The largest city in Shikoku. Jingling trolley cars for sightseeing carry tourists through Matsuyama castle town.

Located in the center of Ehime and facing the Sea of Iyo in the Seto Inland Sea, Matsuyama is the largest city and the center of administration and economy on Shikoku. The city is also an important junction with railways and bus services extending from JR Matsuyama Station and Matsuyama-shi Station (Iyo Line) to various places inside and outside the prefecture.

On the hill in the center of the city stands Matsuyama Castle, the symbol of the town. The castle and its surrounding area as a whole constitute a historic site park. A 6-minute ride on a ropeway and lift takes you up to the mountain's top, where the ridge has been leveled. From the terminal of the lift, there is an ascent path to the castle and its tower. If you go up the steep wooden stairway to the top floor in the castle tower, the panoramic view includes Mt. Ishizuchi-yama and the Sea of Iyo.

Convenient for making a round of the sightseeing spots in the city are the trolley cars, nicknamed "ting-ting densha," that run in all directions to serve the citizens of Matsuyama as a daily means of transportation. Having everything to make you feel idyllic, from the orange matchbox style to the wooden-made interior with velvet-covered seats, the driver's uniform, and the ting-ting sound as alighting signal, the trolley car gives you a comfortable ride, not to mention the exhilaration of going right through the middle of a busy street. In addition, the steam train that ran for 67 years from 1888, and which people in "Bocchan (Young boy)," a novel written by one of Japan's great literary figures Soseki Natsume, used, was renovated in 2001. It is now called the "Bocchan Train," and this steam train running around and blowing a whistle is loved by many tourists.

A religious location where Mt. Ishizuchi-yama exists, as well as Ishizuchi-jinja Shrine. Many religious ceremonies are celebrated.

Located in the eastern part of Ehime, Mt. Ishizuchi-yama and its surrounding area have been designated Ishizuchi Quasi-National Park. Because of its sharp and domineering rocky mass, the mountain has been long worshiped as a sacred mountain. Believers have climbed the mountain for generations to prove their faith so Mt. Ishizuchi-yama has been made accessible to all, although rugged paths lead up to Mt. Tengu-dake, 1,982 meters above sea level, and Mt. Mi-sen, where Ishizuchi-jinja Shrine stands at the peak.

There are two paths to the top of Mt. Ishizuchi-yama: the Omote-Sando (front approach to the shrine) course and the Tsuchi-goya Hut course. The former is an ordinary path leading to the peak from the front. The latter route allows you to climb easily while enjoying the surrounding scenery. About a 30-minute climb along the mountain driveway—Ishizuchi Sky Line—takes you to the Tsuchi-goya Hut, from where you can enjoy walking along the ridge to the peak. The Ishizuchi Sky Line is a sightseeing road opened in 1970, and the magnificent sight of Mt. Tengu-dake that suddenly appears when you leave the Kanmuri-dake Tunnel en route is worth seeing.

Every summer, believers climb the mountain in a display of faith called "O-yama-biraki" (opening of the mountain to climbers). It is a valiant event where believers clad in white climb to the top of the mountain with the image of the deity that belongs to the shrine on their shoulders. Please note that yearly, on 1 July only, women are not permitted to climb the mountain due to an old local practice that still survives.