Ehime Prefecture has a warm climate with little rainfall and an unhurried, quiet mood. There are various cycling routes, including the internationally well-known Shimanami Kaido. The prefecture is growing in popularity as a tourist site where you can leisurely enjoy cycling.

This time, the editorial staff of “Sanma,” a Taiwanese magazine offering information on Japan, turns its attention to the city of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture and features incredible coffee shops and general stores you can visit by bicycle. Plus, if you want to spend even more time enjoying traveling, we introduce the healing island of Omishima, the “island of the gods” that is accessible by bus and ferry. Let’s imagine taking a laid-back cycling trip in Ehime.

Travel to the Mitsuhama area where a retro townscape remains!

The city of Matsuyama is known for Dogo Onsen, said to be the oldest hot spring in Japan. Dogo Onsen is located on the eastern side along the mountain as viewed from the urban area with JR Matsuyama Station at its center. However, if you travel in the opposite direction to the coast on the western side, you’ll find another area of interest.

That area is Mitsuhama where in recent years young people have opened a succession of shops and studios using buildings from yesteryear. The area prospered as a key shipping site in the Edo period (1603–1868) and still retains the old streetscape from that time, as well as Western-style buildings constructed later in the Meiji period (1868–1912).

As we cycle to that Mitsuhama area, on this trip we’ll stop off at incredible cafés and shops along the way. The starting point is a bicycle rental shop in Matsuyama where we borrow a bicycle that suits us, and we’re off.

rodan-caffe: A coffee shop serving only three varieties of select coffee beans

First, we head to rodan-caffe, a coffee shop on the southeastern side of Matsuyama City Station that makes an impression with its pure white exterior and large glass windows. Through the windows we can see the counter inside where the shop owner, Mr. Nishiguchi makes coffee with a practiced hand. He says he opened the coffee shop in 1991, but was unable to find the best coffee beans so he began roasting his own.

The shop only sells three varieties of coffee beans: French Blend, Soft Blend, and N Mix. The name, N Mix comes from the initial of a regular customer. Every day “N” buys a mix of the French Blend and Soft Blend comprised of a specified ratio. Intrigued, Mr. Nishiguchi drank that mix. He was surprised at the new great taste and turned it into a product.

rodan-caffe continues to be fastidious about coffee beans. Why not enjoy some relaxing moments in the coffee shop with the piano music of George Winston playing in the background?

Delight in matcha sweets blending Western and Japanese flavors at Café Zigen

We depart rodan-caffé and cycle north, passing beside Matsuyama Castle Park where The Museum of Art, Ehime is located. We want to try a chilled dessert at Café Zigen, a Japanese-style building with a modern touch. This café has an array of matcha sweets, such as a matcha parfait that satisfies in both quantity and taste, and matcha warabi mochi (bracken-starch dumplings) with a springy texture. Its menu is perfect for people who love matcha.

In addition to classic matcha items, we also recommend shaved ice topped with the café’s own syrup and rich cream cheese sauce. It’s served with rice-flour dumplings and homemade bean paste made from adzuki beans from Hokkaido, so you can enjoy a blend of Japanese and Western-style flavors. Why not soothe your fatigue during your cycling trip with the cool, sweet tastes of Zigen?

Take a little break in a sophisticated setting at Sorasito Coffee Shop

We cycle a further ten minutes from Café Zigen to arrive at Sorasito Coffee Shop that has a cute exterior with square windows lined up in a white wall. The aroma of coffee permeates the inside, which features warm wooden accents in an industrial interior. The atmosphere invites you to take some relaxing time out of your travels.

In addition to coffee drinks, the coffee shop has a full menu of non-caffeinated drinks such as homemade ginger ale, homemade honey and lemon soda, and mikan juice made with mandarin oranges from Ehime. Don’t forget to order the specialty, the roll cake! It has a light and fluffy texture that provides a perfect boost of energy while cycling.

Mitsuutsuwa shares the passion of ceramic artists

We cycle west for about 30 minutes from Sorasito Coffee Shop and at last come to the Mitsuhama area. There is a stone-paved shopping street in front of Mitsu Station, a cozy station on the Iyotetsu Railway Takahama Line. We bicycle further ahead and a shop created from a renovated rice shop, Mitsuutsuwa comes into view.

This shop has a collection of ceramics that artists from within and without Ehime Prefecture make. The simple, rustic space brings out the distinctiveness of each and every piece on display.

The pieces have a variety of characteristics. Some have smooth surfaces and others rough, while some have simple colors and others patterns. The shop owner, Ms. Okubo meets each artist face to face to choose what items to offer. Listen to Ms. Okubo talk about the artists and get a feel for the sentiment of each piece for yourself. You’re sure to find something you like.

Bake Cafe N’s Kitchen & labo sells homemade breads and baked sweets

Next, we’re off to Bake Cafe N’s Kitchen & labo, a shop that sells breads and baked sweets on the same Mitsuhama shopping street. Here, many tourists take pictures in front of the shop because it makes a great photo spot.

The “labo,” meaning laboratory, in the shop’s name refers to the owner’s desire to create new culinary delights through breads and baked sweets. Inside the shop is an assortment of delicious-looking breads conceived of by the owner, Ms. Koike. Popular offerings include the cinnamon roll and Taiwanese castella made of soft sponge cake with fluffy whip cream inside. Take one bite and you’re in heaven.

Old Hamada Clinic: A new photo spot in Mitsuhama

Old Hamada Clinic, built in 1912, is just a three-minute bicycle ride from the shopping street. The site is symbolic of the recent creativity in Mitsuhama. It was once an OB-GYN clinic that stood empty for many years, but after renovations took place in 2016 it gained new life with shops and studios in each room. You’ll delight not only in shopping, but also the old-fashioned exterior and rooms inside. Be sure to stop by.

Akaneirosha sells colorful glass accessories

We leave the area in front of Mitsu Station and cycle north for around 15 minutes. Akaneirosha is a shop located right in front of Takahama Port where the ferry departs for the Seto Inland Sea. It moved from inside the Old Hamada Clinic to its present location in 2019.

The owner, Ms. Watanabe is an artist who creates accessories from colorful glass materials. She says, “I want to make the most of the beauty of glass materials to create items that heighten the mood of the people who wear them.”

Inside the shop that doubles as a studio, there are glass accessories on display that appear different depending on the angle, including pierced earrings, clip earrings, and necklaces. Be sure to take each one in hand and search for one that suits you.

Extend your travel one more day and go to the healing island of Omishima

Finally, we offer a plan for those who want a little more excitement in addition to the route introduced above. We suggest a plan that gives a small taste of the feeling of cycling on a remote island on the world-famous cycling road, the Shimanami Kaido.

The Shimanami Kaido is a cycling road linking six islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea. Among them at the midpoint is Omishima, which is called the island of the gods. It’s a place where you can receive plenty of healing energy. It can easily be reached from JR Matsuyama Station by taking an approximately 30-minute ride on the Yosan Line limited express, then a bus ride from Imabari Station.

Cycling while viewing the beautiful blue of the Seto Inland Sea will undoubtedly make your trip in Ehime even more memorable. There are many more wonderful places to visit in addition to those introduced here, so be sure to go look for them on your own.

Eat your fill of the bounty of the Seto Inland Sea at Seafood Restaurant Tairyo

This restaurant has blue letters suggestive of waves spelling out “Tairyo” on white walls. The specialty, seafood atop rice is an excellent dish that lets you taste the rich blessings of the Seto Inland Sea in one bowl. This includes sashimi such as thickly sliced salmon and tuna, fresh salmon roe, and seasonal shellfish. It’s worth the trouble even if you have to wait in line. Lunchtime is crowded, so it’s probably best to go early in the morning and put your name on the waiting list before heading out to go cycling.

Seafood Restaurant Tairyo
Address: 5507-1 Omishima-cho Miyaura, Imabari, Ehime Prefecture
Hours: 11:30–14:30
Closed: Sundays

Visit Oyamazumi Shrine and a sacred 2,600-year-old tree

On land, Omishima has a rich expanse of mountain nature. Oyamazumi Shrine is the oldest shrine in Ehime prefecture, and camphor trees grow on the grounds. One of them is a 2,600-year-old sacred tree. Since the shrine venerates the gods of the sea, the mountains, and war, in the past many warriors from all over came to pray for victory in battle. The Treasure Hall built on the grounds preserves numerous national treasures and other important cultural properties, including armor and helmets worn by warriors. The tranquil atmosphere and aroma of camphor trees soothe the stress of daily urban life and give you the energy of Mother Nature.

Oyamazumi Shrine
Address: 3327 Omishima-cho Miyaura, Imabari, Ehime Prefecture
Hours: 8:30–17:00
Open year round

Shimanami Coffee: Revel in a sweeping view of the Seto Inland Sea with coffee in hand

Shimanami Coffee has a shop in Tatarashimanami Park, which is on the northeastern part of the island coast. The mobile café looks out on the picturesque sea, and its round-shaped food truck matches the landscape of sea and sky. You can’t help but want to snap a picture. In addition to coffee, we also recommend refreshing citrus drinks, such as freshly squeezed lemon juice, mikan juice, and yuzu squash.

We can see the islands in the distance between the peaceful waves as we look at the surroundings. It feels as if we could spend a whole, languid day just looking at the islands and the color of the sky changing from blue to orange, then a pale reddish purple. It’d be nice to bring a book and read, too. We get the feeling the tranquil Shimanami landscape can balance your body’s internal rhythm.

Shimanami Coffee
Address: 7590-1 Kamiura-cho Inokuchi, Imabari, Ehime Prefecture
Hours: 10:00–17:00
Closed: Mondays–Fridays
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/shimanamicoffee/