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  Tobe Thrust Fault

  Our cycling journey begins in Tobe Town in Ehime’s Chuyo Region. In this area, which sits on the Median Tectonic Line, a fault traversing the Japanese Archipelago, you can view the Tobe Thrust Fault where crustal movement has pushed old strata up and over new strata. Estimated to have occurred 12–14 million years ago due to crustal movement, this reverse fault type of geological formation is unusual even in Japan. Also known for cherry blossoms in spring and autumnal leaves in fall, this area attracts many visitors from both within the prefecture and beyond.
  

  Address：450 Iwayaguchi, Iyo-gun Tobe-cho, Ehime Prefecture 791-2141 (Tsukiage Danso Park) View in Google Maps

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  0.9km

  Toban no Michi

  Tobeyaki, officially designated a Traditional Craft of Japan in 1976, is a type of pottery that dates back around 240 years and is known for its distinctive cobalt blue underglaze on white porcelain. The ceramic tile road is a 500 m long street that offers visitors the opportunity to feast their eyes on Tobe ware. The wall running along the road shoulder is decorated with around 580 tiles painted by local potters, as well as items of Tobe ware that date back as far as the 17th century, and even information boards made out of Tobe ware.

  Address：874 Ominami, Iyo-gun Tobe-cho, Ehime Prefecture 791-2132 View in Google Maps

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  1.4km

  Tobeyaki Heritage Center

  The Tobeyaki Heritage Center constitutes a valuable opportunity to learn about the history of Tobeyaki, or Tobe ware. The first floor houses a permanent exhibition featuring historical materials on Tobe ware and details the production process, as well as a retail corner selling Tobe ware made at around 80 different pottery studios. On the second floor you can enjoy special exhibitions related to this type of pottery. You will also find a giant globe made of Tobe ware that is the symbol of this facility. Standing 160 cm tall and weighing 300 kg, it is the twin of one presented to the United Nations Headquarters. We hope you’ll stop by and appreciate it in person. This facility also operates a bicycle rental service, with five bikes available for rental.

  Address：335 Ominami, Iyo-gun Tobe-cho, Ehime Prefecture 799-2132 View in Google Maps

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  2.5km

  Tobeyaki Gallery Shion

  This Tobe ware specialty store is located around 10-minutes’ ride from the Tobeyaki Heritage Center by bicycle. Their concept is “tableware for everyday use,” and you’ll find a variety of different styles of Tobe ware in one place—from Japanese-style arabesque decoration and other traditional patterns, to modern designs use white porcelain to advantage. How about purchasing one for your own use or as a souvenir for a friend who loves pottery?

  Address：885-13 Gohonmatsu, Iyo-gun Tobe-cho, Ehime Prefecture 791-2133 View in Google Maps

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  5.6km

  Minami Dogo Onsen Teiregi no Yu

  This hot spring facility has a combined total of 12 different types of baths for men and women. In addition to a wide variety of baths including the Ogon-no-yu with glistening gold-tinted water, and the promenade bath to be enjoyed while walking, this facility also boasts a range of other options including a reading/relaxation space complete with bookshelves filled with manga comics and magazines, and private women-only cubicles, making this a place you can enjoy on your own or with a group. There are also esthetic equipment and massage chairs available for use. This is the perfect spot for resting when you’re tired from cycling.

  Address：853 Nakano-machi-ko, Matsuyama-shi, Ehime Prefecture 791-1121 View in Google Maps

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  28.4km

  Nakayama Roadside Station (Home of Craft)

  Nakayama Town in Ehime’s central Chuyo Region is famous for growing chestnuts. At the Nakayama Roadside Station (Home of Craft), they sell vegetables delivered fresh from the farm, and also additive-free ice cream made in-house. The marron ice cream made from the region’s famous chestnuts is the most popular item on the menu. Why not reward yourself with something sweet mid-ride?

  Address：271 Nakayama-cho Nakayama-ne, Iyo-shi, Ehime Prefecture 791-3206 View in Google Maps

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  45.4km

  Moribun Asahi Hall

  If you depart from the Home of Craft and cycle toward Seiyo on National Route 56, you’ll come to Uchiko Town, a place steeped in history. Sitting amidst the rows of townhouses built during the latter half of the 19th century onward, the Moribun Asahi Hall is sure to catch your eye. At the very top of the building is a hexagonal taiko drum tower (a structure fitted with a bell or other method of ringing the hours) giving it a unique charm. Originally a movie theater, it is now closed and the building is used as an event space for holding screening parties and recitals. Events are held irregularly, but it’s worth making a visit just to take a look at the unique architecture.

  Address：2307 Uchiko, Kita-gun Uchiko-cho, Ehime Prefecture 791-3301 View in Google Maps

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  45.6km

  Yokaichi and Gokoku Streetscapes

  Welcome to Ehime’s Uchiko Town in Kita-gun, a place that prospered from the latter half of the 19th century to the early 20th century thanks to production of mokuro—wax made from berries from the sumac tree—that was used to make Japanese candles and other products. In the streets of the Yokaichi and Gokoku district we can still clearly trace the remnants of this history in the façades of the merchant houses, storehouses, townhouses and other buildings lining the streets. Indeed on the walls and roofs of some of the merchant houses facing onto the street, you can find a wide array of different ornamentation by the artisans who built the houses.
  

  Address：Uchiko, Kita-gun Uchiko-cho, Ehime Prefecture View in Google Maps

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  46.2km

  Uchiko-za Theater

  The Uchiko-za Theater is a playhouse with a long history dating back to its construction in 1916. These days it is used for a variety of arts and cultural activities that include everything from traditional Japanese entertainment, such as classical kabuki plays and bunraku puppet theater, to international film festivals. If there are no events scheduled, you can tour the theater interior and backstage area, checking out places that can’t be seen during performances, including the hanamichi (literally flower path), a long narrow path that lets actors walk from the stage toward the audience, and masuseki the traditional Japanese ‘box seats,’ partitioned off by wooden framework.

  Address：210 Uchiko, Kita-gun Uchiko-cho, Ehime Prefecture 791-3301 View in Google Maps

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  46.3km

  Rinsuke

  Rinsuke is a restaurant adjoining Uo-rin, a ryotei, or high-class Japanese restaurant, with a 120-year history. Rinsuke was created in response to customer’s requests for a place they could eat a low-key lunch with the flavor of a ryotei. Here you’ll want to try their specialty, tai-meshi. Generally, tai-meshi refers to a dish where sea bream (the tai in tai-meshi) is cooked in with the rice, along with stock and seasonings, but in Ehime’s Nanyo Region, its normal to eat sea bream as sashimi marinated with soy sauce and served on warm rice together with raw egg yolk. When the bowl is placed in front of you, it’s customary to give the dish a quick mix with your chopsticks—the sea bream’s umami melds with the egg yolk in an irresistible combination.
  

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  47.3km

  Karari Farmers’ Market & Restaurant

  Karari Farmers’ Market & Restaurant is a commercial complex and roadside station that combines restaurants and rest facilities. In recent years, there has been an increase in places known as foodie destinations where visitors can find delicious local ingredients. At Karari Farmers’ Market & Restaurant there are a variety of different retail areas including a famers’ market stocked with vegetables picked fresh that morning and a store selling ice cream made with fruit grown in Ehime. Amongst all of these options, one thing you must try is the Karari original sausage made by the Karari Smokehouse. These sausages are a gem of a delicacy made with local pork and fresh herbs by an artisan sausage maker who learned his craft in Germany, the home of sausage.

  Address：2452 Uchiko, Kita-gun Uchiko-cho, Ehime Prefecture 791-3301 View in Google Maps

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  55.7km

  Ose Naruya District Townscape

  This district is characterized by streetscapes that ooze history as they wind a narrow path through long mountain valleys. From the 19th century, these villages developed as part of a distribution route with neighboring villages, and hints of this history remain. In this area you’ll find Ose no Yakata, a facility that combines a museum, an inn, and a lounge area that functions as a social space. On the first floor you can check out an exhibition on Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe who was born in this area. Every Sunday they provide coffee and tea in the lounge, and we recommend you to stop by and take a look.

  Address：Ose-chuo, Kita-gun Uchiko-cho, Ehime Prefecture View in Google Maps

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  70.4km

  Hirota Kyo no Yakata Roadside Station

  From the Uchiko area, ride approximately 10 km along National Route 379 in the direction of Tobe Town until you come to a large wooden tower that acts as a signpost for the Hirota Kyo no Yakata Roadside Station. This is the place to find local specialties, such as shiitake mushrooms and a Chinese Yam variety known as jinenjo, that reflect Tobe Town’s rich natural environment nestled amidst the mountains. Lining the shelves of the indoor farmers’ market space are fresh vegetables grown in highland areas, fruit, locally produced honey, and home-made tofu. Ask the staff for recommendations as you enjoy a leisurely shop.

  Address：162-1 Sozu, Iyo-gun Tobe-cho, Ehime Prefecture 791-2205 View in Google Maps

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  Goal

  Tobe Thrust Fault

  If you leave the Hirota Kyo no Yakata Roadside Station and ride along National Route 379, you’ll find yourself at the goal point, the Tobe Thrust Fault where the course began. We recommend taking a stroll around the water park known as Tsukiage Danso Park which covers an area of approximately 200 m around the Tobe Thrust Fault. The park contains added attractions such as a suspension bridge and a rest area covered with a wisteria trellis. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Tobe ware tiles embedded in the promenade.

  Address：450 Iwayaguchi, Iyo-gun Tobe-cho, Ehime Prefecture View in Google Maps

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