The Dogo area of Matsuyama is known for many things: it’s 3000 year old history thermal water (onsen), famous glass, literary and art museums, Dogo Onsen honkan, Yuzuki castle ruins (Dogo Park) along with it’s oh-so-expensive onsen hotels. What Dogo has not been famous for are it’s bars, up until now. With the opening of Wani to sai, Dogo can now correctly boast that it has one of the most interesting and unique bars in Matsuyama.
Long a favorite summertime event, Japanese beer gardens are held (usually) on the roofs of big hotels or department stores offering nice night views of the city. They are nomi tabe hodae (all you can eat and drink) and usually run about 2500¥-3500¥, well worth the price. Of course the quality and variety of food and drinks vary, as well as location and general mood of the place.
Volunteer guide group in Matsuyama!
Team Camellia (which is Matsuyama’s city flower) has been guiding foreigners around Matsuyama’s important points for more than 5 years. With great English, in-depth cultural/historical information and local food and craft knowledge; team Camellia makes a visit to Matsuyama a memorable one. Best of all, it’s free-all that they ask of you is to pay your admission to the places you visit. No need to book, just show up at the meeting point 5 mins before the tour begins.
So, these 2 guests come back from a trip to Ishizuchi mountain. We were a bit concerned because as you know, its the rainy season in Japan now and walking up western Japan’s highest mountain in the rain is no joke. I’m in the kitchen and I hear Nori making these strange noises, well, stranger than normal anyway. I get a “Matt….Matt” call, which sends me running to the reception. The Ishizuchi guests are back and are all smiles. I get a “guess what” followed by a showing of a beautiful ring and a story on how he popped the question. He surprised her about half-way up the mountain in a beautiful spot in a mountain lodge…who knew American men could be so romantic?!?
Near the end of my trip at Sen, we took the short trip to Kashima Island. It is only a short train ride from Matsuyama, and Matt and Nori had been meaning to check it out. While we had no expectations, it became one of the highlights of my time on Shikoku. A brief walk from the train is a ferry station serviced by a small boat topped with a fiberglass deer, introducing us to island’s claim to fame. We even saw an O-Henro disembarking as we waited for our turn to board the ferry.
Sunset Time is one of the new traditions that Matt and Nori established at Sen. Nearly every night, they head up to Sen’s roof with a beer or some plum wine to watch the sunset. The view from the top of Sen is truly spectacular. High above the modern city, you can see Matsuyama castle guarding and watching over the city on top of a mountain. The neighboring mountains around the city offer a beautiful green backdrop behind which the sun drops every night.
