What? |
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The Imabari Castle (今治城) is a concrete replica of a castle built by Todo Takatora, a famous Japanese builder of castles. It’s location on a large plot of land surrounded by a wide moat, making it one three castles known as “Mizujiro” or “Water Castle”. The Kirosan Park (亀老山展望公園) is perched upon a 308m high mountain with the same name and boasts magnificent views over the Seto Island Sea (瀬戸内海) with its many islands and bridges spanning them. |
Where? |
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Both located in Ehime Prefecture’s (愛媛県) Imabari City (今治), the castle is easily accessible by a 30 minute walk from JR Imabari Station (JR今治駅) or one of the many buses serving the attraction. Kirosan Park is located on an island in the Seto Island Sea and can only be accessed by car, or – as many people do – by a relentless effort by bicycle. 
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Japan Experience Visit Ehime Japan |
The whole reason for this impromptu trip to Shikoku was to climb Mount Ishizuchi. We did that, we have a spare day for some driving, and today we’d be heading back.
We still had a little time on our hands though, so instead of taking the obvious way back to Osaka (over Awajishima), we instead decided to drive via Imabari over the Shimanami Kaido. The Shimanami Kaido is a series of bridges spanning several island in the Seto Inland Sea, and it is hugely popular as a cycling course. Cycling here is on my to-do-list now forever, and one day I will, so I will just consider this car ride as an appetizer.
We didn’t have a whole lot of time, so we only stopped twice along the route.
The first stop was at Imabari Castle. It had a been a while since I had seen one, and until now the Shikoku castles I visited didn’t disappoint (Marugame, Matsuyama, Kochi). I left Imabari Castle though with mixed feelings. The main keep itself is a very stereotypical concrete replica; the interior is beyond bland and it houses a museum of all kinds of things, ranging from samurai armor to scrolls to a whole aisle dedicated to taxidermy. The absolute lack of English signage also didn’t help in creating an exciting experience. The only reason why you should pay to enter the main keep is to go directly up to the roof floor and enjoy views on Ehime’s mountain range and the many islands in the Seto Inland Sea.
However, I did like the layout and look of the castle as seen from outside. You can enter the premises for free, and even more rewarding is a simple walk around the moat.
View from within the walls.
Detail inside.
View from the upper floor.
Walking along the moat.
Our second stop was right after getting off the first bridge of the Shimanami Kaido. The Kirosan Park Observation Platform has an amazing view on the many bridges and islands around it. It’s really stunning and I’m pretty sure I could have stayed for quite a while… should it have been another day. As it was, it was a Sunday and a bus had just dropped off a load of loud tourists, spoiling the experience a little bit.
I will make sure that when I cross the Shimanami Kaido by bicycle, this park will be on my list as it is very much worth the gruesome effort - it’s a really steep climb – to get here.
One of the many bridges.
Counting islands.
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