Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [513]
The youth hostel is 4.5km away from Kuchiyanai (), accessible by (infrequent) buses from Ekawasaki station and Nakamura. Given enough notice, the manager will come and pick you up.
Nakamura
0880 / pop 37,900
Nakamura, as it’s still commonly referred to (its official name is now Shimanto-shi, ie Shimanto City after it merged with the village of Nishitosa in 2005), is a good place to organise trips on the beautiful Shimanto-gawa (), one of the last free-flowing rivers in Japan. Staff at the tourist information office (35-4171; 8.30am-5pm) opposite Nakamura station can provide information on kayaking and canoe trips, and camping and outdoor activities. A number of companies offer river cruises on traditional fishing boats called Yakata-bune (¥2000 for 50 minutes); the tourist information centre has a full list. Bike rental is available here (per five hours/one day ¥600/1000), allowing you to scoot out to the river under your own steam.
Dragonfly lovers may enjoy a trip out to Shimanto-gawa Gakuyūkan (; 37-4111; admission ¥840; 9am-5pm, closed Mon), several kilometres from Nakamura station. It’s a dragonfly museum that’s full of dead insects for an up-close experience, while outside are six hectares of overgrown ponds, with dragonflies (live ones) flitting about everywhere.
In front of the station, decent Western-style rooms are available at the Dai-ichi Hotel Nakamura (; 0880-34-7211; fax 0880-34-7463; s/d ¥5000/10,500). A post office with international ATM is a short walk away.
About 40 minutes south of Nakamura, on the bus to Ashizuri-misaki, is Ōki-hama (), an attractive 2km-long stretch of sandy white beach backed by pine trees. It’s a popular surfing spot, but there is no accommodation available nearby.
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ASHIZURI-MISAKI
0880
Like Muroto-misaki, Ashizuri-misaki is a wild, picturesque promontory that’s famous for its other-worldly appearance and violent weather.
On the cape at Ashizuri-misaki there’s an imposing statue of locally born hero John Manjirō. Born in 1836 as Nakahama Manjirō, the young fisherman was swept onto the desolate shores of Tori-shima, 600km from Tokyo Bay, in 1841. Five months later, he and his shipmates were rescued by a US whaler passing by, and granted safe passage to Hawaii. After moving to Massachusetts and learning English, ‘John’ returned to Japan and later played a leading role in diplomatic negotiations with the United States and other countries at the end of the Tokugawa period.
Ashizuri-misaki is also home to Temple 38, Kongōfuku-ji (; 88-0038), which has breathtaking views of the promontory and the Pacific Ocean. If you want to linger in these desolate and lonely surroundings, Ashizuri Youth Hostel (; 88-0324; per person ¥3960; ) is a short walk away, with basic but well-cared-for tatami rooms. With advance notice, meals are available. More upmarket is Ashizuri Kokusai Hotel (; 0880-88-0201; fax 0880-88-1135; www.ashizuri.co.jp, in Japanese; per person with meals from ¥13,650), which has onsen baths overlooking the sea.
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EHIME-KEN
Occupying the western region of Shikoku, Ehime-ken has the largest number (27) of pilgrimage temples. Like Tosa, the southern part of the prefecture has always been considered wild and remote; by the time pilgrims arrive in Shikoku’s largest city, Matsuyama, they know that the hard work has been done. There are large clusters of temples around Matsuyama and the Shimanami-kaidō bridge system, which links Shikoku with Honshū.
Prefectural highlights include the sex museum and shrine in Uwajima, the immaculately preserved feudal castle and historic Dōgo Onsen in Matsuyama, and the sacred peak of Ishizuchi-san (1982m), the tallest mountain in western Japan.
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UWAJIMA
0895 / pop 62,000
Uwajima is a charming