Welcome to Ehime Prefecture’s Imabari City. Located in Shikoku on the far side of the famed Shimanami Kaido — a series of bridges that connects Shikoku with Japan’s main island of Honshu — this important shipbuilding town is the second-largest city in all of Ehime. Renowned nowadays for its high-quality towels, Imabari will, for most, be the endpoint of their journey across the Seto Inland Sea via the Shimanami Kaido. That said, there are a number of standalone allures in the area that are worth seeing.
In terms of history and culture, what is now Imabari City has long been an incredibly important strategic point for the control of the Seto Inland Sea. It was formerly controlled by the Murakami Suigun, a maritime clan that can be thought of as the “pirates” of the Seto Inland Sea during Japan’s century-long, bloody civil war. Thereafter, Imabari went on to be built up as a bustling castle town centered around the stronghold of Imabari Castle during the reign of the Tokugawa shoguns.
Thereafter, Imabari grew to become the biggest nexus of shipbuilding and maritime servicing facilities in all of Japan. In addition to its textile industry — which is responsible for upwards of 60% of all towel production in Japan — this ability to deliver superb seafaring vessels with incredible speed constitutes Imabari’s claim to fame. While not a must-visit per se, it’s worth spending a few hours exploring the city before hopping on a train after completing the Shimanami Kaido.
How to Get There
There are a number of different ways that one can get to Imabari City. For most overseas tourists visiting Japan though, you’ll be coming here to this seaside port via the Shimanami Kaido on bikes from Onomichi City over in Hiroshima Prefecture. That said, it’s not the only means of reaching Imabari. In fact, you’re really spoiled for choice when it comes to non-cycling ways of reaching Imabari, and it all comes down to where you’re coming from at the end of the day.
For those of you who are approaching Imabari from Tokyo or Osaka and want to take the train down, know that you’ll first want to go to Okayama Station. From there, you can catch one of the Shiokaze Limited Express trains that run all the way down to Matsuyama Station. All in all, this journey to Imabari Station should take you just a little over two hours, but as always, refer to a service like Jorudan to calculate departure times. Note that you can also come up from Matsuyama via this train too.
In addition to the Shiokaze from Okayama, there are also a number of highway buses that hail from over in Hiroshima Prefecture. The advantage of these is that you can get off at a number of stops along the Shimanami Kaido en route to Imabari. We’ll cover some reasons why you might want to do this in the “Other Nearby Attractions” section at the end of this article. For now though, just make a mental note that buses are also an option when traveling to this ship-building city.
Crossing the Seto Inland Sea
For most foreign visitors planning to Japan, Imabari City will only be a place that you come to when cycling the Shimanami Kaido. While it is indeed a great place to stop by when exploring the northwest part of Shikoku, there are better options that are more accessible. So, unlike many of the other articles that I’ve authored on this blog, I am going to go out on a limb and say that unless you are coming over the Shimanami Kaido via bike, your time in Japan is better spent elsewhere.
I won’t cover the details of cycling the Shimanami Kaido here. If you head on over to Google, you’re bound to discover a number of already-created guides on how to do the famous ride. What I will say though is that you should go from Onomichi to Imabari and not the other way around. The cycling infrastructure over there is a lot more built up. Likewise, the logistics of coming back from Imabari City or continuing on to other parts of Shikoku are better.
The only exceptions to the aforementioned suggestion of skipping Imabari would be those of you with rental cars who are just driving over the Shimanami Kaido. Likewise, if any of you are doing Shikoku’s legendary Ohenro pilgrimage, know that you will need to make the rounds to a couple of temples which fall within the Imabari City limits. Simply put, though Imabari features a number of points of interest, it doesn’t compare with other areas as a standalone destination.
Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge
So, what actually is on offer in Imabari City? Well, a fair bit. In addition to its famous towel making, Imabari also has a number of easily accessible attractions, especially if you’re cycling over. To begin with, we have Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge. Connecting the island of Oshima with the main part of Shikoku, this 4,015-meter-long suspension bridge was installed in 1999 and is comprised of six towers and four anchorages. Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge is essentially the last bit of the Shimanami Kaido before Imabari.
As impressive as this display of modern engineering is, it’s hard to really appreciate the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge when you’re crossing it. Instead, the structure — which is officially the longest suspension bridge in the world — is best observed from the top of Mt. Kiro at the southernmost point of Oshima. Home to the Mt. Kiro Observatory Park, this site is considered to be one of the best vistas in Shikoku, often affording spectacular views of ships passing through the Kurushima Strait and the islands below.
Getting to the top of Mt. Kiro from the base of the mountain is no easy task, especially if you’re one of the poor souls trying to do it on a bicycle. If you do manage to make it up though, you’ll be greeted with a sleek steel observation deck that was designed by none other than Pritzker Architecture Prize-winner Kengo Kuma. It was crafted to blend in seamlessly with the surrounding flora, to preserve and maintain the natural beauty of the site.
For the poor schleps who have to bike up to the Mt. Kiro Observatory Park, the locals sell salted ice cream. This helps provide a quick and much-needed source of glucose while also replenishing lost electrolytes on the ride up. Unfortunately, the road to the summit of Mt. Kiro is dotted with signs that taunt you with this tasty treat while also reminding you of how many more kilometers you have left to go — something that is more demotivating than anything else.
All things considered though, if you’re in the area, you’d be silly to skip out on Mt. Kiro. Not only will you be able to get some exceptional views of the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, it’s also something of a rite of passage. Just try not to be too jealous of the people exploring the Shimanami Kaido via a rental car if you make the attempt on a self-powered set of two wheels…
Around Imabari Station
Within short walking distance of Imabari Station, there are a few points of interest that are worth checking out after the Shimanami Kaido. Chief among these is Imabari Castle. Located in the center of the city, this samurai stronghold faces the Seto Inland Sea, which forms a key part of its defenses. In fact, the very moat of Imabari Castle is made up of seawater. Thus, along with Takamatsu Castle in Kagawa Prefecture and Nakatsu Castle, it’s considered one of the three Mizujiro, or “Sea Castles.”
Sadly, the original Imabari Castle was dismantled at the end of the Edo period (1603–1868) and the current structure is a ferro-concrete reconstruction. Still, as can be seen in the image above, it’s a beautiful sight to behold and definitely worth budgeting an extra hour to explore. The interior of the main keep houses a museum that chronicles Imabari’s history as a port town along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea.
While you’re in town, you’ll definitely want to try some Imabari’s meibutsu — yakibuta tamago meshi. This concoction is a dish that consists of seasoned pork with lightly fried eggs over rice, with a sweet, peppery sauce. There are a number of places where you can have this in town but a popular favorite is Shigematsu Hanten. It’s on the opposite side of Imabari Station than the castle so, if you’re coming from the Shimanami Kaido, you’ll want to get some local grub first.
Sadly, many of the temples that are part of the eighty eight Buddhist sanctums on the Shikoku Henro pilgrimage are upwards of an hour walk from the center of the city. In fact, only Nankobo-ji, the 55th temple is easy enough to hoof it to. Though you could make it out to the 54th, and 56th temples via a local bus, those of you with with bicycles would do better to ride their way out there if you want to get in a little bit of the Shikoku Ohenro while in Imabari.
If you’ve got some extra time to kill and want to see one of the things that Imabari is most well known for in Japan, consider checking out the Towel Museum Ichihiro. As odd as that may sound, this quirky spot is dedicated to celebrating Imabari’s claim to fame. Inside, you’ll find everything from massive towel-based art installations to exhibits on the town’s textile industry. It’s a bit offbeat, but totally on-brand for a city that takes towels this seriously.
Finally, know that this is a killer public bathhouse only a few minutes away from the station. Known as Shimanami Hot Spring Kisuke-no-Yu, this is the perfect place to go and cleanse yourself of sweat after completing the 60 kilometer ride over from Onomichi. It’s only a few minutes from the station too, making it a great place to kill some time while waiting for the next Shiokaze limited express train to pull into the station.
Other Nearby Attractions
OK… let’s get to talking about some areas that combine well with Imabari. For starters, know that you can easily take the Shiokaze Limited Express down to Matsuyama Station in Matsuyama. Here, you can visit the venerable Matsuyama Castle, which is home to one of the twelve surviving original keeps. Nearby, there is also the hot spring enclave of Dogo Onsen, where you’ll find Dogo Onsen Honkan — a bathhouse that was supposedly the inspiration for the one in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away.
Back up by Imabari, you’ll find a number of attractions that are connected to the Murakami Suigun, that mercenary group of “pirates” that controlled the Seto Inland Sea during Japan’s century of civil war in the 1500s. Definitely a topic deserving its own standalone piece, the Murakami Suigun are a fascinating part of Japanese history that almost no one from overseas is even aware of. Masters of the tides of the Seto Inland Sea, this clan was the top dog in town until Japan’s eventual reunification.
Though there are a ton of locations across the isles of the Seto Inland Sea, the best spot for visitors to Imabari is the Murakami Kaizoku Museum. Found within the city confines on the island of Oshima, this facility is swimming with Murakami Suigun artifacts and lore. There is also a stellar place to have lunch right outside, so if you’re taking the Shimanami Kaido slow like I always suggest and not racing to Imabari, you’ll definitely want to drop by the Murakami Kaizoku Museum.
Lastly, if you happen to be visiting during late July, why not come experience the Murakami Suigun Boat Race — an exciting waterside event on Oshima where more than 60 teams from inside and outside the Ehime compete to see who is the fastest. The race is held right outside of the Murakami Kaizoku Museum, honors these former sea lords and their intimate familiarity with the swirling currents, and is a great way to relive history.
Until next time travelers…
