Sightseeing Routes
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Route4
(Nangoku-Uwajima Route)
Experience
the rich culture of the historic castle town, Uwajima (Nangoku-Uwajima
Route)
Uwajima Castle - Date Museum - Tensha-en Garden
(Please note that specific closure dates for the New Years period are not included on this page.)
<Features of this route>
During feudal times Uwajima was ruled by the Date Clan, and the castle they established still overlooks the town today. The Date Clan was at the forefront of leading Japan towards modernization, and Uwajima is both a historically and culturally significant region. Experience the renowned warmth of the local people as you enjoy this scenic tour through Uwajima.
From Matsuyama
Access: Train: take the JR Yosan-Line Limited Express from
JR Matsuyama Station
(Approximately 1 hour 20 minutes; fare 2,900yen) to JR Uwajima Station.
Then,
take a taxi (5 minutes; fare 500yen) or walk (15 minutes) to the Castle.
Uwajima Castle
This gracious castle, built around 400 years ago, features a three-story tower. Share the same sweeping views of the area from the high castle tower that the Lord of the castle would have enjoyed all those years ago.
Location: 1 Marunouchi, Uwajima-city
Open: 9:00 am-4:00 pm, daily all year
Admission: 200yen (to enter the castle interior)
Time required: Approximately 1 hour
Access: Walk: The museum is a short 10 minute walk from the main gate of the Castle.
Date Museum
The museum features a valuable collection of some 40,000 costumes, weapons, ceramics, documents and artifacts related to the Date clan, the lords who governed the area in the Edo period. A particular highlight is a fine collection of exquisite bridal garniture.
Location: 9-14 Goten-cho, Uwajima-city
Open: 9:00 am-4:30 pm daily, all year (except Mondays and days following public holidays)
Admission: 500yen
Time required: Approximately 30 minutes
Access: a short walk from the Date Museum
Tensha-en Garden
The garden and building were built 140 years ago as a retreat for the Lord of the Date Clan. The garden is particularly famous for its impressive display of wisteria and calamus.
Location: Tensha-koen, Uwajima-city
Open: 8:30am-4:30 pm (open until 5:00 pm between April and June)
*Winter season: Closed on Mondays from the second week of December to the end of February
Admission: 300yen
Time required: Approximately 30 minutes
Pearl
exhibit / accessory making
Pearls
are called the Ôthe tears of a mermaid', and Uwajima is known worldwide
as one of the foremost pearl producing regions in Japan. Visitors to
the Shinju Kaikan (Pearl Center) can enjoy trying their hand at jewelry
- making, using local pearls to fashion their own original necklaces,
or bracelets. (*please note that bookings are necessary at least 2 days
in advance)
Location: 3-58 Takagushi, Uwajima-city
Open: 8:00 am-8:00 pm daily, all year (jewelry-making from 9:00 am-11:00 am & 2:30 pm-5:00 pm)
Admission: Jewelry-making sessions are 1,000yen plus the cost of materials
Time required: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Bus: Take an Uwajima Bus (bound for Tanohama, Funama, Tachima or Ozu) from JR Uwajima Station. (12 minutes; fare: 290yen). Get off at the Tokunomori Bus Stop.
Bullfights
Watch
enormous one-ton bulls as they clash furiously with each-other in a 20
meter bullring. Public bull-fighting tournaments are held 5 times annually
in Uwajima, however special private displays of bull-fights can be arranged
for tour groups. Advance bookings are required, (maximum 30 people) and
the cost is ´60,000 per bout. Alternatively, on days when bulls are not
available, visitors may view a bull-fight video (9:00 am-5:00 pm, weekdays
only).
Location: 496-2 Warei-cho, Uwajima-city
Open: weekdays noon-3:00 pm (Closed on weekends and public holidays)
Bullfight Tournaments: are held on January 2, on the first Sunday of April, July 24, August 14, and the fourth Sunday of October, every year.
Tickets: 3,000yen on the day of the event, or 2,500yen for advance tickets
Time required: Approximately 2 hours
Access: take a taxi from JR Uwajima Station (5 minutes; fare: 560yen)
On tournament days tickets are available from the Tourist information office at JR Uwajima Station, and there is a free bus to the tournament venue operating between 10:00 am and noon.
Uwajima
Ushioni festival
The
ferocious looking bull-like Ushioni walks the streets casting out devils,
protecting the good folk of Uwajima. The Ushioni is a huge, elaborately
decorated costume worn by a team of bearers, its body made of woven bamboo
and featuring a long sword for its tail. At this traditional event the
Ushioni is accompanied by hundreds of young people enthusiastically performing
local dances as it weaves its way through the city's streets. The Ushioni
Festival is held in downtown Uwajima annually between July 22nd and 24th.
Nametoko
Gorge: Spring and Autumnal colors
Situated
near the headwaters of the famous Shimanto River, so-called Òthe last
clean river in Japan" is Nametoko, a 12 km-long natural gorge. The gorge
features many fantastically shaped boulders and water-falls, running
with crystal clear mountain water. A walk along this spectacular gorge
is a sight-seeing must. A viewing highlight is the Yukiwa waterfall so-named
for the extra-ordinal patterns the water makes here as it cascades down
the rocks. Spring and autumn are the seasons when Nametoko gorge is at
its very best.
Location: Meguro Nametoko, Matsuno-cho, Kitauwa-gun
Time required: Approximately 1.5 hours
Access: Take an Uwajima Bus from JR Uwajima Station, bound for Nijinomori Koen (48 minutes; fare: 500yen) Get off at the Nijinomori Koen Bus Stop, then take a taxi to Nametoko (25 minutes; fare: 3,500yen)
