Matsuyama, Ehime · Things to do
Things to Do in Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen: 10 Places with Hours, Prices and Access
10 things to do · checked October 22, 2026
10 things to do in Matsuyama, from the castle to Dogo Onsen
Hours, prices and access checked against each place's own page on October 22, 2026. They change; check before you go.
1Matsuyama Castle (keep, ropeway and chairlift)松山城（天守・ロープウェイ・リフト）
Hilltop castle · City centre (Okaido)
The castle on the hill above the city centre. The ropeway and the single chairlift start from the Shinonome-guchi station and share one ticket; from the upper station the keep entrance is about 10 minutes on foot. The castle's notices list repair work on the Kakushi-mon and Taiko-mon gates.
- Access
- From JR Matsuyama Station about 10 minutes by tram (bound for Dogo Onsen) to Okaido, then about 5 minutes on foot. Walking up instead: about 30 minutes by the Shinonome-guchi trail, about 40 minutes by the Kuromon-guchi trail.
- Hours
- Keep 9:00–17:00 (August to 17:30; December–January to 16:30). Ropeway 8:30–17:30 (August to 18:00; December–January to 17:00). Chairlift 8:30–17:00
- Closed on
- Keep: third Wednesday of December (year-end cleaning). Chairlift: not in rain
- Price
- Keep: adults ¥520, elementary school ¥160. Ropeway or chairlift: adults ¥520 round trip, ¥270 one way; children ¥260 round trip, ¥140 one way. A combined ticket with the keep is sold at the machines on the 1st floor of the ropeway station, 8:00–14:00
2Dogo Onsen Honkan道後温泉本館
Public bathhouse · Dogo Onsen
The wooden public bathhouse at the centre of Dogo Onsen. Conservation repairs that began in January 2019 were completed on 20 December 2024, and the whole building, including the upstairs rest rooms, has been open since 11 July 2024. Private rooms are booked online until 22:00 the day before, or by phone on the day.
- Access
- About 25 minutes by Iyotetsu tram (bound for Dogo Onsen) from JR Matsuyama Station; about 43 minutes by airport limousine bus to Dogo Onsen Station.
- Hours
- Kami-no-yu ground floor 6:00–23:00 (tickets until 22:30). Courses with an upstairs rest 6:00–22:00 (tickets until 21:00; Tama-no-yu 3rd-floor private room until 20:30)
- Price
- Kami-no-yu ground floor: adults ¥700, children (2–11) ¥350. With 2nd-floor rest: ¥1,300. Tama-no-yu with 2nd-floor rest and Yushinden: ¥2,000. Yushinden viewing only: ¥500. 3-bathhouse ticket (with Tsubaki-no-Yu and Asuka-no-Yu, 2 days): adults ¥1,440, children ¥680
3Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu道後温泉別館 飛鳥乃湯泉
Public bathhouse · Dogo Onsen
The Honkan's annex, with a ground-floor bath for 85 men and 85 women and an upstairs hall and private rooms. The 2nd-floor special bathing room is booked online, up to 90 days ahead.
- Access
- 19-22 Dogo-Yunomachi, the same address as Tsubaki-no-Yu. About 25 minutes by tram from JR Matsuyama Station.
- Hours
- Ground-floor bath 6:00–23:00 (tickets until 22:30). 2nd floor 6:00–22:00 (tickets until 21:00; special bathing room until 20:30)
- Price
- Bath only: adults ¥610, children (2–11) ¥300. With the 2nd-floor hall ¥1,280; with a private room ¥1,690; with the special bathing room ¥1,690 plus ¥2,040 per group
4Dogo Onsen Tsubaki-no-Yu道後温泉 椿の湯
Public bathhouse · Dogo Onsen
The bathhouse in the middle of the Dogo shopping arcade, with room for 60 men and 60 women. The cheapest of the three Dogo Onsen bathhouses.
- Access
- In the Dogo shopping arcade, 19-22 Dogo-Yunomachi. About 25 minutes by tram from JR Matsuyama Station.
- Hours
- 6:30–23:00 (tickets until 22:30)
- Price
- Adults ¥500, children (2–11) ¥200
5Matsuyama Municipal Shiki-Kinen Museum松山市立子規記念博物館
Museum · Dogo Park
The city museum of Masaoka Shiki, on the edge of Dogo Park. Elementary, junior high and high school students enter free; a display in the permanent gallery is being changed over until 3 November 2026.
- Access
- About 5 minutes on foot from Dogo Onsen or Dogo-koen-mae tram stops; about 20 minutes by tram (bound for Dogo Onsen) from JR Matsuyama Station.
- Hours
- May–October 9:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30); November–April 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
- Closed on
- Changes by season; see the museum's opening calendar
- Price
- Adults ¥500; school students free. Special exhibitions charged separately
6Ishiteji Temple石手寺
Pilgrimage temple · Ishite
Temple No. 51 of the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage. Its two-storey Niomon gate, built in 1318 and about 7 m high, is a National Treasure.
- Access
- 2-9-21 Ishite, Matsuyama. The pilgrimage association's page gives only driving directions (from Matsuyama IC along Route 33 toward the city).
7Botchan Ressha (Botchan Train)坊っちゃん列車
Heritage train ride · Dogo Onsen to the city centre
Iyotetsu's small Botchan Ressha on the city tram tracks, running on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only, even during Golden Week and Obon. It seats 36 and cannot be reserved; numbered tickets for the day's Dogo Onsen departures are handed out at the Dogo ticket counter from 8:30.
Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only.
- Access
- Boards at Dogo Onsen, Okaido, Matsuyama-shi Station, JR Matsuyama-ekimae and Komachi (Minami-Horibata and Kamiichiman are drop-off only).
- Hours
- From Dogo Onsen 9:19, 13:19 and 14:59 to Matsuyama-shi (about 20 min), and 10:48 to Komachi via JR Matsuyama-ekimae. From Matsuyama-shi 10:04, 14:04, 15:44. From Komachi 11:47
- Closed on
- Weekdays; 30 December–3 January. May be cancelled for weather or inspections
- Price
- Adults ¥1,300, children ¥650 per ride. Pay the crew on board; IC cards such as ICOCA accepted
8Bansuiso萬翠荘
Historic villa · City centre (Okaido)
A villa built in 1922 for Count Hisamatsu Sadakoto, on the slope below the castle. From 12 September to 1 November 2026 the fee differs from the usual rate because of an international art exhibition.
- Access
- About 5 minutes on foot from Okaido tram stop.
- Hours
- 9:00–18:00; may change for events
- Closed on
- Mondays (open when Monday is a public holiday)
- Price
- Usual rate: adults ¥400, children ¥200, under school age free
9Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum坂の上の雲ミュージアム
Museum · City centre (Okaido)
A museum on Saka no Ue no Kumo near Okaido, with a corner on Tadao Ando's architecture. The 2nd-floor hall, shop and library are free to enter.
- Access
- About 2 minutes on foot from Okaido tram stop; about 15 minutes in all from JR Matsuyama Station by tram (bound for Dogo Onsen).
- Hours
- 9:00–18:30 (last entry 18:00)
- Closed on
- Mondays as a rule; the calendar lists 26 October, 9 and 16 November, 7 and 21 December 2026, and closures in February and March for exhibition changes
- Price
- Adults ¥500; 65 and over and high school ¥250; junior high and younger free
10Shimanami Kaido by bike, from Imabariしまなみ海道（今治）
Cycling day trip · Imabari
The cycling road of about 70 km across the islands to Onomichi. Shimanami Japan rents bikes at 10 terminals, two of them in Imabari city, and a bike can be returned at a different terminal.
Day trip from Matsuyama to Imabari.
- Access
- Imabari Station terminal (i.i.imabari! Cycle Station) by the Imabari Station bus stop; Imabari Itoyama terminal by the Observation Deck entrance bus stop. Trains from Matsuyama to Imabari: see JR Shikoku.
- Hours
- Imabari terminals 8:00–19:00 (March–November), 8:00–18:00 (December–February)
Good to know
Matsuyama splits into two halves joined by one tram line. Okaido, in the centre, is the stop for the castle ropeway (about 5 minutes on foot), Bansuiso and the Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum. Dogo Onsen, about 25 minutes from JR Matsuyama Station on the tram bound for Dogo Onsen, has the three public bathhouses and the Shiki museum.
Dogo Onsen Honkan is fully open: the whole building reopened on 11 July 2024 and the repair work was completed on 20 December 2024. The ground-floor bath runs 6:00–23:00, and a 3-bathhouse ticket (¥1,440, two days) also covers Tsubaki-no-Yu and Asuka-no-Yu.
Plan around the days: the Botchan train runs only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, the Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum and Bansuiso close on Mondays, and the castle chairlift stops in rain while the ropeway keeps running.
Castle side, Dogo side, or a day out
How to get there from JR Matsuyama Station, what it costs to get in, and how late you can start. Adult prices; children's prices are on each card above.
| Where | From JR Matsuyama Station | Entry (adult) | Latest start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle side: Matsuyama Castle, Bansuiso, Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum | Tram to Okaido about 10 min, then on foot: ropeway about 5 min, museum about 2 min, Bansuiso about 5 min | Keep ¥520 + ropeway or lift ¥520 round trip · Bansuiso ¥400 · Museum ¥500 | Ropeway until 17:30 (August 18:00, December–January 17:00) · Museum entry 18:00 · Bansuiso closes 18:00 |
| Dogo Onsen bathhouses: Honkan, Asuka-no-Yu, Tsubaki-no-Yu | Tram about 25 min | Honkan ¥700 · Asuka-no-Yu ¥610 · Tsubaki-no-Yu ¥500 · 3-bathhouse ticket ¥1,440 | Ground-floor tickets until 22:30 at all three |
| Dogo sights: Shiki-Kinen Museum, Ishiteji | Tram about 20 min, then about 5 min on foot (museum) | Museum ¥500 · Ishiteji: fee not checked here | Museum entry 17:30 (May–Oct), 16:30 (Nov–Apr) |
| Botchan Ressha | Boards at JR Matsuyama-ekimae on the 10:48 Dogo–Komachi run | ¥1,300 per ride | Last departure from Dogo Onsen 14:59, from Matsuyama-shi 15:44 |
| Day trip: Shimanami Kaido from Imabari | Train to Imabari: see JR Shikoku | Bike rental fee not checked here | Imabari terminals open until 19:00 (Mar–Nov), 18:00 (Dec–Feb) |
By kind of trip
First trip, one day
The castle in the morning (keep from 9:00, ropeway from 8:30), the tram to Dogo, the Shiki museum before its last entry, and the Honkan bath in the evening, open until 23:00.
Matsuyama Castle (keep, ropeway and chairlift) · Matsuyama Municipal Shiki-Kinen Museum · Dogo Onsen Honkan
The three bathhouses
The 3-bathhouse ticket (adults ¥1,440, children ¥680) covers the Honkan Kami-no-yu ground floor, Tsubaki-no-Yu and the Asuka-no-Yu ground floor, and is valid for two days including the day of purchase.
Dogo Onsen Honkan · Dogo Onsen Tsubaki-no-Yu · Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu
Rain
These are indoors. The castle chairlift stops in rain, but the ropeway runs, so the keep is still reachable.
Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum · Matsuyama Municipal Shiki-Kinen Museum · Bansuiso · Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu
On a low budget
Tsubaki-no-Yu is ¥500. School students enter the Shiki museum free, and junior high and younger enter the Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum free; its 2nd-floor hall and library are free for everyone.
Dogo Onsen Tsubaki-no-Yu · Matsuyama Municipal Shiki-Kinen Museum · Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum
With children
The Botchan train is ¥650 for children, the castle ropeway ¥260 round trip (the chairlift only from elementary school age), and the Honkan ground-floor bath ¥350 for ages 2–11.
Botchan Ressha (Botchan Train) · Matsuyama Castle (keep, ropeway and chairlift) · Dogo Onsen Honkan
Questions
Is Dogo Onsen Honkan open after the restoration?
Yes. Repairs began in January 2019 while the bathhouse stayed open. The whole building, including the upstairs rest rooms, reopened on 11 July 2024, and the work was completed on 20 December 2024. The Kami-no-yu ground floor is open 6:00–23:00, with tickets sold until 22:30.
How much is a bath at Dogo Onsen?
Bathing only: Honkan Kami-no-yu ¥700, Asuka-no-Yu ¥610, Tsubaki-no-Yu ¥500 for adults (ages 2–11: ¥350, ¥300 and ¥200). Upstairs rest courses at the Honkan are ¥1,300–2,500 before the reservation rooms, and the 3-bathhouse ticket for the three ground-floor baths is ¥1,440, valid two days.
When does the Botchan train run, and can I book it?
Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only (not 30 December–3 January), with departures from Dogo Onsen at 9:19, 10:48, 13:19 and 14:59. It cannot be reserved; numbered tickets for the Dogo departures are handed out at the Dogo ticket counter from 8:30. Adults ¥1,300 per ride.
How do I get up to Matsuyama Castle?
Take the tram to Okaido (about 10 minutes from JR Matsuyama Station) and walk about 5 minutes to the ropeway station. The ropeway or chairlift costs ¥520 round trip for adults; from the top it is about 10 minutes on foot to the keep (¥520). Walking trails take 30–40 minutes.
Can I ride the Shimanami Kaido from Matsuyama?
The cycling road starts at Imabari, where Shimanami Japan has two rental terminals, one by Imabari Station. It runs about 70 km to Onomichi, and bikes can be returned at a different terminal. The Imabari terminals open 8:00–19:00 from March to November.