Ehime愛媛県

Towering cliffs, rapids, and waterfalls created by nature. Visit Uwajima to see the magnificent Uwajima bullfights.

Ehime Prefecture is situated in the northwestern part of Shikoku, and has a long coastline that stretches for about 1,300 kilometers. In the eastern part of the prefecture is the Ishizuchi Mountain Range with Mt. Ishizuchi-san as the principal peak. In the north is the Takanawa-hanto Peninsula, and in the west is the Sada-misaki-hanto Peninsula, which is narrow and long and stretches from east to west.

Ehime Prefecture is a treasure box of dynamic nature: Seto Inland Sea National Park with islands of various sizes on the moderate inland sea, Omogo-kei Gorge (which reveals its beauty with towering cliffs, strange-looking rocks, and abysses), and Mt. Ishizuchi-yama (western Japan's highest peak, with a magnificent view of its sword-like peak soaring up into the sky). Also, there are quite a number of tourist spots you must visit. They include various cultural heritage sites such as Ishite-ji Temple (an important cultural asset that includes a national treasure), the Nio-mon Gate (the Deva Gate), and historical sites such as Matsuyama Castle and Uwajima Castle. Also, there is the Dogo-onsen Hot Spring resort, where the main building of the Dogo-onsen Hot Spring, a castle-like wooden, three-story building (and the first public bath designated as an important cultural asset), is located.

On Uwajima Island facing the Sea of Uwa and surrounded on three sides by 1,000-meter-high mountains, you can see the Uwajima bullfights, which attract many visitors. The sight of huge bulls fighting each other in a 20-meter-diameter ring at the Uwajima Bullfight Dome is indeed magnificent.