2025 Niihama Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in May)

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] A famous product representing the Shikoku route! Besshi Ame Honpo! (^^) The fourth-generation owner, Shinichi Ochi, came up with the idea to praise and publicize the Besshi Copper Mine, which was the foundation of the development of his hometown Niihama City, which continued for about 280 years from the 4th year of Genroku (1601) until it closed in March 1973. He thought that promoting Niihama City, the only industrial city in Shikoku, by praising it and spreading it to the world, would be a way to promote local products and attract tourists, so he gave the title of "Besshi" to the milk candy products. ^ ^ Therefore, from the early days, it was a local product called "Iyoji Besshi Ame", but today, with the opening of the Setouchi Shimanami Kaido, which connects the Honshu-Shikoku Bridges, it is a "Seto Inland Sea tourist souvenir" and a famous product representing the Shikoku route! [Location] 2-6-5, Go, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, 792-0886 #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Minetopia Besshi! Akagane Kids Park (^^)! Located on the 4th floor of the main building of the Minetopia Besshi end exit area, this is an indoor facility that is safe even on rainy days (^^) Let's play to our heart's content (^^) Large play equipment such as ball pools, air mats, and cyber wheels (^^) You can play to your heart's content with picture books, musical instruments, puzzles, and more for a time limit of 2 hours (^^) There are also children's restrooms and a nursing room with a lock (^^) Recommended as a place to go or play with your family or children (^^) #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Besshi Onsen ♨️Tenku no Yu♨️(^^)!!! The former "Healthy Land Besshi" reopened on April 15, 2016 as a tourist exchange facility (a complex of hot spring facilities and children's play facilities) (^^) The whole family can play and relax in the hot springs! There are jet baths, saunas, open-air baths (carbonated springs/oxygen springs), and more! (^^)!!! There is also a bedrock bath, but there is an additional charge (^^)!!! [Location] 707-3 Tachikawa-cho, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Nationally designated important cultural property! Hirose Memorial House 🏠 (^^) It was built in the Meiji era as the former residence of Hirose Saihei, who fostered modern industry in Japan and established the foundation of the Sumitomo Group (^^) It is a valuable building that incorporates Western culture throughout, and is a nationally designated important cultural property, and the garden is a nationally designated place of scenic beauty (^^) [Location] 2-10-42 Uehara, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture [Access] Bus stop Hirose Park / About 6 minutes walk from Setouchi Bus Bus stop Nakamura 4-chome / About 11 minutes walk from Setouchi Bus Bus stop Minami Taka Iriguchi / About 14 minutes walk from Setouchi Bus #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] The god who controls the source of the Kokuryo River! Ryuga Shrine ⛩️🐉 Ryuga Shrine enshrines Takaogami no Kami and Tatsukowake no Miko (^^) Takaogami is the so-called dragon god. The god who controls the source of the Kokuryo River (^^)!!! It seems that the name of Tatsukowake no Miko has a very deep connection to the name of the shrine and the place name Besshi. The shrine was founded very long ago, so the date is unknown! (^^)This area is called Tatsukawa, but since the names of Tatsukawa Bridge and Tatsukawa Shrine remain, it is thought that it was written as Tatsukawa or Tatsukawa in the past (^^) The shrine grove of Ryuga Shrine is a natural monument (^^) [Location] 496-1 Tatsukawa-cho, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] The Akagane Museum is a comprehensive cultural facility located in front of Niihama Station that opened in July 2015 (^^) "Akagane" means copper, and the building's exterior walls are covered with copper plates that match the curves! On the first floor, there is the "Taikodai Museum" which displays the real Taikodai, a specialty of Niihama, and the "Theater" where you can experience the realism of the Taiko Festival, as well as the "Niihama Gallery" which introduces the history, climate, and nature of Niihama, exhibition and creative spaces, studios, etc. In the basement, there is the multi-purpose hall "Akaganeza" which is used for cultural activities by citizens (^^) The second floor is the "Niihama City Museum of Art" with two exhibition rooms and a citizens' gallery, and special exhibitions are held several times a year! #0 yen travel

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Beautiful strolling garden! Jigenji Temple (^^) The garden of Jigenji Temple is a strolling garden with a teahouse and gazebo arranged around a pond ^ ^ In spring, the flowers of the carefully tended plants bloom all at once! In autumn, every year from mid-November to the end of the month, Jigenji Temple holds a fall foliage festival, where parishioners play the koto and flute, and serve matcha and amazake (^^) [Location] 2-16-47 Nishino Doi-cho, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture [Access] About 20 minutes on foot from the Niihama Station exit About 57 minutes on foot from the Nakahagi Station exit #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] A seaside restaurant that combines French and Italian cuisine♡ (^^) A restaurant that combines French and Italian cuisine using seasonal ingredients from Ehime Prefecture (^^)♡ The sea is right in front! The restaurant has a calm atmosphere where you can eat while looking at the sea, and can be used for a wide range of purposes, from casual lunches to small business meetings (^^) In addition, there is a wine sommelier on staff, so you can enjoy a wine that matches the dish (^^) [Restaurant name] Restaurant Loca [Location] 3-Otsu 324 Kakio, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture [Access] Bus stop Nishikusuzaki / About 26 minutes on foot from Setouchi Bus Bus stop Kakio Karahi / About 27 minutes on foot from Setouchi Bus Bus stop Kakio / About 27 minutes on foot from Setouchi Bus #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] "Ouchi Cafe Chill" with a retro atmosphere (^^) Open from 7:30am, so you can enjoy breakfast as well as lunch (^^) Inside the store, there are antique items that remind you of the days when it was a coffee shop, making you feel like you've gone back in time (^^) There are also collections of cameras and motorcycles on display, making it a truly irresistible space for retro lovers! (^^) Please be sure to go (^^)!!! [Location] 2-2-23 Ichinomiya-cho, Niihama City #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Popular bakery "Butte de Ange" The popular local bakery "Butte de Ange" is known for its fragrant bread, especially the breads made with fresh cream and bean paste (^^) There is a wide variety of breads, and you can enjoy the nostalgic taste of the old days! (^^) [Location] 2-3-18 Kubota-cho, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] A cafe that is very popular among students! Shukutorier (^^) It's close to Niihama Station (east of the Akagane Museum) and is popular with students from both inside and outside the city! (^^) Of course it's delicious! The prices are also student-friendly (^^) And the crepes and tapioca drinks are delicious (^^) The chewy crepe dough is also the best! (^^) Please go and check it out (^^) [Location] 2-10-53 Sakai-cho, Niihama City [Access] 5 minutes walk from Niihama Station #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime] Hydrangea Road with unique handmade works! (^^) Hydrangeas are a seasonal feature of the rainy season! (^^) "Hydrangea Road Yamada" in Yamada-cho, Niihama City! About 7,000 hydrangeas bloom over a distance of about 1 kilometer, attracting visitors! You can also see unique stuffed animals along with the hydrangeas (^^) [Location] 10-30 Yamada-cho, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture [Access] Bus stop Minamitaka Iriguchi/About 8 minutes walk from Setouchi Bus Bus stop Nakamura 4-chome/About 9 minutes walk from Setouchi Bus Bus stop Hirose Park/About 12 minutes walk from Setouchi Bus #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Large playground equipment! Feed the carp! Interact with animals! Since its opening in October 1956, this park has been a representative park in Niihama City, loved by many visitors, providing a place for citizens to have fun, interact with nature and animals, and providing a space and time to relax (^^) In order to further improve the appeal of this park, which has been loved for about 60 years since its opening, and to provide new services to park users, a renovation project has been carried out since 2019 (^^) #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Hachiman Shrine with a spacious site (^^) Spacious site (^^) Hachiman Shrine is a shrine that enshrined a branch of Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine, and has been deeply revered by the Kono family since the Genpei period (^^) Minamoto no Yoritomo ordered Betto Encho to pray for the pursuit of the Heike clan and donated a sacred sword! (^^) Also, during the autumn festival, many taiko floats gather (^^) Address 2-4-69 Hachiman, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture 792-0871 Access About 26 minutes on foot from the Takihama Station exit About 59 minutes on foot from the Niihama Station exit #0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] You can eat authentic udon in Ehime! Himi Udon! The owner trained in Kagawa Prefecture, the home of udon, to master the essence of Sanuki udon, and learned the traditional udon manufacturing method (^^) The soft but elastic noodles are the best (^^) The udon soup is based on dried sardines! It's very delicious (^^) Please go and check it out! [Location] 5-63-1 Go, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture [Access] About 17 minutes on foot from Niihama Station exit About 36 minutes on foot from Takihama Station exit #Spring 0 yen trip

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] The world's largest giant planetarium and life-sized dinosaurs are popular! Ehime Prefectural Science Museum (^^) A hands-on museum with three permanent exhibition rooms, the Nature Museum, the Science and Technology Museum, and the Industry Museum, as well as one of the world's largest (30m in diameter) giant planetariums (^^) Fun for all ages and genders! (^^) The most popular corner is the life-sized dinosaur robot in the Nature Museum on the 4th floor! (^^) It moves every 15 minutes (^^) There is 3D art, and there are also exhibits of dinosaur eggs and bones (^^) [Location] 2133-2 Ojoin, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture [Access] Bus stop Sakuragi / About 18 minutes on foot from Setouchi Bus Bus stop Yahatama-mae (Saijo City) / About 21 minutes on foot from Setouchi Bus Bus stop Uzuibashi / About 23 minutes on foot from Setouchi Bus [Parking] Available. Free! [Opening hours] 9:00-17:30 [Closed] Monday #Free hotel stay

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Minetopia Besshi, a mine theme park built on the former site of the Besshi Copper Mine! (^ ^) It is also a roadside station, attracting many tourists (^^) Within the large grounds, there is a day spa facility "Besshi Onsen - Tenku no Yu" and an indoor children's play facility "Akagane Kids Park", making it a tourist spot that can be enjoyed by three generations, from children to adults (^^)! In the main building, there is a shop and restaurant selling local specialties, as well as "Hadeba Station", a mine railway that is a restoration of a railway dedicated to mountain mines. You can also ride the mine tourist train and visit the tourist tunnels where the history of "Besshi Copper Mine" is reproduced with dioramas and videos (^^) There are also tourist facilities such as a gold dust pit! [Location] 707-3 Tachikawa-cho, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture [Access] The best way to get there is by car! Bus stop Minetopia Besshi / 2 min walk from Setouchi Bus Bus stop Hatadeba / 7 min walk from Setouchi Bus Bus stop Onsenguchi / 16 min walk from Setouchi Bus [Parking] Available. Free. #FreeHotelStay

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Bronze statue of Hirose Saihei, who established the foundation for the development of the Sumitomo Zaibatsu! (^^) Like the bronze statue of Kusunoki in front of the Imperial Palace, it was commissioned by Sumitomo and made by Takamura Koun of Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo University of the Arts), but it was donated during the war and only the pedestal remains (^^) After that, in 2003, the bronze statue of Hirose Saihei was restored. The wooden model of the bronze statue was kept at Tokyo University of the Arts, so four sisters, descendants of Hirose Saihei, provided funds and commissioned Tokyo University of the Arts to create it, which was completed and donated to Niihama City (^^) #0 yen trip January 2025

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] A charming park! Hirose Park (^^)!! A park centered around an artificial pond (Tameike) made for irrigation water (^^) Saihei Hirose, who created this pond, served as manager of Besshi Copper Mine during the turbulent period of the Meiji Restoration, and later became the first general director of the Sumitomo family (^^) Hirose Saihei's former home is located in Hirose Park, and after renovation work, the Hirose residence and the newly built memorial hall were opened to the public at the end of April 1997 as the Hirose Historical Memorial Museum (^ ^) [Location] 2-10-42 Uehara, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture 792-0046 #0 Yen Trip January 2025

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Follow the footsteps of a Meiji era business leader at the Hirose Saihei Memorial Museum! (^^) During the turbulent times of the late Edo and Meiji eras, Hirose Saihei protected the Besshi Copper Mine from government seizure and sale due to financial difficulties by Sumitomo, and promoted its modernization (^^) He also devoted himself to fostering our country's industry and contributed to the development of the nation! Through Saihei's footsteps, we trace the origins of Niihama and the history of modern Japanese industry. The memorial museum has many exhibits that trace Saihei's achievements through documents and videos from that time! (^^) #0 yen trip January 2025

🇯🇵【Ehime Prefecture】Here is the museum where you can meet moving dinosaurs🦕! 🦖 Impressive dinosaurs🦕🦖 They move every 15 minutes! There are various events and it's fun (^^) Dinosaur exercises are also held (^^) Let's all dance together! 【Location】 2133-2 Ojoin, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, 792-0060 【Opening hours】 9:00-17:30 (entry until 17:00) 【Closed】 Mondays (If the Monday falls on a national holiday or substitute holiday, the following day) *However, the museum is open on the first Monday of each month and closed the following Tuesday. New Year's holidays (December 29th to January 1st, 2024) *Open during spring and summer holidays #0 yen trip January 2025

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] The main shrine is the World Heritage Munakata Taisha! Munakata Shrine (^^) This shrine enshrines the "God of the Road: Munakata Three Goddesses" (^^) who will ensure safe passage by car and sea, master the arts of martial arts and calligraphy, and pave the way for business prosperity and improved living standards! In addition, the shrine enshrines Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the god of exorcism, and his descendant Okuninushi-no-Mikoto, the god of nation building and matchmaking ^ ^ [Location] 10-18 Yakumo-cho, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture #0 yen trip January 2025

🇯🇵【Ehime Prefecture】Let's visit Horie Shrine (^^)!!! Enshrining Oyamazumi-no-Okami, Takaokami-no-Kami, Oikazuchi-no-Kami, Shinatsuhiko-no-Kami, and Lord Kono Michitaka (^^) Kono Michitaka, lord of Horie Hanamiyama Castle in Wake County, moved to Shinsuka in October 1560 (Eiroku 3) and built a mansion there, developed a coastal island, reclaimed the marshland, and called the land Horie Village. He chose Miyabe as the sacred site and enshrined Oyamazumi-no-Okami and two other gods from Omishima, calling it Horie Mishima Okami, which was the beginning of this shrine! (^^) [Location] 3-4-5 Shinsukacho, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture [Access] Bus stop: Kyūjō-mae (Niihama City) / 2 minutes walk from Setouchi Bus Bus stop: Motozuka-higashi / 6 minutes walk from Setouchi Bus Bus stop: Wakamizu / 8 minutes walk from Setouchi Bus #0 Yen Trip January 2025

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] Marine Park! Park 🛝 Hiuchi Fureai Hiroba (^^) Hiuchi Fureai Hiroba in Marine Park (^^) There are playground equipment with a sea motif!! (^^) There are fun playground equipment such as swings and slides! There is a lawn so everyone from children to the elderly can relax (^ ^) It is a spacious park so many people come to use it on weekends (^^) Please go and check it out (^^) [Location] 3-324 Kakio, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture 792-0872 #0 yen trip January 2025

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] A vast park! The long slide 🛝 is popular! (^^) This park is located in an industrial park in the eastern part of Niihama City, and is in an environment with a lot of nature remaining behind the 50m-high Mt. Kuroshima! (^^) Mt. Kuroshima stands tall at 50m above sea level, and the observation deck is a popular spot where you can get a panoramic view of the nearby Seto Inland Sea! The observation deck is located on a small hill facing Hiuchi Nada, and is shaped like the drum stand used in the Niihama Festival. The campsite offers a view of the islands of the Seto Inland Sea. There is a grass tent site in the park with a beautiful view of the sea, and the park also has playgrounds and playgrounds such as field athletics and roller slides. It is a scenic park where you can enjoy fishing and work up a sweat playing sports. It is a campsite that is crowded with many people, including groups and families. #0yentravelJanuary2025

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] A park with a huge slide 🛝 (^^) It's a modern park (^^) It has a natural grass plaza, a complex playground, toilets and a parking lot (^^)!!! The colorful playground equipment is very popular with children! And the huge slide is the highlight (^ ^)!!! The park is spacious and has good visibility, so you can enjoy the sea breeze blowing in from the Seto Inland Sea! The gazebo where you can sit comfortably is a nice point for moms and dads too (^^) Please go and check it out (^^)!!!!!!!!!!!! #0yentravelJanuary2025

The park was developed as an urban planning park by expanding the area to include the Children's Square and the surrounding city land (^^) The sign at Shinsuka Park has a doll sitting and smiling to welcome you, and part of the ground is paved with white and brown tiles, making it a cute park overall! (^^) The area with the playground equipment and the spacious open space are separated by trees!!! (^^) The playground equipment includes swings, a combination playground with three slides, and a horizontal bar, creating a wide space where you can have fun (^ ^) #0 Yen Travel January 2025

🇯🇵 [Ehime Prefecture] A spacious, free park! 🛝 Shingo Park! (^^) It's great to see colorful combination playground equipment and a full range of playground equipment for different ages (^^)!! ! ...