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matsuyama: general info
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MATSUYAMA
Calling Code: +81 (089)
Matsuyama (松山), meaning "pine mountain", is the homely capital of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan. Founded on December 15, 1889, this city of 515,000 is located in the Matsuyama Plain, a river basin formed by the flow of the Ishite and Shigenobu rivers, and nestled by the Ishizuchi mountain range to the south and Takanawa Mountains to the north. Home to exquisite citrus products, the climate is overall mild and temperate (avg. temp 15 Celsius), somewhat balmy in summer, with most rainfall occurring in late spring and almost no snow in winter.
Quite provincial yet hospitable to travelers, and a hub of business and shopping amongst the lazy calm of the countryside, Matsuyama has much to offer in the way of literary and curious cultural assets.
Matsuyama is perhaps best known for Dōgo Onsen (道後温泉), which attracts hot spring enthusiasts and newcomers alike to its steamy waters that emerge from faults in the east-west tectonic line. This public bathhouse is thought to be the oldest in Japan, a claim reinforced by its mention in the second oldest book of Japanese history, Nihon Shoki (720 AD). For literary buffs, renowned novelist Natsume Sōseki (夏目漱石), whose visage graced the 1,000 yen note, wrote his classic novel Botchan while living and working there as a teacher, thus putting Matsuyama on the map. Although the area does not come off well in the Edo-phile's description, the town nevertheless celebrates the connection with a variety of events and displays. Masaoka Shiki (正岡子規), Natsume’s friend and mentor, was not only a native of Matsuyama, but is one of the four great masters of haiku. He single-handedly revolutionized Japanese poetry by revitalizing the old form and modernizing the themes, thus making the short verse once again relevant to modern Japanese culture.
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