【日本一周#6】四国カルストの絶景を眺めつつ道後温泉へ
Hello everyone from inside a ferry all of a sudden. It’s time for Chizutabi again today. I took the Orange Ferry from Oita to Ehime. This is a 2-day 1-night trip to Ehime. The first place we visited is the Uwagasome Museum. We heard it repurposes an old wooden school building, so we came to take a look. A long corridor stretches straight ahead. Every year, a Z-1 Grand Prix is held here, where people compete by wiping the straight corridor with rags as quickly as possible. Various nostalgic items are placed around. You can feel how the historic school building is being cherished. There were also classrooms. This is so nostalgic. A blackboard eraser cleaner. The blackboard is covered with messages left by visitors. The staff room makes me a bit nervous. There was no one else here at the time, which made it feel like I was time-traveling. We’ve moved to Uwajima. We’re going to eat Uwajima Tai-meshi. The restaurant, Hozumitei, had good reviews. Let’s start with a beer. First, some marinated small horse mackerels. These dishes taste so good when you have them once in a while. Next, Jakoten. It’s a local dish of this region and is grilled before eating. I’ll also have some sashimi. Even though it’s for one person, the portion is huge. Let’s dig in. I’ll have Jakoten with grated soy sauce. The flavor of the small fish was very rich. The marinated dish has a perfect balance of sourness. The texture is delightful and fun. The fish was extremely fresh. Although I was dining alone, the elderly female hostess told me many things about Uwajima. The restaurant’s atmosphere was warm and pleasant. And now, the much-anticipated Uwajima Tai-meshi. It seems the characteristic is eating it with eggs. The rice portion is huge, but can I finish it all? First, I’ll beat the egg… And have it with rice. The kind of person who always finishes their food. Almost done. It was delicious. I’ve come to the Shikoku Karst. This karst plateau, which stretches across the border between Ehime and Kochi, is scattered with limestone rocks. The contrast of green and white is beautiful. Shikoku Karst, at an elevation of 1,400 meters, is the highest among Japan’s three significant karsts. Dairy cows are roaming freely, giving it a very pastoral feel. And here is Karst Coffee, located in such a scenic spot. You can leisurely enjoy coffee while gazing at the spectacular view. I think this swing is the prime spot. You can see the karst landscape spread out before you. There’s also a campsite next door. Waking up in such a place must be awesome. I opted for an iced latte. I feel like I could spend the whole day here reading and relaxing. However, I have more plans ahead, so it’s time to depart. I’ll come again. We’ve arrived at Dogo Onsen. It is one of Japan’s three oldest hot spring areas, located in Matsuyama city. This hot spring has a long history, appearing even in the Manyoshu, but it was under renovation when I visited this time. Isaniwa Yukiya was the first mayor of Dogo Yunomachi back then. He reconstructed the aging Dogo Onsen, making it a famous tourist spot. He also established the Dogo Railway and contributed to developing the area. There was a Botchan train in front of Dogo Onsen Station. The retro station building. In front of the station, there is a mechanical clock where characters from “Botchan” by Soseki Natsume appear every hour. There’s also a footbath. It’s free for everyone to use, making it great for a quick break. This shop offers a special Ehime treat. The walls are lined with numerous faucets. Each faucet has a description of different mandarin orange varieties above it. Yes, you can sample different mandarin orange juices at this store. You pour juice into a cup and pay at the register. There are special cup holders. Seeing juice flow from faucets is quite a strange sight. A family tree of mandarins. You get a glimpse of the history and effort behind breeding new varieties. We chose “Iyo-kan,” “Harehime,” and “Natsumi” this time. I feel like I can see a slight difference in colors. Starting with “Natsumi.” It’s simply delicious. I’ll compare it to the other two, using this as the baseline. Next, “Harehime.” It has no sourness at all and a mellow sweetness. Finally, “Iyo-kan.” It feels like a standard mandarin orange. I can taste the appropriate level of sourness. Comparing them like this, you realize they taste quite different even though they are all mandarins. Time for lunch. Since this is a shop right in the heart of the tourist area, the menu covers all the essentials. But I had Tai-meshi yesterday. Let’s go with this highly recommended tempura bowl. A very impressive tempura bowl arrived. It comes with miso soup and pickles, and the addition of citrus fruits makes it feel very Ehime-like. It’s pretty filling. I’m getting quite full. It was delicious but my stomach is stuffed. Thank you for the meal. This is Bansuiso. A French-style mansion built over 100 years ago and designated as an Important Cultural Property. Bansuiso was built by Sadakoto Hisamatsu. He was an aristocrat and an army officer at the time. He had studied in France from the age of 20 and experienced their culture. Upon completion, Emperor Showa stayed here, and it served as a social venue for various dignitaries. The reception room is also spectacular. Compared to typical Japanese buildings of that time, it must have been extremely luxurious. Nearby is a building called Aisyo-tei. It was a boarding house for Soseki Natsume. Soseki Natsume came to Matsuyama as an English teacher and apparently liked the view from here quite a lot. Now it’s a coffee shop. You can see the shop’s resident cat. It looks comfortable, sleeping peacefully. Since it wasn’t crowded, I got to use a terrace seat. I ordered coffee and a strawberry parfait. The parfait was very impressive. The fruits change depending on the season. The coffee is named “Madonna Coffee,” inspired by the character from Botchan. I ended up relaxing a lot. In Matsuyama city, trams run throughout. It seems there are many new models. This orange one has a color scheme that feels very Ehime-like and cute. It looks like public transport is quite convenient in the city. I have some time before my return flight, so I’ve come to a café. ICOI COFFEE is a cozy café. They make each cup of coffee carefully. I bet you can drink alcohol here at night. I’ll have an iced latte. It’s really been hot lately. I’ve arrived at Matsuyama Airport. Souvenirs are all related to mandarins. They have mandarin juice from faucets here too. Originally, the mandarin faucet was an urban legend, but it was made into reality because it was so interesting. My return flight is at 19:45 on ANA, so I have about 2 hours. I’ll have dinner now and try this Imabari Senzanki set meal. It comes with rice, soup, and Senzanki. The price seems to be airport-standard. Basically, it’s fried chicken, but the name Senzanki comes from cutting a whole chicken into pieces. The rice is Tai-meshi. Well, let’s dig in. It looks like they used breast meat. It’s quite firm. It was gone in a blink of an eye. Thank you for the meal. Matsuyama Airport has a card lounge. If you have a major company’s gold card, you can use it for free for 2 hours. Alcohol is paid, but soft drinks are all-you-can-drink. You can even have free Pon juice. The time flew by while I was working, and it’s now time to board. Let’s get on the plane. It’s getting darker. By the time we arrive at Haneda, it’ll be completely dark. Today’s flight is on a Boeing 787. The seats at the back were quite empty.
四国へ渡り、愛媛県を旅しています。天気にも恵まれて四国カルストの絶景を眺めることができました。
00:00 OP
00:28 歴史ある木造校舎でタイムスリップ
01:39 宇和島鯛めしの名店でお腹いっぱいになる
03:33 四国カルストのてっぺんのカルスト珈琲でひと休憩
05:04 日本三古湯のひとつ、道後温泉
06:06 蛇口からみかんジュース
08:51 100年以上前のフランス風洋館で特大パフェ
13:26 振り返り
📷 使用機材
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#旅行 #旅 #愛媛 #四国カルスト #道後温泉