Matsuyama, 14.05.24

Matsuyama lies exactly opposite of Kochi facing the inland Seto Sea. By train it is quite hard to get there meaning we had to get back on the same railway line all the way to Takamatsu. We opted for a bus which would get us to Matsuyama far quicker and on a different route. The public transport system in Japan is really astonishing connecting all towns either by rail or bus or ferry. 

The bus left at 9 in the morning and not far outside Kochi got onto a toll road, a four lane highway through the mountainous interior of Shikoku Island. Not what I expected but a very pleasant ride through freshly greened up forests of maple and cedar. The mountainscape is truly magnificent, deep gorges, glimpses of the rivers below and hardly any villages. Just wilderness and untouched forest. It is also a spectacular road winding up to a pass through many tunnels and over many bridges. We arrived safely in Matsuyama around 12 o'clock. 

Matsuyama

The hotel was twenty minutes' walk away. We got off the bus at the wrong station, but it was no problem as the day was lovely and warm. The Vessel hotel we stayed at right in the middle of things. Nice place, noting too fancy but comfortable and clean. 

Matsuyama again is famous for its castle and also for its hot springs Dogo Onsen. We had time for the castle this afternoon and wandered towards it through another arcade of shops. We could not resist to at least try once the famous Japanese gaming halls. There are hundred if not thousand machines in these halls and the noise from it all is quite deafening and humming. It was fun even though our money was lost real quick.

 

The arcade ended at the foot of the castle hill and a touristy village. There was a chairlift going up and a cable car. We chose the chairlift not thinking that Christine is not so good with heights especially sitting in a single chair on the chairlift. Getting off proved quite difficult. But she made it. 

As compensation we had two beers right at the top of the hill in the castle grounds. Impressive they were indeed as well as the views across the city, to the mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Lots of people enjoyed the day, almost all of them Japanese, either from the city or tourists maybe from the main island of Honshu. 

Matsuyama Castle

In the castle grounds

Down the hill we took the cable car. Much safer and not so scary. Walked back to hotel and then went in search of a restaurant which hopefully would serve the local specialty of Sea Bream. A fish they catch off the coast and which is cooked Taimeshi style. The search took longer and in the end we entered a rather large restaurant, quite busy, with a long bar and some loud Japanese man drinking sake. They rushed us passed it into a booth at the back. We ordered Sea Bream. It was not quite what we expected.

Tofu

 

First we got a bowl of tofu with dashi broth I believe. It was the best tofu I have ever had. Not that I had all that much of it, but this was just delicious, silky and wobbly and in texture almost like a panna cotta. So far so good. Then came the fish. A tray of food actually with rice in a bowl, a raw egg yolk in another with soya sauce and then the fish. Raw but sliced very thinly and arrange expertly on a plate. The idea was to use the chopsticks to stir the egg yolk into the soya sauce and then dunk the fish into it and mix it with the rice. I did enjoy it. The fish was very fresh and kind of sweet. 

 

Slow walk back to hotel through backstreets and past intriguing little bars and restaurants. We sneaked into a little pastry shop just for a change and had our dessert. Delicious.

Chestnut Dessert