Trip Moments Recommendations
Delightful evening at Sushi Maezawa
While visiting Matsuyama, we decided to go for sushi and found a wonderful sushi place a few blocks from the Main Street in the city center. We had called the restaurant about an hour in advance and was lucky that we were able to take the last four seats in the house.
Walking to the restaurant was a little of of an adventure as we had walked passed a few blocks of what seemed to be nightclubs and bars. The last turn was a quiet and wider street with a few new residential buildings and Sushi Maezawa is on the ground level of one of those buildings.
The restaurant had 8 seats at the counter and Chef Maezawa managed everything with one other waitress.
Neither of them spoke English and the menu was in Japanese only, but we were able to get by with my limited Japanese and google translate. As other customers arrived, the evening turned to be more lively as they were all regulars. Eventually we learned that Maezawa san had worked in Hong Kong a few years ago at one of the five star hotel and just returned to Matsuyama to open his own business.
Maezawa San showed us the sashimi in his boxes and we picked everything that we liked. It was not the usual fixed price omakase since we were so hungry that evening. We just ordered as the evening went on and must have eaten more than 15 pieces each. The best part was the miso soup as recommended since it was made with all the fish bone in the house - definitely the best miso soup I have ever had!
We had a fantastic evening and it was exactly how we had wanted our sushi experience to be. We would highly recommend Sushi Maezawa to anyone visiting Matsuyama!
##sushibar #Sushiinjapan ##japan #Matsuyama #cityexplorer
松山城 - castle in the sky
Matsuyama Castle is in the city center of Matsuyama in Shikoku. It is easily accessible and there are many sign posts in the city that give clear directions. The castle was built in 1604 and Is one of the 12 castles in Japan with its original tenshu.
Unlike most other castles in Japan, Matsuyama Castle is situated up in the hill ( Mount Katsuyama) and can be accessed by a rope way, chair lift, or hike thru the trail. It is a fun experience to take the chair lift for ¥510 round trip. Alternative you can choose to do a one way, and walk leisurely downhill.
The castle ground and garden at the top is large and commands an excellent panoramic view of the city below. A short walk will lead to the castle entrance ( with fee). I think it is worthwhile to climb up the tenshu as it is one of the 12 remaining original tenshu. Everyone needs to change into slippers and leave their shoes in lockers before entering. There are 6 levels to climb and some of the wooden staircases are narrow and steep, although they are not long staircases.
There are armors and swords on display, and even two sets of armors for visitors to try on and take photos free of charge. The only issue is that they are heavy and there are six pieces to the total outfit. It will take at least 15 minutes for one person to finish his round of fitting and photo shoot. Nonetheless it was fun for us to watch .
It is definitely worthwhile to visit Matsuyama Castle while in Shikoku. The castle is opened from 9-5pm and the last ropeway is at 5:30pm. Reserve 2 - 3 hours to walk through the entire premise.
#cityexplorer #Matsuyama #Castlesinjapan #shikoku
Dogo Onsen -one of the oldest onsen in Japan
I have been wanting to visit Dogo Onsen in Shikoku for years. It is one of the oldest in Japan. for all the Miyazaki fans , it is the building that appeared in the film- Spirited Away.
We arrived in Dogo Onsen town in late morning and parked in the nearby parking lots. The covered shopping street was already quite vibrant and ready for the lunch hours. We followed the street to the end and came to the spot where I was supposed to see the beautiful onsen house. Instead, I saw a colorful hoarding covering all three sides of the building ! Only the lower part of the front facade and the entrance was not covered! As I finally learned, the building is under going renovation for 7 years. ( starting Jan 2019 ). Whether there was delay due to covid, I am not sure.
So disappointingly, we can only see part of this building and read about the history of the Onsen in the little exhibition house across the street. Hopefully I will have the chance to go back when the work is completed. The good thing is that the Onsen is still opened for business during this time.
Aside from the Onsen, there are also other fun things to do such as the foot bath at the park, and plenty of shops for shopping and enjoying udon which is famous in Shikoku.
Hours- 6am-11 pm daily
#Dogoonsen #Matsuyama #Onseninjapan