealthy in the 18th century…
Japan14 Amazing Things to Do in Kochi, Japan
With its relaxed vibe and a nice location close to the sea, Kōchi quickly became our favourite city on Shikoku. Apart from that, there are lots of interesting historical sites, many of them connected to national hero Sakamoto Ryōma, who was born here. To see the most important sights in Kōchi, I recommend staying two…
JapanThe Ultimate Guide to the Iya Valley on Shikoku – Including 9 Unique Things to Do
This remote river valley in the mountains of eastern Shikoku’s Tokushima Prefecture was one of our favourite places on the entire island. First of all, the landscapes are beautiful, but there were also enough cute little villages and unusual sights to keep us busy exploring. Apart from that, we found it the perfect spot to…
JapanWhat to Know About Visiting Nagoro, Japan’s Bizarre Doll Village
Japan has plenty of weird and wonderful sights, but we didn’t come across a more unusual place than Nagoro, a small mountain village populated by nearly life-sized dolls. We dropped by while visiting the secluded Iya Valley and it quickly became a highlight of our Shikoku itinerary. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting…
JapanKonpira Shrine and Other Cool Things to See and Do in Kotohira, Japan
Kotohira is a cute village in northeastern Shikoku. It’s mostly famous for Konpira-San, which is the biggest shrine complex on the island and part of the Shikoku Henru Pilgrimage. Konpira-San was also the main reason we stopped in Kotohira on our way from Takamatsu, but we immediately liked the small town atmosphere, so we hung…
JapanRitsurin Garden and Other Great Things to See in Takamatsu, Japan
Takamatsu in Shikoku’s north-eastern part is most famous for the historical Ritsurin Garden. After visiting it, we understood the hype, as it’s one of the most beautiful gardens we’ve ever been to. That said, we also found plenty of other things to like about the city. We also enjoyed the pretty location by the sea,…
JapanThe Ultimate Guide to the Ferry Between Matsuyama and Hiroshima
Going by land from Honshu to Shikoku’s western end or vice versa can be somewhat expensive and also takes quite a while, as cars and buses have to cross the seemingly endless chain of Geiyo Islands and there is no rail connection from that part of the island. Traveling from pretty Matsuyama to Hiroshima and…
JapanThe Perfect One-Week Shikoku Itinerary
While we were traveling through southern Japan, we realized that Shikoku Island features some of the country’s most beautiful natural scenery, as well as a number of amazing cities filled with interesting museums, well-preserved medieval castles and tons of historic temples. Still, this part of Japan doesn’t seem to find its way on many foreign…
JapanThe Ultimate Backpacking Guide to Shikoku – Getting off the Beaten Track in Japan
While we were exploring the towns and villages of beautiful Shikoku Island, we were completely blown away by the fact that we sometimes didn’t meet another western tourist for an entire day. After all, that would be absolutely impossible in Southern Honshu, just across the Sento Inland Sea. This really amazed us, as we found…