Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [519]
Drinking
There is an overwhelming number of drinking establishments in Matsuyama, the bulk of them concentrated in Ichiban-chō and Niban-chō amid the network of neon-lit streets either side of the Ōkaidō arcade. You won’t die of thirst in Matsuyama, that’s for sure.
Rockbar Hoshizora Jett (933-0001; 1-8-4 Niban-chō; drinks from ¥500; 5.30pm-4am) This pleasantly seedy-looking bar plays American rock, and there’s a good chance that you can catch live music here on the weekends. It’s near the Washington Hotel, up the street towards the Ōkaidō arcade. There’s an English sign.
Monk (945-9512; 2F Aihara Bldg, 1-10-16 Sanban-chō; drinks from ¥700; 6pm-2am) This is a mellow place to sink a few with the friendly musician-owner over selections from his huge jazz collection. There are regular live-music nights.
Peggy Sue Saloon (934-5701; 2F, 1-2-9 Nibanchō; drinks from ¥700; 8.30pm-3am, closed Mon) Run by a music nut with a fondness for country music, this friendly bar is a treasure trove of cowboy-themed Americana. There’s a Wurlitzer jukebox, and several guitars and mandolins on the walls that are just waiting for someone to take them down and start picking. The 2nd-floor sign is visible from street level.
Dōgo Biiru-kan (945-6866; 20-13 Dōgo Yunomachi; 11am-10pm) Right by Dōgo Onsen Honkan, this place brews its own beer, and is a good spot for a drink and a bite to eat after a relaxing soak. The names of the beers are allusions to Natsume Sōseki and his famous novel: there’s a Botchan kölsch, a Madonna alt, and a Sōseki stout (all ¥840). There’s also a decent range of food available from a picture menu (such as iwashi no karaage – fried sardines – for ¥550).
Kuramoto-ya (934-5701; 1-11-7 Ichiban-chō; noon-9pm, closed Mon; ) This airy glass-fronted place has tables where you can stand and enjoy sake from every brewery in Ehime-ken, most of them for ¥100 to ¥200 a glass. There’s no English, but the bottles are on clear display and everyone’s eager to help you find what you’re looking for.
Getting There & Away
Matsuyama’s airport, 6km west of the city, is easily reached by bus (¥330, 20 minutes, hourly) from the front of the JR Matsuyama station. There are direct flights to/from Tokyo (¥32,000, one hour and 25 minutes, 10 daily), Nagoya (¥23,700, one hour, three daily), Osaka (¥17,000, 50 minutes, 15 daily) and Fukuoka (¥28,000, 50 minutes, three daily).
The JR Yosan line connects Matsuyama with Takamatsu (tokkyū ¥5500, 2½ hours), and there are also services across the Seto-ōhashi to Okayama (tokkyū ¥6120, 2¾ hours) on Honshū.
There are JR Highway buses that run to/from Osaka (¥6700, 5½ hours, five daily) and Tokyo (¥12,200, 12 hours, one daily), and there are frequent buses to major cities in Shikoku.
The superjet hydrofoil, run by the Setonaikai Kisen ferry (082-253-1212., Matsuyama booking office 089-953-1003; 9am-7pm), has regular hydrofoil connections between Matsuyama and Hiroshima (¥6300, 1¼ hours, 14 daily). The Hiroshima-to-Matsuyama ferry (¥2900, 2¾ hours, 10 daily) is also a popular way of getting to/from Shikoku. Matsuyama is also a stopping point for ferries run by Diamond Ferry company (951-0167; www.diamond-ferry.co.jp) between Osaka and Kōbe, and Ōita (Kyūshū). There is one sailing a day each way. To Honshū, the ferry leaves Matsuyama at 8.30pm (2nd class, ¥7500) – to Kōbe it’s nine hours and 20 minutes; to Osaka it’s 12 hours. For Ōita, the boat leaves Matsuyama at 8.30am and arrives at 12.05pm (2nd class, ¥3800). To reach Matsuyama port, take the Iyo-tetsudō private train line from Matsuyama-shi