The Seto Inland Sea looks like a lake dotted with islands: wooded hills rise from calm water, ferries trace their white lines, and the morning light softens everything. It is in this setting that the ship approaches Matsuyama, the largest city on the island of Shikoku, whose castle can be made out very early, perched on its hill in the exact centre of the city. Few Japanese destinations combine in a single day an original keep, one of the oldest hot springs in the country and streetcars that seem straight out of a novel.

From the Terminal to the City

Ships dock at the tourist port, northwest of the city, near the Takahama district. Takahama Station, the terminus of the Iyotetsu train line, is about a ten-minute walk from the terminal; from there, the city centre can be reached in about twenty minutes. Shuttles and taxis complete the options depending on the port call. To get your bearings, three reference points are enough:

An Original Keep

Matsuyama Castle crowns Mount Katsuyama, 132 metres above the rooftops. Its keep is one of only twelve in Japan that have survived without modern reconstruction, and that changes everything: the steep stairs, dark beams and arrow slits give the exact measure of what a feudal fortress was like. A ropeway and a chairlift have climbed the slope since 1955; the more energetic will prefer the trails. Up top, among the walls, the reward lies in the panorama: the checkerboard of rooftops, then the Inland Sea and its islands all the way to the haze.

Dogo Onsen, the Bath of the Ages

Farther east, the Dogo district is organized around a hot spring that legend says is three millennia old and that ranks among the oldest in Japan. Its main building, the Honkan, built of wood in 1894, layers roofs, lanterns and galleries like a palace of baths. You can simply admire it from the square, stroll through the neighbouring shopping arcade among towel and confectionery shops, or enjoy the full experience: take off your shoes, slip on a yukata and step into the hot water as generations of bathers have before you.

The Land of Haiku

The city holds a special place in Japanese literature. Masaoka Shiki, who renewed the art of haiku at the end of the 19th century, was born here, and every district honours his memory: engraved stones, a museum devoted to him, boxes where anyone can drop off their own verses. It is also the setting of Natsume Soseki's novel Botchan, which Japanese students read in school; a small old-fashioned train, a replica of the one from that era, still bears its name and runs between the centre and Dogo. Taking the streetcar here is like travelling through a page of literature.

Between Two Streetcars

Everything is easily explored on foot: covered shopping arcades around Matsuyama-shi Station, the Ninomaru Garden at the foot of the castle, cafés serving local udon and Ehime mandarins in every form, from juice to sorbet. The prefecture is Japan's citrus orchard and won't let anyone forget it, in the nicest way.

Leaving at Peace

This port of call leaves an impression of gentleness that is hard to explain: perhaps the deliberate slowness of the streetcars, perhaps the steam rising from the baths, perhaps the Inland Sea, which never seems in a hurry. Heading back down to the pier, many passengers catch themselves mentally composing their seventeen syllables. Matsuyama has that effect, and it lasts well beyond departure.