Matsuyama and back to Tokyo

My flight is 1145 so I just have time for a quick visit to take a photo of Dogo Onsen, a public hot spring bath, said to be the oldest in Japan although the current building dates back to the 1890s. It is also said to be the inspiration for the bathhouse in the film Spirited Away which was more the reason for my visit. Its looks suitably old and Japanese. The Iyotetsu tram takes me there and back to grab my bag and head to the airport. My rail pass has expired now so it’s quicker and cheaper to fly than take the train (7 hours) back to Tokyo.

The “train” in the picture below is actually a tram made up to look like a loco. It is called the Botchan train and relates to a book based in the Matsuyama area. It only runs at weekends and is apparently wildly popular.

I hadn’t intended to write about the flight but its route and the clear weather meant I got a great birds eye view of the whole of Shikoku and the peak of Mount Fuji above the clouds.Read more