Breezing Through Setouchi in Ehime
＃03 Castles and Onsens and craft beer, Oh my!
Bicycle ride through Ehime culture that continues from Shimanami Kaido

The Shimanami Kaido isn’t the only bike route in Ehime for serious cyclists and bicycling explorers alike. This weekend we venture south from the entrance to the most famous biking route of the prefecture, in the city of Imabari, to the capital of Matsuyama, ending at the oldest bath house in Japan and possibly the most famous in the world. This route is called the Imabari-Dogo Hamakaze (Sea Breeze) Cycling Road.
Although this course is mostly utilitarian, with views of the coast for only about half the way, it is a vital path between many great historical sites, quaint and quirky lunch spots and a good night on the town.

Table of Contents

　1. Scouting Expedition and Imabari Castle
　2. Lunch at an Interesting Looking Drive-in
　3. At a hotel full of nice services
　4. Biking in Downtown and the Continuing Search for Good Local Beers
　5. Onsen and Foot Bath
　6. the Man You Need for a Flat Tire
　7. Matsuyama Castle, One of the best Castles in Japan
　8. Feel the Breeze at Hawaiian-style Cafe
　9. And then Biking along the Coast

1. Scouting Expedition and Imabari Castle

Full confession, for lack of time and to get in as many sites along this route as possible, day one of our weekend trip was a scouting expedition from Imabari by car with my bike in the backseat. If renting a bike, whether you fly into Matsuyama Airport or come by train, bus Imabari-way or bike on Shimanami Kaido, you will probably need to bike back to your respective rental shop at some point. Hopefully in upcoming articles we can help connect a couple routes together into a fun and challenging loop coarse. If you’re just trying to check this route off the list, one way is only about two to three hours so it shouldn’t be too uncomfortable to complete a round trip in one day.

Imabari Castle is maybe a twenty-to-thirty-minute ride from the entrance to the Shimanami Kaido is a fun place to visit before you head down the coast towards Matsuyama. If you’re taking the route north from the capital, I would recommend you plan on arriving around 4pm at the latest since the castle closes at 5pm. It isn’t a terribly large castle but is quite pretty with a good view at the top and a museum inside that despite everything from samurai garb, replica katana as you can pick up to get a sense of the weight and feel of them, and a taxidermy section featuring local flora and fauna.

Imabari Castle
https://maps.app.goo.gl/MEjfPHvwWqz2111u7

2. Lunch at an Interesting Looking Drive-in

Lunch that day was at an interesting looking drive-in style shop specializing in delicious hotdogs of various styles. While we were there, the clientele were mainly motorcyclists of which the owner also seemed to be an enthusiast.

DRIVE-IN OUT THERE
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5qcsKJRj61gu1pha8

From there it was off to Matsuyama City to check into our hotel and get a feel for the streets.

3. Stay at an Amazing Hotel with Good Services in Dogo area

We chose Hotel Dogo Yaya not only because it’s right there in the neighborhood this bike route ends in but also because it was just too interesting to pass up. I must admit, this hotel was a bit of a splurge but was worth every yen. Amazing interior design, our entire floor and I assume every floor beside the lobby, was tatami matted from elevator entrance to hotel room. Our room was spacious sitting room, bedroom, and onsen-esqe bathroom juxtaposed with a vintage-looking cast-iron tub. They even valeted my bike since there is no stand in the bike parking for you to lock up to.

The best part though, is all-you-can-drink mandarin orange juice on tap! Ehime is well-known for its mandarin orange nationwide which will become quickly apparent as you explore the city streets as well.

Also included in our stay was an early evening drink bar with sparkling wine and non-alcoholic beverages alike with snacks and sweets, a towel bar with different types of various textures to take to the nearby onsen we will get to in a minute, and a truly tasty breakfast buffet until 10am. The French toast bites are particularly recommended.

Admittedly, besides the French toast, not very breakfast-like to a Westerner but quite good nonetheless.

Hotel Dogo Yaya
https://www.yayahotel.jp/english/

4. Biking in Downtown and the Continuing Search for Good Local Beers

After checking in I went on a little bike ride around the downtown around just to get a feel for the streets before meeting up with the family at a local brewery and taproom.

The Dogo area is pretty hilly but not unnavigatably so. The rest of the route downtown is all flat with plenty of wide streets, wide sidewalks and full of bike lanes. When not　they are at least marked with the iconic blue line on the shoulder you will become very familiar with biking around the area even if you are a first-timer.

And now to the craft beer segment of our program. I had been meaning to get to DD4D, a local microbrewery in Matsuyama, for many years now and it did not disappoint. I wasn’t sure brewpub/clothing store hybrid would work but it was a seamless blend with fashion in the front tasty libations in the back. Up to ten taps to choose from and even more in the bottle and can fridge, there will be a beer style for everyone. I highly recommend that you take some beer home as a souvenir if your friends are beer-lovers.

After a few cold ones, it was time for some grub (and more beers) at the kind of izakaya-style craft beer joint that I am always in search of wherever I go. A balanced 7 tap lineup of beers from dependable breweries around the country, check! An imaginative food menu of small Japanese fusion dishes, check! Attentive staff, and friendly owner/chef who personally comes to see how you’re enjoying things, check! Very probably the best gastropub on the island of Shikoku. Thank you, Bokke! You can make reservations before 7pm but after that you might have to wait. It seems like a very busy shop, with good reason.

BOKKE
https://maps.app.goo.gl/8qmJ4frsLS2SmYUk6

5. Onsen and Foot Bath

The next day consisted of a little more biking around town to take in the sights on this side of the bike route with one small setback just after leaving the hotel. But first let’s look at a few places of interest in the Dogo area.

Dogo Onsen was unfortunately not open that weekend but there is foot bath near the temple situated directly above it where you can admire the iconic architecture while soaking your tootsies.

Dogo Onsen Honkan
https://dogo.jp/en/honkan.php

One more onsen nearby called Asuka-no-Yu that might be worth a visit. It certainly catches the eye from the outside. And then If you are not comfortable taking a bath with strangers, you can book a private bath (Family-style bath) online. Just make sure to do so as far in advance as possible as spots fill up fast.

Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu
https://dogo.jp/en/asuka.php

This was about the time I realized I had blown out my back tire somehow or another.

6. the Man You Need for a Flat Tire

I guess because my family is always in a car nearby, I didn’t think to bring a spare but luckily there was nice little repair shop about half an hour walk down the road. Actually, there was a more corporate-type bike shop only ten minutes down the road that refused to fix my flat, because they were already fully booked for repairs that day. I won’t name names but I will say I have never experienced that before.

But anyway, I walked into Infinity Cycle and he pulled the tube out, wheel still on the bike, found the leak and patched it up in less than ten minutes, all for six hundred yen!
Thank you, Infinity Cycle!

INFINITY CYCLE
https://maps.app.goo.gl/DFHCViRgZv4rKhbRA

7. Matsuyama Castle, One of the best Castles in Japan

Bike tired fixed, it was off to Matsuyama Castle by gondola. If you don’t have a small child with you, you might try the one-person chairs as a fun alternative up and down the hill.

Matsuyama Castle is by far the most fun and interesting of all the castles I’ve visited in Japan so far. The main reason being, I have to assume, is because it is apparently one of only twelve in all of the country that remains mostly intact from feudal times. You can really get a feel for what it would have been like to be attacking or defending this place. With all the turrets for guns and arrows, and the twists and turns inside and out, I should wouldn’t want to be on the offensive side.

Matsuyama Castle
https://maps.app.goo.gl/uAikpHaTMDXyo1FA9

8. Feel the Breeze at Hawaiian-style Cafe

Today’s lunch was roughly ten kilometers from Matsuyama Castle on the Imabari-Dogo Hamakaze Cycling Road. Because of heavy Sunday afternoon traffic, I was able to arrive before the family by car. We chose a Hawaiian-style cafe since the wife and I lived there together for the better part of a decade.

North Shore Ehime
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dSFSx4bnnt3SZRdp6

9. And then, Biking along the Coast

This is a route to get from point A to point B. There a few sketchy turns where visibility could be low to rather fast-moving cars but for the most part it is an easy ride, not too long at around 65 kilometers with few hills that aren’t very steep.

Across the street is a nice little beach if you fancy a dip in the summer months.

Roadside Station
https://g.co/kgs/YnXkLBs

If you keep an eye are there some interesting and sometimes crazy things to see along the way. Try and find the small abandoned building on the side of a cliff that looks like it will fall into the ocean any minute now. I wish I turned back to take a picture.

See you in the next article!

🚲The Course in This Article

🚲Breezing Through Setouchi in Ehime Series
＃01 The sea breeze, mountains and more! 11 bike routes you can fully enjoy through the nature of Ehime.
＃02 Getting Your Feet Wet in Ehime with the Shimanami Kaido
＃03 Castles and Onsens and craft beer, Oh my! Bicycle ride through Ehime culture that continues from Shimanami Kaido

Text_ Jeremy Kircher
He hails from Pennsylvania, the United States, and spent around 10 years living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Since 2017, he has resided in Japan, and now works for a craft beer brewer in Takamatsu, Kagawa. Biking is his favorite way to get some exercise, and he eagerly anticipates sharing numerous appealing cycling routes throughout Shikoku.