William (Will) Taylor
2025 Arrival, in Kume Matsuyama
Will is a first (soon to be second) year ALT in Matsuyama’s best district, Kume. He can usually be found on his bike, heading to an onsen or to swim on one of Gogoshima’s beaches. Born and raised in London, this city boy has always yearned for the hills, rivers and prairies, so life in Matsuyama’s semi-rural eastern reaches suits him just fine. Other areas of interest include Kanji, flowers, and the life and work of British post-war artist Keith Vaughan.
As a self-proclaimed water baby, my love story with hot baths started as a toddler. My favorite party trick to pull out and shock grandparents, aunties and babysitters alike was to abruptly plunge my disproportional infant head into a boiling hot bath before they’d managed to put any cold water in.
As a 17 year old, I experienced my first hammam (Turkish bath) in Essaouira. The experience of being scrubbed to within an inch of my life by a strong Moroccan man is one I’ll never forget. Lying almost defeated on a granite slab, rendered blind by the olive oil soap in my eyes, I remember grinning maniacally. I wanted more.
As a freshly-graduated 21 year old, I found myself on a train from Ljubljana to Budapest. Flicking through a list of the top 10 things to do in the city, I skimmed over descriptions of the ‘ruin bars’, the Hungarian parliament building, cruises on the Danube, Buda Castle, Szechenyi Thermal Baths, Fisherma- WAIT! Back back back. As it turns out, Hungary is chock full of hot springs, owing to the Carpathian Basin’s unique geothermal architecture. There, the earth’s crust is around 10km thinner than the global average and it’s this relative proximity to the mantle’s pockets of magma which provides such a ready supply of mineral-rich hot water. The oldest of these baths, Király fürdő, was built in the 17th century. Footprints from a long period of Islamic rule during the Ottoman Empire are all over Budapest, but by far the most interesting to me are the city’s baths. To cut a long story short, my five days in Budapest were five days spent soaking in glorious, sulphurous waters.
Fast-forward a couple of years, and now I live in perhaps the most densely hot-springed (hot-sprung?) country in the world. Here’s a guide to Matsuyama’s onsen offering:
道後湯之町 (Dōgo-yu-no-machi) - Matsuyama’s famed onsen district
Undoubtedly Matsuyama’s most well-known hot spring area, Dōgo has a very, very long history of bathing. Locals claim the spring has been used for over 3000 years, though the first written record of the spring comes from the 万葉集 (manyōshū), a collection of poetry written in the 8th century. According to local legend, a white heron with an injured leg was seen to heal itself in water flowing from between rocks in the area. Witnessing this, a villager dipped his hand in the water and discovered it was warm, thus marking the start of its use. Today, the town holds on to its resort feel, ever abuzz with visitors roaming the streets in colorful yukata (bath robes).
A spring festival in Dōgo, with the onsen in the background.
Dōgo Onsen Main Building cupola with red stained glass.
道後温泉本館 (Dōgo Onsen Main Building):
The pride and joy of the district. The current building was reconstructed beginning in 1894, blending castle, temple, and bathhouse architecture from multiple eras. Notable features include the 御成門 (Onarimon) imperial gate; the 又新殿 (Yūshinden), a private bathing room for the exclusive use of the emperor; and and the 振鷺閣 (Shinrokaku), a decidedly Meiji cupola decorated with red stained glass and upholding the building’s iconic white heron.
Though it does have a second bath and various relaxation rooms for an additional fee, I’ll judge this bath on its pretty bare-bones general admission, which is ¥700 and includes toiletries, but no towel. History points, but nothing exceptional. 6.5/10
道後温泉別館 飛鳥の湯泉 (Dōgo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-yu)
A striking, red and white building in the Asuka Period (538-710 CE) style, notably housing a rentable replica of Dōgo Onsen Main Building’s imperial bath. Again, there are various tiers including tea, sweets, and rental yukata, but the general admission, costing ¥610, is no-frills. You’ll have to bring your own towel or buy one there, but there are beautiful Tobe-yaki ceramic murals (among other things) and don’t I just love local craftsmanship. Scores just a touch higher than Main Building for tasteful renovation and slightly better pricing 6.69/10.
道後温泉別館 椿の湯 (Dōgo Onsen Annex Tsubaki-no-yu)
The bath with the most community feel. Clocking in at ¥450, general admission gets you into the single large public bath with its huge 湯釜 (yugama), an impressive granite cauldron the water flows into the bath from. Just like the other two Dōgo locations, the water flows straight from the source with no treatment or reheating. No soap or towels, but, as always, you can buy or rent them from the shop if you don’t have your own. Nothing special, but it’s a good, clean bath. 5/10.
That’s it for the non-hotel onsen in Dōgo!
華麗なる久米町圏 (Kareinaru-kume-chōken) - The Illustrious Greater Kume Area
My beloved GKA. My heart and my soul, my moon and stars, my Japanese hometown. Anyone who knows me – and some who don’t – will have heard all about why the GKA is the gleaming jewel in Matsuyama’s crown. Daintily adjoining Matsuyama’s northeastern hills, Kume is an unpretentious, but historically rich district with indomitable charm. Perhaps its most defining feature is the relative abundance of hot springs. Legend has it that long, long ago, an incredibly powerful earthquake hit the province. So strong was the shaking that even flying birds fell to the ground, and in a cruel twist of fate, the water stopped flowing in Dōgo. In Kume, however, the grounds of Jōdo-ji temple were suddenly inundated with hot, clear water. Droves of people visited the temple to pray for the restoration of Dōgo’s water. Eventually it returned, but Kume’s spring remained, and today it feeds a number of bathhouses in the area.
Pilgrim statue at Jōdo-ji temple, Kume.
東道後温泉 久米之癒 (East Dōgo Onsen Kume-no-yu)
‘~no-yu’ is a common way of naming hot springs and bathhouses in japan. This ‘yu’ is usually the kanji 湯, meaning hot water, but in Kume no Yu’s case, a different kanji is used. Here, they take the Chinese reading of 癒, a character with the meaning of healing or cure, referencing the spring water’s restorative properties. Having visited countless times, I do agree the water is quite unique. More so than any of the other springs in Matsuyama, Kume no Yu’s water has a silky, almost slippery feel. It confused me at first, but I must say I’ve grown to love it. The place isn’t fancy, but it has solid facilities and a real community feel. Definitely a step up from Dōgo in terms of types of bath, Kume has an open air relaxation area and an outdoor bath (rotenburo) with a really pleasant temperature. The hinoki cypress bath has gone a bit furry with age and could do with replacing. General admission is ¥600 and ¥550 if you show a free coupon from Nifty! They also serve a mean selection of very reasonably priced food. I like the toriten soba/udon. 7.5/10.
たかのこの湯 (Takanoko-no-yu)
Takanoko’s got pretty much all you could want from a modern onsen: family friendly restaurant; super-clean facilities; great mix of traditional and newer bath types (ever tried a salt-scrub mist bath?); and a sauna. The outdoor area is my favorite part, with a nice big rotenburo and a 寝湯 (neyu) or sleeping bath, where you can lie down on smooth, warm slabs of rock while water trickles down around you from a headrest. Deluxxxxxe.
It’s a little pricey at ¥800 (¥600 if you go before 10am) and they still don’t give you a towel, so I end up visiting this one much less frequently than the others in the area. 7.495/10.
東道後のそらともり (East Dōgo Sora-to-mori)
No point in beating around the bush – Sora to Mori is probably the best onsen in Matsuyama. Everything from the cavernous, hotel-esque reception to dimmed lighting and the smell of lemongrass in the air make this feel like a proper treat. It’s significantly more expensive than the others at ¥1,500 (¥1,100 with free membership), but Sora to Mori is a completely different experience. A set of two towels as well as clothes for relaxing or eating are included, so even after bathing you can get your money’s worth in one of the many reading/napping/chatting/flopping areas.
There are too many baths to talk about in any concise manner, but the extensive outdoor area with a view of the castle is a highlight. Extra points for flaming braziers. The restaurant is the next best bit. You can get a huge variety of seriously delicious food, including Matsuyama’s renowned 鯛釜飯 (tai kamameshi), red sea bream and rice cooked together in a cast-iron cauldron. Everything, including vending machine purchases, is linked to a little QR code on your locker band, so you just settle your bill on your way out of reception. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t agree with me on this one. 10/10.
There are a few further hot springs which are borderline in the GKA’s watershed/sphere of influence, so I’ll whip through them quickly:
姫彦温泉 (Himehiko Onsen)
Himehiko, meaning ‘princess and prince’ is a great one. Lots of baths, including one with these crazy powerful jets that make you feel like you’re inside a waterfall. ¥700/¥750 on weekends. Similar vibe to Takanoko. 7.45/10.
天山トロン温泉 (Amayama Thoron Onsen)
The Thoron in the name actually refers to the spring’s ‘weak radioactive’ classification, which this onsen claims is beneficial for a whole host of ailments. Tattoo friendly. Sauna, cold bath, hot bath, bubble bath, outdoor bath. ¥600. 5/10.
星乃岡温泉 (Hoshi-no-oka Onsen)
Another good one with a sauna, a steam room, a walking bath or 歩行湯 (hokō-yu), a 電気風呂 (denki-buro) electric current bath, etc. Also, the reception area has a shop where you can buy local produce, drinks and some other things. No towel provided as standard, but there is soap. ¥700. 6.5/10.
松山中央 (Matsuyama-chūō) - city center
Matsuyama city center is a bit of an onsen desert. There’s plenty else to do, but when hit with the sudden urge to bathe, the options are limited. Aside for the one to come, there is also 寿温泉 (Kotobuki Onsen) and at ¥460, it rivals the Tōkyō 銭湯 (sentō, non-onsen baths) in affordability. That said, I’ve not been and so can’t in good conscience comment. Of course, there are also the hotel onsens, some of which can be visited without staying the night.
伊予の湯治場 喜助の湯 (Iyo-no-tōjiba Kisuke-no-yu)
Kisuke, located in a slightly indecorous entertainment complex and bathed in the neon light and incessant whirring of a thousand pachinko machines, is a deceptively good onsen. Once you get past the uninspiring scenery, the hot spring itself rivals even Sora to Mori in variety of baths. Clean facilities, relaxation areas, lots of food and drinks to choose from and a convenient location across from JR Matsuyama Station, make it a strong contender for the top few spots.
Kisuke is playful. Kisuke is fun. Kisuke is good value. I like it more than Dōgo, but less than Sora to Mori. ¥800/¥700 with a free membership. 9/10.
One of Kisuke-no-yu’s many stupid neon signs.
その他 - other
南道後温泉 せいれぎの湯 (South Dōgo Onsen Teiregi-no-yu), Tobe side of the Shigenobu River: great onsen with free massage chairs! 8/10
シーパの湯 (Seapa-no-yu), Hōjō city: a new favourite of mine. Features unique salt water baths and it’s right on the beach, so you can soak/sunbathe with a view of the ocean. Really quite special. 9.2/10.
Ranking
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Best, Justin
