Hello. I’m ”Arafifi Mitsu”（Around 50 Mitsu）!
Here’s a 2-night, 3-day solo trip to Ehime using public transportation for a woman in her 50s. The morning of Day 1 is dedicated to exploring the history and nature of Uwajima City. We’ve compiled detailed information and access information for each spot, so please refer to it.
Day 1: Matsuyama → Anpanman Go → Uwajima Castle → Tenshaen Garden → Date Museum → Uwajima Taimeshi (Sea Bream Rice)
Uwajima → Osu Castle Town → Garyu Sanso → Osu Castle → Ozu Robata Aburaya
Day 2: Matsuyama Station → Imabari Station → Hakurakuten Imabari Main Store → Imabari Castle → Imabari Towel Main Store → Yakitori Sedo
Day 3: Matsuyama → Dogo Onsenkan → Yuzuki Castle → Matsuyama Castle → Izakaya
We recommend the “Smaeki” app!
JR lines in Ehime Prefecture have few automated ticket gates, and transportation IC cards (such as Suica and ICOCA) cannot be used. Therefore, you’ll need to purchase tickets, but there’s actually a more convenient and cost-effective way!
That’s the “Smaeki” app.
With this app, you can purchase tickets on your smartphone and board smoothly by simply showing the screen at the ticket gate. What’s more, there are some sections where discount fares are available.
It’s especially recommended for tourists as it saves you the trouble of buying paper tickets.
Special discount tickets are also available exclusively at Smaeki, so be sure to take advantage of them when traveling around Ehime by JR!
Smart Eki Points
Just show your smartphone screen! Easily purchase tickets.
Conveniently ride even in areas where IC cards aren’t accepted.
Limited-time discount tickets are also available.
▶ Download the Smart Eki app.
Check the official website for details and install the app beforehand!
Take the Anpanman Train to Uwajima
The journey from Matsuyama Station to Uwajima Station is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes on the “Uwakai” limited express train.
This express train features the “Anpanman Train,” decorated with Anpanman characters, a long-time favorite among Japanese children.
The interior of the train is also decorated with Anpanman illustrations, making for a fun start to your journey.
Operating schedules vary depending on the season and day of the week, so please check the JR Shikoku official website in advance.
Uwajima Castle 60-minute tour – Who is the castle’s lord?
Uwajima Castle is about a 15-minute walk from JR Uwajima Station. The slopes and stone steps leading to the castle are steep, so we recommend wearing comfortable sneakers.
Uwajima Castle is one of Japan’s 100 most famous castles, and is one of only 12 remaining castle towers in Japan.
The current castle tower was built in the early Edo period and features beautiful white walls and black roofing.
From the castle tower, you can get a panoramic view of Uwajima Bay, and you can still feel the remnants of its former role as a sea castle.
The first lord of Uwajima Castle was Fujiwara Takatora.
Later, Date Hidemune, the first lord of the Uwajima Domain, moved into the castle.
Date Hidemune was the eldest son of Date Masamune (the One-Eyed Dragon Masamune), lord of the Sendai Domain. Date Hidemune would have been in a position to inherit the Sendai Domain, but because he was the son of a concubine, he was unable to do so.
As a result, he became the lord of the Uwajima Domain, which had become independent as an outside daimyo.
Why not experience the drama of the Date clan at Uwajima Castle?
Uwajima Castle
Address: 1-chome, Marunouchi, Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture
Telephone: 0895-22-2832
Opening Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Last Entry: 4:30 PM)
Closed: Open Daily
Castle Tower Admission Fee: 200 yen for adults, free for high school students and younger (a three-volume ticket is available for Uwajima Castle, Tenshaen Garden, and the Date Museum)
Access: Approximately a 15-minute walk from Uwajima Station
Uwajima Sightseeing: Tenshaen Garden
Tenshaen Garden is approximately a 10-minute walk from Uwajima Castle.
Tenshaen Garden is a strolling garden with a pond built by the seventh feudal lord, Date Munenori, as a retirement residence.
There are many wisteria trellises in the garden, and the arched bridge-style wisteria trellis over the pond is one of the highlights.
The model for Maetel, the android female protagonist in the long-loved Japanese anime Galaxy Express 999, was a beautiful girl from the late Edo period named Takako (Takako Kusumoto) from Uwajima.
When Leiji Matsumoto, the creator of Galaxy Express 999, saw a portrait of Takako, he was so struck that he exclaimed, “This woman (Maetel) is the woman I’ve always imagined!”
Takako is the granddaughter of Philipp Franz von Siebold, a central figure in the “Siebold Incident” in Japanese history. Takako, a beautiful girl from the late Edo period, had a German grandfather, making her a rare quarter German at the time.
In honor of this beautiful girl from the late Edo period, Takako, the “Maetel Bell” was installed with the cooperation of Leiji Matsumoto.
I too admired the android Maetel as a child. So she was modeled after a beautiful Japanese girl from Uwajima.
Tenshaen Garden, a Scenic Spot
Address: Tensha Park, Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture
Phone: 0895-22-0056
Opening Hours: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM (April – June)
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM (July – March)
Closed: Second Monday of December – Last Monday of February (or the following day if a public holiday falls on a Monday)
New Year’s Holidays
Admission Fee: 500 yen for adults (a three-volume ticket is available for Uwajima Castle, Tenshaen Garden, and Date Museum)
Access: Approximately a 10-minute walk from Uwajima Castle
Date Museum Related to the Date Clan, Lords of the Uwajima Domain
The Date Museum is approximately a 5-minute walk from Tenshaen Garden.
This museum displays valuable documents and art related to the Date Clan, lords of the Uwajima Domain.
You can also try your hand at swords and armor.
Date Museum
Address: 9-14 Goten-cho, Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture
Phone: 0895-22-7776
Opening Hours: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Closed: Tuesdays (or the following day if a public holiday falls on a Tuesday)
New Year’s Holidays
Admission Fee: 500 yen for adults (a three-volume ticket is available for Uwajima Castle, Tenshaen Garden, and Date Museum)
Access: Approximately a 10-minute walk from Uwajima Castle
Uwajima Taimeshi Lunch at Seafood Kappo Isshin
After finishing sightseeing in Uwajima, enjoy a Uwajima specialty, sea bream rice lunch. Head to Seafood Kappo Isshin, a famous restaurant serving Uwajima sea bream rice.
It’s located approximately a 10-minute walk from the Date Museum (in the direction heading back to Uwajima Station).
The “Uwajima Taimeshi” (Sea Bream Rice), consisting of fresh sea bream sashimi served over rice with a special sauce and egg yolk, is absolutely delicious.
I ordered the “Taimeshi Set B (includes noodle soup)” from the lunch menu. ¥2,100
Once your order is placed, the chef will slice the sea bream and serve it to you. The flesh is plump and tender!
You can also enjoy local Uwajima cuisine, such as “Fukumen” (konjac noodles covered in minced meat) and “Yuzarashi Fuka.”
Kaisen Kappo Isshin
Address: 1-10-12 Chuo-cho, Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture
Phone: 0895-22-2233
Lunch Hours: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Closed: Sundays
This article introduces a sample itinerary for sightseeing in Uwajima (morning of Day 1).
We had a fulfilling time in Uwajima, enjoying its history, nature, and delicious food.
