Matsuyama is the largest city of Shikoku island and is the capital of Ehime Prefecture.
It is situated on the northeastern side of the Dogo plain. The city was founded on 15 December, 1889. The name of the city stands for "pine tree mountain". The sister cities of
Matsuyama are Sacramento in the USA, Freiburg in Germany and Pyeongtaek in South Korea. On January 1, 2005, the town of Nakajima and city of Hojo merged with
Matsuyama, to form the present city.
Matsuyama has a mild climate, which is characteristic of the Seto Island Sea. The average annual temperature is about 15.8 degrees. The average annual rainfall is about 1,286 mm. The main rainy seasons are June, July and little in January. The city has little snowfall and has few typhoons comparatively.
Matsuyama is the home of many universities, like Ehime University and Matsuyama University
Matsuyama Airport has daily flights to Tokyo, Osaka and other major Japanese cities and few international destinations as well. It is one of the few Japanese cities which have not abolished its street car systems. Apart from these, there is a daily ferry service to Hiroshima and regular night ferries to Kokura Kita-Ku, Kobe, Kitakyushu and other places.
Matsuyama is well-known for its hot springs, among which Dogo is the oldest hot spring of Japan. Matsuyama Castle is also a famous tourist spot which is situated on top of Katsuyama Hill, in the center of the city. Joruri-ji Temple, Yasaka-ki temple, Sairin-ji Temple and Jodo-ji Temple which are considered to be divisions of the 88 sacred temples of Shikoku are also located in Matsuyama. Apart from these, you can also visit:
- Gudabutsu-an Hermitage
- Siki-do Hall
- Shiki Kinen Museum
- Municipal Culture Center for Archaeological Discoveries
- Matsuyama Sogo Koen
- Jono-fuchi Park
- Bansui-so
- Matsuyama Outdoor Activity Center
The city of
Matsuyama also organizes various festivals like
Matsuyama Spring Festival,
Matsuyama Festival,
Matsuyama Spring Festival and Ship Dance of Gogoshima Island.
