Matsuyama
Matsuyama is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, in Japan and is also Shikoku's largest city.
Matsuyama is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, in Japan and is also Shikoku's largest city. As of 1 October 2022, the city had an estimated population of 494,100 in 243,541 households and a population density of 1,200 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 429.35 square kilometres (165.77 sq mi).
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Matsuyama
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Matsuyama Castle
Matsuyama Castle is a "flatland-mountain"-style Japanese castle that was built in 1603 on Mount Katsuyama, in the city of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The castle is one of twelve Japanese castles to still have its original tenshu.
1.4 km · castle in Iyo province (now Matsuyama, Ehime prefecture), Japan · Wikipedia - 02Taisan-ji Temple
Taisan-ji is a Shingon temple in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. It is Temple 52 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, and Temple 3 on the Thirteen Buddhist Sites of Iyo.
7.5 km · Shingon temple in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, which is Temple 52 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage · Wikipedia - 03Yasaka-ji Temple
Yasaka-ji is a Buddhist temple in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. Yasaka-ji is Temple 10 of the Thirteen Buddhist Sites of Iyo, and temple number 47 of the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage.
9.4 km · Shingon temple in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, which is Temple 47 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage · Wikipedia - 04Ishite-ji Temple
Ishite-ji is a Shingon temple in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. It is Temple 51 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage.
3.2 km · Shingon temple in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, which is Temple 51 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage · Wikipedia - 05Yuzuki Castle
Yuzuki Castle was a former Japanese castle located in the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. During the Muromachi period, it was the stronghold of the Kōno clan, who ruled Iyo Province under the Muromachi shogunate.
2.5 km · building in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan · Wikipedia - 06Ningineer Stadium
Ningineer Stadium a.k.a. Ehime Matsuyama Athletic Stadium or Ehime Prefectural Sports Park Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan, home of Ehime FC. It is a stadium with four concrete stands around the 8-lane athletic track and the grass field.
7.8 km · building in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan · Wikipedia - 07Jōdo-ji Temple
Jōdo-ji is a Shingon temple in Matsuyama, Japan. It is Temple 49 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, and temple two on The Thirteen Buddhist Sites of Iyo.
4.3 km · Shingon temple in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, which is Temple 49 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage · Wikipedia - 08Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum
Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum or Sakano-ueno-kumo Museum is a museum located in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, and inspired by the novel Saka no ue no kumo, written by Ryōtarō Shiba. The museum was constructed by Tadao Ando.
1 km · museum in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan · Wikipedia - 09Taihō-ji Temple
Taihō-ji is a Buddhist temple in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The Hondō has been designated a National Treasure and a number of the temple's treasures are Important Cultural Properties.
2.5 km · Buddhist temple in Ehime Prefecture, Japan · Wikipedia - 10Museum of Art, Ehime
The Museum of Art, Ehime opened in the grounds of Matsuyama Castle in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan in 1998, as the successor to the Ehime Prefectural Museum of Art, which opened in 1970. The collection of some 11,900 works includes paintings by Monet and Cezanne, nihonga practitioners Yukihiko Yasuda and Yokoyama Taikan, and yōga masters Nakamura Tsune and Yasui Sōtarō, as well as pieces by local artists, including Sugiura Hisui and Masamu Yanase.
900 m · museum in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
While having read Sōseki's novels or Shiki's haiku is by no means essential to enjoy most of these sites, it will probably represent the difference between whether you find them evocative pieces of history or just a pleasant collection of Meiji-era buildings.
- 01Akiyama Brothers Birthplace
- 02Bansuiso
This French-style building was constructed in 1922 for the former lord of Matsuyama Castle, Hisamatsu Sadakoto (久松定謨).
- 03Botchan Gizmo Clock
Admirers of the aforementioned Botchan may enjoy watching the Gizmo Clock beside Dōgo Onsen Station at the mouth of the shopping arcade when it chimes every hour and half hour.
- 04Dōgo Park & Yuzuki Castle Ruins
- 05Isaniwa Shrine
Sitting upon Dōgo Hill and accessible by car or climbing 135 stone steps, this important cultural asset is one of three great examples of Shinto Hachiman-zukuri (God of War) architecture in Japan.
- 06Iyo Kasuri Folk Craft Museum
From Wikivoyage: Matsuyama, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
- 01Dōgo Onsen Honkan
Dōgo Onsen is the oldest and most famous onsen in Japan, with a history stretching back over 3,000 years.
- 02Ehime Children's Castle
- 03Zazen Meditation
Zazen, "seated meditation", is a form of Buddhist meditation used to empty the mind and simply exist in the moment.
- 04Matsuyama Putt Golf
From Wikivoyage: Matsuyama, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Matsuyama is a great place to indulge a sweet tooth. Botchan dango (坊ちゃん団子) headline every sweet shop in town. They're skewered rice dumplings covered in bean paste dyed with green tea, eggs, and azuki beans. This soft, sweet snack was popularized by Sōseki, who had such a weakness for them that he included the treats in Botchan. Another local favorite are the cute little tarts (タルト).
From Wikivoyage: Matsuyama, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Matsuyama
- Airports
- Matsuyama (MYJ), 6 km · Hiroshima (HIJ), 68 km · Kochi Ryoma (KCZ), 90 km
- Stations
- Matsuyama Airport, 6.2 km · Matsuyama Station, 1.6 km · Iyo-Wake Station, 6.7 km · Horie Station, 8.1 km · Iyo-Yokota Station, 7.7 km
- Hiroshima → Matsuyama69 km · quickest by road, 3h 42m · ¥2,070–2,820
- Nankoku → Matsuyama86 km · quickest by road, 2h 39m · ¥1,400–1,910
- Takamatsu → Matsuyama130 km · quickest by road, 2h 39m · ¥1,740–2,370
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Matsuyama
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Matsuyama. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inFerry services connect Matsuyama with various locations on Honshu and Kyushu.
- Get inIshizaki Ferry and Setonaikai Kisen operate daily to and from Hiroshima, with some boats stopping in Kure (呉).
- Get inSlower ferries depart on different schedules between 06:25 and 19:50 (10 per day), reaching Hiroshima in about 2½ hours at a cost of ¥3500 each way.
- Get inKokura Ferry runs an overnight service to Kokura in Kitakyushu, leaving at 21:55 and arriving at 05:00 the next day (you may stay on board until 07:00).
- Get inYou need to fill out a short form before boarding the ferry.
From Wikivoyage: Matsuyama, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01697 km
- 02996 km
- 031,351 km
- 041,496 km
- 051,692 km
If you know how people move in Matsuyama – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Matsuyama
Matsuyama is 31 km from Shinagawa, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Masakitown in Iyo district, Ehime prefecture, Japan7.2 km
- Tobetown in Iyo district, Ehime prefecture, Japan9.6 km
- Dōgo Onsenhot spring in the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan2.8 km