Uchiko used to prosper thanks to the production of Japanese vegetable wax until the days of the Taisho period (1912-1926).The Yokaichi and Gokoku Quarter is now the Historic District Preservation Zone.On both sides of approx. 600 street, about 100 houses are traditional residences. Visitors to Uchiko from noisy cities will find themselves remembering with nostalgia how all of Japan used to be.
At JR Matsuyama Station
Kosho-ji Temple
The Yokaichi & Gokoku Historic Preservation Zone (where you walk therough the zone, exploring the shops along the way)
Shimo-haga Residence
Museum of Commerce & Domestic Life
Uchiko-za Theater
Uchiko Fresh Park of Karari (where you have lunch)
Tenjin Japanese Paper Factory ( wher you are expected to make paper yourself )
IKazaki Kite Museum
At JR Matsuyama Station
Uchiko is a small town located 40km southwest of Matsuyama, the prefectural capital. It used to prosper thanks to Japanese wax production. Visting this small town makes you understand how old Japan used to be. There are many traditional residences built in old days, still inhabited, and preserved as it were. People liviing there will welcome you.
Along the street in the Historic District Preservation Zone, there are many shops, which are unique and interesting to get in. Exploring such attractive shops must be fun.
This town has been also well-known for producing high quality Japanese paper. You can challenge to make paper yourself and bring your-own-made product back to your home as a token of good memory here.
Kite flying is a traditional Japanese activity. Here in Uchiko also, to be more exact, in Ikazaki, people are fond of showing off their handmade, favorite kites by flying them in the sky. Through the kites, you can get a glimpse into an aspect of Japanese culture.
Most of Uchiko is covered with forests. There is a world famous figure born in this town, who are Oe Kenzaburo, the Nobel Prize Winner in Literature in 1994. He was born in Uchiko in 1935 and the prize motivation is that he is the man who with poetic force creates an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today.
Anyway, Uchiko is a good place. You surely will feel as if time were passing slowly here. Visting this town makes you reflect on your past and give you a chance to think of the future in your life.
guide fee
guide travel expenses ( train expenses both from JR Matsuyama to JR Uchiko and from JR Uchiko to JR Matsuyama)
guide's lunch bill
travel expenses ( If you have Japan Rail Pass, there is no extra expenses for you. But if you haven't, train expenses both from JR Matsuyama to JR Uchiko and from JR Uchiko to JR Matsuyama. )
taxi fare in Uchiko
from JR Uchiko Station to Kosho-ji Temple : 700 yen / car
from Uchiko-za Theater to Fresh Park of Karari : 800 yen /car
from Fresh Park of Karari to Tenjin Japanese Paper Factory : 900 yen/ car
from Japanese Paper Factory to IKazaki Kite Museum : 600 yen /car
from Ikazaki Kite museum to JR Uchiko Station : 600 yen /car
entance fee and others ( a guide can pass free )
Kamihaga Residence : 500 yen / adult (250 yen /child)
Museum of Commerce & Domestic Life : 200 yen / adult ( 100 yen /child)
Uchiko-za Theater : 400 yen / adult (200 yen /child)
Tenjin Japanese Paper Factory : ( if you want to make paper here ) 500 yen /person
Ikazaki Kite Museum : 300 yen / adult ( 150 yen /child )
lunch bill
I can guide you at other areas in Shikoku, if you would burden my travel expenses. The expenses are, for example, 8,000 yen at Kochi.
Gathering time is set at 9:00 in the morning at the JR Matsuyama Station. You should be punctual. If you have Japan Rail Pass, you don't have to pay an extra charge to travel to Uchiko. But there is a procedure in the station for you to do.
The taxi car holds up to 4 passengers Including me, a guide. So when you are 3 members, all of us can get in a car. But when you are 4 to 7 members, you should need another car and have to take 2 cars in total.
We had a great guided tour given by Kaz in Matsuyama. He had a challenge of making the tour interesting for teenagers all the way up to a 79 year old!.. He met the challenge with great enthusiasm, and as a result we saw parts of Matsuyama that we would not have seen on our own, I believe not even some locals know what we experienced. Thanks Kaz!
Thank you for your message to me, Simon. I also had a good time with you and your family members. What you were interested in led to us to a local sake brewer, which began its operation 1bout 120 years ago, and to a cozy garden of the most prestigios inn hotel in Matsuyama with a history of about 400 years. These are the spots they don't visit in a usual tour. As you said, among local people there are few who are so aware of these as you are. I hope you will come to Japan again some day in the future. Finally, please send my regards to your family. Thank you very much again, Simon !
Kaz was very helpful, reliable, well informed and responsive. A pleasure to have as a personal guide in unknown territory.
Thank you very much, Bob. I think you could stay in Ehime at a good time becuase it was just around the autumn festival day in Matsuyama. I hope you will visit Shikoku again in the future.
We had an awesome time with Kaz. We were able to see quite a lot and Kaz was very informative about the places we visited. Highly recommend!
Thank you very much for your message, Chelsea. The tour was not a long one,a half-day tour, but I think you could experience good places in Kochi. Now a big typhoon is attacking Japan. It is lucky for you that you could avoid it. The T-shirt your mother gave me at the pier suits very well. Please send my best regards to her. I would like to say again, thank you very much for having a good time with me.