Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [515]
Tsukigase (22-4788; fax 22-4787; per person with/without meals from ¥10,000/6000; ) Between Warei-kōen and the bridge to Taga-jinja is this family-run ryokan, which features traditionally decorated tatami rooms. Guests can take advantage of the stunning on-site onsen complete with mountain views, as well as some excellent food in the adjacent restaurant.
Kadoya (22-1543; lunch & dinner; ) A short walk from the station is this popular spot specialising in local delicacies such as tai-meishi (sea bream with rice; ¥1790). Lunch menus are ¥1200, and there’s a picture menu.
Wabisuke (24-0028; 1-2-6 Ebisu-machi; lunch & dinner) This restaurant, washed by the gentle sounds of running water, is an elegant spot to try the local tai (sea bream) specialities, available here as a tai-meshi go-zen (sea bream set course; ¥1880). There is a picture menu, and the young staff speak some English. There is a good selection of local sakes.
Hozumi-tei (22-0041; 2-3-8 Shinmachi; dishes ¥750-1500; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Part izakaya, part formal restaurant, this place has been serving up local food here for over 70 years. The menu is all in Japanese, but the owner is keen to share his love of the local food with visitors. If you say the words ‘Kyōdo ryōri’ () – meaning ‘local cuisine’ – it should encourage him to unlock his secrets. A course of the local tai-meishi is ¥2100.
Drinking
Red Boots (25-3506; 2-6-1 Honmachi Ōte; beer ¥600; 5pm-2am, closed Mon) Uwajima is not much of a nightlife city, but this friendly bar is a pleasant place to relax at the end of the day. It’s at the end of the shopping arcade, a 15-minute (700m) walk from the station – at the end of the arcade, take the second right, and look for the sign.
Getting There & Around
Uwajima is on the JR Yosan line, and can be reached from Matsuyama (tokkyū ¥2900, 1½ hours) via Uchiko (tokkyū ¥2210, one hour). You can hire bicycles (¥100 per hour) from the tourist information office.
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UWAJIMA TO MATSUYAMA
There are several worthwhile stops along the western coast between Uwajima and Matsuyama, including Ōzu, with its recently reconstructed castle, and Uchiko, a town that grew rich on wax in the 19th century and is home to several elegant old buildings. If you’ve come from further south, you’re back in the land of trains. From Uwajima, the JR Yodo line runs to Kubokawa and Kōchi; the JR Yosan line heads north to Matsuyama.
Yawatahama
0894 / pop 41,200
Throughout the centuries, pilgrims from Kyūshū traditionally arrived in Yawatahama by ferry, and then started and ended their pilgrimage at nearby Temple 43 – Meiseki-ji ().
Ferries run with Nankai Ferry (0120-732-156) from Yawatahama to Beppu (¥3120, three hours, six daily) and Usuki (¥2320, 2¼ hours, six to seven daily) on Kyūshū. Yawatahama-kō port is a five-minute bus ride (¥150) or 20-minute (1.5km) walk from Yawatahama station. To walk there, turn left out of the station and head straight until you hit the sea.
If you need a place to crash for the night, Yawatahama Century Hotel (; 22-2200; www.c-itoh.com, in Japanese; 1-1460-7 Tenjin-dōri; s/tw ¥6090/10,080), on the right as you head towards the port from the station, has decent Western-style rooms.
Ōzu
0893 / pop 50,000
On the Yosan line northeast of Yawatahama is Ōzu, where traditional ukai (; cormorant river fishing) takes place on the Hiji-kawa from 1 June to 20 September. Sightseeing boats (24-2029; cruises per person ¥3000; depart 6.30pm, return 9pm) follow the fishing boats down the river as the cormorants catch fish. Reservations are required.
Ōzu is also the site of the country’s newest castle, Ōzu-jō (; 24-1146; joint ticket with Garyūsansō ¥800; 9am-5pm), completed in 2004 using traditional building techniques and wood – rather than the ferro-concrete used in many of Japan’s reconstructed 20th-century castles. Other buildings in the grounds are original survivals from the Edo period. There’s nothing