Matsuyama Castle is the best attractive sightseeing spot in Matsuyama. It is one of the only 12 castles in Japan retaining the structure built in the Edo period. Our visits are the main keep, the second keep, where the feudal lord residence were located , the third keep, where high ranking samurai used to live and Bansui-so, which was built by a descendant of the former fuedal lord.
at your hotel In the city
The main keep, where the castle tower is located on a hill with a height of 131m.
The second keep, where the fudal lord used to live. It is now Ninomaru Historical Garden.
The third keep, where high-ranking samurai used to live. It is now Shiroyama Park.
Ichiban-cho Street, which is the center of the city.
Bansui-so Villa, which was built by a descendant of the former feudal lord of Matsuyama.
at your hotel (or the place you like)
Matsuyama Castle is one of the most popular castles in Japan. It is located on a hill with a height of 132m. From the castle tower built in the main keep can you command a 360-degree panoramic view of the city, Mt. Ishizuchi and the Seto Inland Sea, which I think is superb.
The castle tower is the symbol of the feudal lord reigning the area and have an important meaning. It is a must visit here in Matsuyama. But there are others which I would like to recommend you visit. They are the second and the third keeps. In a usual tour people will not visit these places. But in my opinion visiting these makes you more easily imagine how samurai did their works in the past of the Edo period. In those days, the feudal lord did not live in the castle tower, but in the second keep, which was located on the foot of the hill. The administrative office also was located in the second keep. And the high ranking samujrai lived in the third keep. The third keep is near the second keep. There is a difference of about 90m in terms of altitude. So, after the tour you may have more delicios lunch.
guide fee
taxi fare (from the hotel to the foot of the hill on the top of which the castle tower is located)
taxi fare (to the hotel, if you want)
entrance fee (the guide can pass free)
the ropeway (cable car) charge: 270 yen / person / one way
the castle tower : 510 yen/ person
the second keep : 300 yen / person
Bansui-so : 300 yen / person
your meal and the guide meal (if you extend the tour hours and have lunch)
I can guide you at other areas in Shikoku, if you would burden my travel expenses. The expenses are, for example, 8,000 yen at Kochi.
Time is moeny. And I would like to help you avoid a troublesome thing. So, basically I would like to pick you up at your hotel in the city and use a taxi to the foot of the castle's hill.
But if you are sure to find the place of Ropeway Platform, or Ro-pu-ei Nori-ba in Japanese, which is the second in the photo show, we can meet there.
The taxi fare would be, in most cases, within 1,000 yen per car. If you let me know your hotel's name, I can tell you estimated fare in advance. If the fare is estimeted to be too expensive, I would make an alternative proposal to you.
The taxi car holds up to 4 passengers Including me, a guide. So when you are 3 members, all of us can get in a car. But when you are 4 to 7 members, you should need another car and have to take 2 cars in total.
The tour is desigend so that I will attend you to your hotel. But if you want to leave me at Ichiban-cho, you can do it. You may be able to enjoy shopping around there, because the place is the very downtown of the city.
During this tour you have to walk down through the path in the hill forest from the main keep to the second keep and then to the third keep. There is a difference of more than 90m in terms of altitude. You need to be sturdy in walking. So if you are not strong and slow in walking, you should avoid this tour.
We had a great guided tour given by Kaz in Matsuyama. He had a challenge of making the tour interesting for teenagers all the way up to a 79 year old!.. He met the challenge with great enthusiasm, and as a result we saw parts of Matsuyama that we would not have seen on our own, I believe not even some locals know what we experienced. Thanks Kaz!
Thank you for your message to me, Simon. I also had a good time with you and your family members. What you were interested in led to us to a local sake brewer, which began its operation 1bout 120 years ago, and to a cozy garden of the most prestigios inn hotel in Matsuyama with a history of about 400 years. These are the spots they don't visit in a usual tour. As you said, among local people there are few who are so aware of these as you are. I hope you will come to Japan again some day in the future. Finally, please send my regards to your family. Thank you very much again, Simon !
Kaz was very helpful, reliable, well informed and responsive. A pleasure to have as a personal guide in unknown territory.
Thank you very much, Bob. I think you could stay in Ehime at a good time becuase it was just around the autumn festival day in Matsuyama. I hope you will visit Shikoku again in the future.
We had an awesome time with Kaz. We were able to see quite a lot and Kaz was very informative about the places we visited. Highly recommend!
Thank you very much for your message, Chelsea. The tour was not a long one,a half-day tour, but I think you could experience good places in Kochi. Now a big typhoon is attacking Japan. It is lucky for you that you could avoid it. The T-shirt your mother gave me at the pier suits very well. Please send my best regards to her. I would like to say again, thank you very much for having a good time with me.