Food & Festivals

Imabari has more yakitori restaurants than anywhere else in Japan with one restaurant for about every 10,000 people. The distinctive feature of Imabari yakitori is that it is grilled on a griddle. The excess fat is removed bringing out the full flavor of the meat. Grilled to a nice crisp, kawa (skin) is particularly nice. The juicy flavor of fried chicken, called senzanki, is also popular.

A sumptuous dish, also known as tai-men, found mainly in the central and southern areas, in which the somen (thin noodles) are arranged on a large plate in the shape of waves and a steamed tai is placed on top. It is eaten by dipping the somen and pieces of the fish into a sauce made from tai stock. In summer it is served chilled and in winter, hot.

A dish found mainly in the southern areas. Fish is mashed in a mortar, mugimiso (miso made from barley or rye and soybeans) is added, the resulting mixture lightly roasted, mixed with stock and then served over mugimeshi (rice cooked with barley). Favored in home cooking as it is easily prepared.

Brand-name fish caught at the tip of Sadamisaki Peninsula, which is the longest in Japan. The aji and saba--with their delicious firm meat due to the fierce tidal currents of Hoyo Strait--are exquisite. The fish are landed one at a time by fishermen using the pole-and-line method and are said to be the ultimate fruit of the sea.

In the eastern and central areas high quality tai (sea bream)--with its firm delicious meat due to the rough seas--is boiled together with rice in a round pot, then broken up into pieces. The choice taste of the tai and the konbu (dried kelp) laid under the tai make for a superb takikomi gohan (literally boiled with rice).

In the southern area slices of fresh raw tai are dipped in an egg-based sauce and served over steaming rice with a delicious topping such as spring onion. Here, tai-meshi is also called hyugameshi.

Sakurai lacquerware is a traditional craft of Imabari with a history dating back about 200 years. The skill of the traditional craftsmen lives on in the makie and chinkin designs (using gold and silver) combining artistic quality and basic utility. The lustrous gloss of the red and ebony coloring is a favorite.

Taruto originated in the 1,600s when the Matsuyama feudal lord brought back a recipe for a European confectionery from Nagasaki. It was originally a jam sponge roll but it was purportedly the feudal lord's idea to add sweet azuki (bean) paste to the cake. An elegant and stylish confectionery in which the azuki paste with citron is rolled into the sponge cake to form the Japanese hiragana character "no".

Botchan Dango are three skewered rice dumplings wrapped in sweet bean paste colored with azuki beans, eggs and powdered green tea. The small, subtley-sweet dumplings are loved by many. They came to be called Botchan Dango after the central character in Natsume Soseki's famous novel Botchan is described eating some on the way back from visiting an onsen (hot spring).

Goshiki Somen noodles are colored using natural substances: yellow from eggs, green from powdered green tea, brown from buckwheat flour, red from plums and shiso (type of culinary herb), and white. With a history dating back about 300 years, the somen is produced by hand and rolled into thin but strong noodles. Another delicious local speciality, tai (sea-bream) somen, is also well worth trying.

Iyo-kasuri textiles, one of the three famous kasuri cloths in Japan, are fabrics that originated in the 1800s. The beauty of indigo dye, the strength of cotton and the rustic texture make it very popular. The simple designs and beautifully contrasting white on dark blue is used in a range of products that includes kimono, small accessories and interior designs.

Shikoku is the nation's top producer of ceramic ware and holds a leading position in white porcelain production. The thick white porcelain is dyed with cobalt blue which gives Tobe pottery its distinctive translucent indigo blue patterns. Tobe pottery is not just made as art; it is also popular as simple and sturdy tableware for everyday use.

The Uwa Sea, with its deeply indented shoreline, is one of the top sources of pearls in Japan. Cultured in calm waters the region's pearls are likened to a mermaid's tears. Used for making accessories such as rings and necklaces, they are very popular with women everywhere.

Foods made from ground fresh fish caught in the Seto Inland Sea and Uwa Sea. Kamaboko is arranged on a small board in a half-moon shape and steamed. Jakoten is made by mincing fish, bones and all, then formed into an oval shape and deep fried. Both are nutritious treats high in calcium and make excellent souvenirs for people who enjoy delicacies from the sea.

The Niihama Taiko Festival, also known as Otoko Matsuri (literally Men's Festival), is an exciting affair in which ornate taiko-dai (drum floats) decorated with gold embroidery, are carried aloft. The more than 150 kakifu (bearers) required to hoist the 2.5-ton taiko-dai shout in rhythm as they parade around the city. The gallant test of competing kakifu is impressive and a main attraction of the festival.

The largest festival in the southern area where mammoth-sized models of ushi-oni, with the head of a devil and a sword as a tail on a bull's body that is 5-6 m long, charge their way around the streets of Uwajima. Youngsters wearing happi coats (traditional straight-sleeved coat made of indigo or brown cotton or linen) carry aloft the ushi-oni as children blow takebora (short length of hollow bamboo that sounds like a trumpet when blown). Other events include the Gaiya Carnival (gaiya means "terrific" in the local dialect), the Uwajima Dance, and fireworks display.

Fireworks

Matsuyama Port Festival Mitsuhama Fireworks Display

Matsuyama City: Last Sunday in July

One of the largest fireworks displays in Shikoku held on the eve of the Matsuyama Festival. About 6600 fireworks are launched from 3 locations: Mitsuhama Wharf, onboard a boat, and on the water itself. Aquatic fireworks and regular fireworks--with a plume diameter that can reach 420 m--reflected on the water surface, are simply magical.

Fireworks

Onmaku Yume (Dream) Fireworks

Imabari City: First Sunday in August)

Combined fireworks display and music at Imabari Port. Enjoy an intricate display of fireworks from 6 countries including America and Spain, all controlled by computer. A light and music show that showcases a summer evening in Imabari.

An ancient and special method of river fishing that takes place on the Hiji River in the riverside district of Ozu, one of the three most famous ukai fishing spots in Japan. After sunset, trail the usho (cormorant fishermen) in yakatabune (special sightseeing boats). The traditional feat, in which the usho handle 5-6 cormorants, is reflected on the river surface lit by fires in metal baskets suspended from the front of their boats. Enjoy a meal and a drink as you take in the enthralling scene.

A gripping event where a pair of 1-ton bulls butt against each other. The trainer positioned beside the bull, called a seko (beater), controls the bull as the beasts do battle. "It runs, it loses" is the rule. Bulls are draped with colorfully ornate adornments when entering the tournament ring. There are five scheduled bouts a year at the Uwajima bullfighting arena as well as some tourist events.