Spots List

Uwa Sea Marine Park

Uwa Sea Marine Park

Uwa Sea Marine Park, expanding from the coast of Ainan Town, is an overwhelmingly transparent, beautifully preserved marine park that was the first designated in Japan in 1970. Receiving the blessings of the warm Kuroshio Current, colorful colony shikoro corals and multivarious tropical fish and marine life breathe within this marine area, drawing hot attention from divers worldwide as one of Japan's premier diving and snorkeling meccas. Even for those not good at swimming, taking the underwater sightseeing glass-bottom boat "Gaiyana III" allows you to observe the beautiful coral paradise close up through the large windows at the boat bottom,...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Mitsuhatajima

Mitsuhatajima, floating in the Uwa Sea of Ainan Town, is an unstaffed odd rock spot boasting a highly unique and dynamic landscape where three small rocky reefs (islands) stand harmoniously in a single line off the coast of a beautiful rias coastline入り江 inlet. The white rock surfaces carved by fierce Pacific waves and tidal winds over long years, the green of pines living robustly atop them, and the contrast of the surrounding deep Uwa Sea blue radiate a superb sense of Japanese aesthetics, just like a natural giant bonsai or a traditional Japanese landscape painting. Dusk is particularly recommended; the...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Kashima Island

Kashima Island, an unstaffed island floating about 400 meters off the coast of Ainan Town, is an ocean paradise with a perimeter of about 1.5 kilometers, surrounded by an untouched, rich primeval forest and an astonishingly transparent sea. Wild deer live leisurely on the island, and their warm welcoming appearance provides healing to travelers. The greatest charm is the beauty of the sea shimmering in coral blue, serving as an ideal spot for swimming, sea kayaking, diving, and snorkeling, highly popular among domestic and international active travelers. Additionally, taking the "Saikai Sightseeing Cruise" circling around the island allows you to...

Ehime
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Village of Stone Walls

Village of Stone Walls

The "Sotodomari District" in the Seika area of Ainan Town is a National Important Cultural Landscape termed the "Village of Stone Walls," where private houses line a steep slope in steps, enclosed by heavy stone walls overlooking the beautiful Uwa Sea. Hand-constructed tightly by ancestors who stacked natural stones one by one from the late Edo period to protect homes from typhoons, fierce winter seasonal winds, and sea breezes, its magnificent sense of unity and powerful scenery won the highest award at the "Beautiful Japanese Villages Contest." Walking the narrow paths of intertwined stone walls allows you to hear the...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Ainan Town

Ainan Town, located at the southernmost tip of Ehime Prefecture, is a premier ocean resort in Shikoku facing the grand Pacific Ocean and the beautiful rias coastline of the Uwa Sea, where you can enjoy dynamic ocean blessings with all five senses. The vast sea with outstanding transparency is designated as the "Uwa Sea Marine Park," serving as a mecca for diving and snorkeling in Japan where colorful coral reefs and tropical fish live in colonies, fascinating marine activity lovers worldwide. Along the coast, odd rocks carved by rough waves and the ruggedly beautiful precipices of "Cape Komo" continue, with...

Ehime
Area Info
Sightseeing
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Kihoku Town

Matsuno Town (※Kihoku Town), located in the southern part of Ehime Prefecture on the border with Kochi Prefecture, is the only municipality in Japan with the character for "Oni" (demon/ogre) in its name, serving as an attractive town deeply retaining the rustic air of Japan's Satoyama, wrapped in rich deep mountains and pure stream blessings. Standing proudly as the town's symbol at the roadside station is a giant, highly realistic demon monument named "Oniomar," serving as a highly impactful popular photo spot for domestic and international travelers. Brand rice nurtured by pure water welling up from rugged mountains and specialty...

Ehime
Area Info
Sightseeing
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Ikata Town

Ikata Town, located on the "Sadamisaki Peninsula" stretching slenderly to the westernmost tip of Shikoku, is a coastal town charming for its dynamic landscapes where you can look out at two different beautiful seas—the Uwa Sea and the Seto Inland Sea—all at once. From the "Sadamisaki Melody Line," a drive course running along the ridge at the center of the peninsula, an grand panorama opens up featuring a grand combination of the blue sea and giant white windmills standing tightly, fascinating international drive lovers and cyclists. The pure white, Taisho-period lighthouse standing at the absolute tip of the peninsula, the...

Ehime
Area Info
Sightseeing
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Misogi Momiji-ga-taki Falls

Misogi Momiji-ga-taki Falls

Misogi Momiji-ga-taki Falls, located deeply within the primeval forest of the Misogi area in Uchiko Town, is a beautiful hideaway famous waterfall known to those in the know,ひっそりと standing within rich great nature. Pure water gracefully slides down the rugged rock face, and the area around the plunge pool is filled with abundant negative ions and cold, refreshing air, spreading a divine silence that instantly cleanses the heart. True to its name, especially in autumn, the surrounding maples and sweet gums dye beautifully in burning red and yellow, creating a breathtakingly spectacular contrast with the flowing white water. Completely detached...

Ehime
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Darari Gongen

Darari Gongen, sequestered deeply in the mountains of Kumakogen Town, is a hidden secret place power spot known to those in the know, surrounded by giant unusual rocks and mystical giant trees. A sacred shrine that has been carefully and deeply revered by local people since ancient times is enshrined in a rugged cliff depression reached after climbing a steep mountain path, enveloping visitors in an overwhelming solemnity and silence the moment they step inside. The sculptural beauty woven by surrounding mossy giant rocks is dynamic enough to inspire a sense of awe toward nature. Retaining an un-commercialized, natural mystical...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Oda Miyama Gorge

Oda Miyama Gorge

Oda Miyama Gorge, located in the eastern part of Uchiko Town within a vast prefectural natural park, is one of Shikoku's premier canyon beauties with untouched great nature remaining, extending for about 10 kilometers along the upper reaches of the Oda River flowing through the rugged Shikoku Mountains. Walking along the paths allows you to closely observe incredibly transparent, emerald green pure streams flowing with fierce sprays between countless giant rocks and unusual stones smooth-carved by long years of river flows, completely overwhelming visitors with great nature's power. Dynamically experiencing Japan's beautiful seasonal transitions with all five senses, it serves...

Ehime
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Izutani Terraced Fields

Izutani Terraced Fields

The "Izutani Terraced Fields," located in a deep mountainous valley of Uchiko Town, are a Satoyama spot boasting an overwhelmingly sculptural beauty where about 95 beautiful, curved water fields tightly layer over each other along a steep slope at an altitude of about 400 meters, selected among Japan's top 100 terraced fields. Utilizing pure spring water from the mountains and constructing stone walls to clear limited lands, the wisdom and efforts of ancestors are carefully protected as a beautiful active agricultural landscape today. Especially during the spring rice planting season when water-filled terraced fields mirror the colors of the sky...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Kumakogen

Kumakogen, a plateau expanding across the central part of Ehime Prefecture, is situated at an average altitude of about 800 meters and surrounded by the majestic Shikoku Mountains, earning it the moniker "Karuizawa of Shikoku" as a beautiful summer resort where rich great nature and deep faith breathe deeply. Housing the trailhead to western Japan's highest peak "Mt. Ishizuchi" and the vast grasslands of the "Shikoku Karst," one of Japan's top three karsts, it fascinates international tourists enjoying cycling, driving, and hiking throughout the year. It also features "Iwayaji Temple," a sacred site of the Shikoku Pilgrimage drifting with divine...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Iyo City

Iyo City, surrounded by the calm Seto Inland Sea and rich mountains, is a beautiful city spreading with idyllic island times and rustic coastal scenes of Japan. Housing the world-famous unstaffed station "Shimonoda Station" on the JR Yosan Line, very many photographers and travelers from home and abroad gather seeking its spectacular romance where the blue Seto Inland Sea spreads straight before the platform, and the sea and sky dye in a crimson gradation at dusk. The city also features Nakayama Town, famous as the "Village of Chestnuts," allowing you to enjoy large-grained sweet branded chestnuts in autumn. With thriving...

Ehime
Area Info
Sightseeing
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Saijo City

Saijo City, spreading at the foot of Mt. Ishizuchi, is a beautiful city where rich nature and faith breathe, known worldwide as the "Water Capital" where premier pure water from western Japan's highest peak self-spurts throughout the town. Wide groundwater spots termed "Uchinuki" are scattered, and walking through the city allows you to taste incredibly transparent, cold pure water for free at any time, deeply healing your heart with its pure waterscapes. It is also a climbing base for Mt. Ishizuchi, revered since ancient times as a sacred site of strict mountain faith, drawing adventure-loving international hikers. The city also...

Ehime
Area Info
Sightseeing
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Niihama City

Niihama City, located in the eastern part of Ehime Prefecture, is a powerful city where industrial romance and rich nature merge, deeply breathing the history of the "Besshi Copper Mine" which once boasted one of the world's premier copper production volumes and powerfully supported the development of Japan's modern industries. Sequestered in the mountains is the Tonaru District, a globally popular hidden secret place earning the moniker "Machu Picchu of the East" due to its heavy red brick ruins towering along rugged cliffs, and its mystical ruins beauty completely overwhelms visiting travelers. Additionally, the "Niihama Taiko Festival" held every October...

Ehime
Area Info
Sightseeing
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Yawatahama City

Yawatahama City

Yawatahama City, located at the western gateway of Shikoku, possesses a fine natural harbor and is a lively coastal port town that has flourished since ancient times as a base for fishing and trading with Kyushu. At the "Yawatahama Minatto," a roadside station boasting one of the largest scales in Shikoku, fresh seafood landed every morning aligns tightly, with gourmet experiences to taste exquisite local fish right on the spot being immensely popular among international tourists. Furthermore, Yawatahama stands as a sacred place for one of Japan's premier "mikan" citrus fruits, where fruits raised while basking in sunlight on beautiful...

Ehime
Area Info
Sightseeing
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Uwajima City Historical Museum

Uwajima City Historical Museum

The "Uwajima City Historical Museum," standing near the coast of Uwajima City, is a beautiful history museum utilizing a retro wooden Western-style building (gijo-fu architecture) constructed in Meiji 25 (1892) as the Uwajima Police Station. This building itself, featuring modern window frames over white walls, is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property incorporating Meiji-period Western architectural techniques, radiating a must-see beauty for architecture fans. Within the building, you can deeply learn the prestigious history of the Uwajima domain ruled by warlord Todo Takatora and the eminent lord Date Munenari, alongside regional traditional culture and industrial developments through exhibitions of precious...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Yoshida Fureai Kunayasu-no-Sato

Yoshida Fureai Kunayasu-no-Sato

Yoshida Fureai Kunayasu-no-Sato in Yoshida Town, Uwajima City, is a rustic and beautiful historical experience-type facility where you can experience firsthand the history and culture of a castle town that once flourished grandly through the production of unique Japanese paper and wax (mokuro) as a branch domain of the Uwajima domain during the Edo period. Within the vast premises, mansions of wealthy merchants of the time, prestigious samurai residences, farmhouses, and private homes are beautifully relocated and reproduced with their ancient architectural techniques intact, spreading a nostalgic landscape as if slipping through time into Edo-period Japan the moment you step...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Kabasaki Battery Site

Kabasaki Battery Site

Kabasaki Battery Site, located at the entrance of Uwajima Port, is the remains of a historic coastal fortress constructed during the turbulent late Edo period by the Uwajima domain lord Date Munenari to protect the castle town from threats of foreign vessels, such as the arrival of the Black Ships. Strongly equipped with cutting-edge Western artillery tactics of the time, it is carefully protected as a highly precious historical heritage symbolizing the dawn of modern Japan. Currently maintained as a quiet park, you can inspect the sturdy stone wall constructions of the time up close. Offering a sweeping view of...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Uwajima Municipal Bullring

Uwajima Municipal Bullring

The "Uwajima Municipal Bullring," located at the summit of Mt. Maruyama in the center of Uwajima City, is the only dome-shaped bullring in Shikoku where you can experience traditional "bullfighting," an extremely rare event in Japan, close up. Unlike Spanish bullfighting, Uwajima's bullfighting does not feature a fight between a human and a bull; instead, giant male bulls weighing over 1 ton clash horns against each other to compete in pure strength and technique, a style termed "bull horn clashing." At the regular tournaments held four times a year (New Year, Spring, Summer, Autumn), the tremendous roar of giant bodies...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Activities
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Uwajima City

Uwajima City, located in the southern part of Ehime Prefecture, is a charm-filled port town facing the Uwa Sea, where bullfighting, pearl cultivation, and a historic samurai culture deeply live. The town's symbol, "Uwajima Castle," is one of the "12 Existing Original Tenshu" retaining its appearance unchanged from the Edo period, and its sophisticated wooden architectural beauty is designated as a National Important Cultural Property. Furthermore, it is a treasure trove of gastronomy represented by traditional "Uwajima Tai-meshi"—where fresh sea bream sashimi is entangled in special sauce and raw egg to be placed atop white rice—highly praised by international food...

Ehime
Area Info
Sightseeing
Food
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Suzaki Coast

Suzaki Coast in Mikame Town, Seiyo City, is a spectacular geological scenic spot along the dynamic rias coastline of the Uwa Sea where you can experience the earth's overwhelming history firsthand. Here, one of Japan's oldest geological strata from about 400 million years ago continuous for about 2 kilometers as a sheer precipice cliff (vertical unusual rocks), and its rugged yet beautiful appearance attracts geology fans and adventurers worldwide as the highlight of the "Shikoku Seiyo Geopark." The cliff viewed from aboard a sightseeing cruise is pure impact, overwhelming you with the earth's powerful life force. The contrast between intricately...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Activities
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Karihama Terraced Fields

Karihama Terraced Fields

The "Karihama Terraced Fields" in Akehama Town, Seiyo City, present an overwhelmingly scale spectacular view of terraced fields where white limestone walls layer tightly over each other toward the beautiful blue waters of the Uwa Sea. Designated as a National Important Cultural Landscape, these fields constructed on steep slopes exceeding 40 degrees are an "artwork of the earth" created by ancestors with blood-sweat efforts to utilize limited land efficiently. Receiving the blessings of "three suns"—direct sunlight, reflected light from the sea, and radiation heat from the stone walls—highly sweet and juicy premium "mikan" citrus fruits are cultivated here today. The...

Ehime
Sightseeing
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Mitaki Valley

Mitaki Valley, located in Shirokawa Town, Seiyo City, is a mystical hideaway secret place known to those in the know, wrapped in a deep natural forest. Within the valley, three unique famous waterfalls, from which its name originated, flow while kicking up intense water spray, and the scenery woven by mossy giant rocks and transparent pure streams radiates a traditional beauty just like a Japanese ink wash painting. Walking paths and suspension bridges are well-maintained, allowing for trekking with a feeling of adventure while enjoying a forest bath full of negative ions. The valley is completely colored in burning red...

Ehime
Nature
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter