四国中央市
Things to Do in and Around Shikokuchuo
Shikokuchūō City is an industrial city at the eastern edge of Ehime Prefecture. It was created in 2004 through the merger of Kawanoe City, Iyo-Mishima City, Doi Town, and Shingū Village. Its name was chosen with the hope that it would become the center of Shikoku. The city has long held first place in Japan for the shipment value of paper and pulp products, and is known as one of the country's representative paper towns. To the south of the urban area, the Hōō Mountain Range stretches out, along with the Suiha Highlands, where rapeseed and cosmos bloom, and a temple of the Shikoku 88-site pilgrimage.
Anime and manga set in and around Shikokuchuo, and where to find their real-life locations.
A travel guide to the real-world locations of Yamato, the western-Japan nation in the manga and anime Nippon Sangoku. It tours the actual spots in Ehime, Osaka, Fukui, and Aichi that became settings in the story, with the scenes they inspired, what to see on site, and how to reach them from abroad.
Shikokuchūō City lies at the easternmost point of Ehime Prefecture, bordering Kagawa and Tokushima prefectures. True to its name, it sits at roughly the center of Shikoku, within easy driving distance of all four prefectural capitals. Matsuyama is about 82 kilometers away, Takamatsu about 69 kilometers, Kōchi about 61 kilometers, and Tokushima about 101 kilometers, leaving the city well connected in every direction.
To the north it faces the Hiuchi-nada, a part of the Seto Inland Sea, and to the south the Hōō Mountain Range rises up. The urban area spreads across the flat coastal land, with the mountains pressing in close behind it.
The main stations of Shikokuchūō City are Iyo-Mishima Station and Kawanoe Station on the JR Yosan Line. From Okayama Station, a limited express crossing the Seto Ōhashi Bridge takes about an hour and a half, and the city is also linked by limited express from Takamatsu and Matsuyama stations. By air, Matsuyama Airport is the gateway, and from there you reach the city by a combination of bus and train.
The sightseeing spots in and around the city lie in the hills and on high ground, often some distance from the stations, so it works well to use Iyo-Mishima or Kawanoe Station as a base and combine local buses and taxis. Near Kawanoe Junction, the expressways heading toward Matsuyama, Takamatsu, and Kōchi meet, making the city convenient to reach by highway bus as well.
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Shikokuchūō City sits at the eastern edge of Ehime Prefecture, bordering Kagawa and Tokushima prefectures, and serves as a transport hub at the heart of Shikoku. Its industrial center, built up by papermaking, sits right beside the natural scenery of the mountains rising behind it. With pilgrimage temples and cherry blossom spots as well, the city has two faces, one as a center of industry and one where you can enjoy nature and history.
Shikokuchūō has grown up together with paper. It ranks first in all of Japan for the shipment value of paper, pulp, and processed paper products, a position it has held for two decades. From newsprint and printing paper to sanitary papers such as tissue, a wide range of paper that supports daily life is made here. The city is also one of the country's leading producers of calligraphy paper, and the Kami-no-Machi Paper Museum lets visitors learn about the history and making of paper.
Rapeseed flowers in full bloom
The Suiha Highlands spread across about 100 hectares around the 892-meter summit of Mt. Suiha. In spring, golden rapeseed flowers blanket the slopes, and from summer into early autumn, early-blooming cosmos take their place. On clear days the view reaches all the way to the Seto Inland Sea, drawing many visitors who come for the seasonal flowers.
Kawanoe Castle stands on Mt. Washinoo in the eastern part of the city and is also known as Butsuden Castle. Long recognized as a stronghold overlooking the Seto Inland Sea, its current keep is a reconstruction.
About 900 cherry trees are planted on Shiroyama, the hill where the castle stands, and it fills with blossom viewers in spring. Because it sits on high ground close to the sea, the keep offers fine views over the Seto Inland Sea.
Sankakuji is the 65th temple on the pilgrimage of the 88 Sacred Sites of Shikoku. It is said that the great monk Kōbō Daishi visited here and carved and enshrined the temple's principal image, an Eleven-faced Kannon. The temple sits halfway up a mountain, and climbing the stone steps of the approach brings you to the main hall. Pilgrims still visit today, making it a quiet temple tucked into the hills.
When autumn arrives, Shikokuchūō City turns its full attention to the taiko festival. Ornate floats called taikodai parade through the streets while teams of bearers compete to hoist their weight. The Kawanoe and Doi festivals take place in mid-October, and the Iyo-Mishima festival in late October. The kakikurabe, in which taikodai decorated with gold-thread embroidery clash against one another, is a sight worth seeing.
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