Ehime in four days: return trips to Uchiko/Ozu or one Ozu night?
Stay three nights in Matsuyama for separate day trips without moving accommodation. For one Ozu night, spend two in Matsuyama then move via Uchiko. The Ozu-stay course visits its castle on the final day before returning to Matsuyama.
Choose a 3 nights, 4 days itinerary
Separate return trips to Uchiko and Ozu
Spend three nights in Okaido to visit both towns without changing accommodation. Make separate day trips to Uchiko’s old streets and Ozu Castle, using return trains from JR Matsuyama on both days.
Separate return trips to Uchiko and Ozu →3 nights, 4 daysVia Uchiko for one night in Ozu
Choose two nights in Matsuyama and one in Ozu to rest there after the castle and hot spring. Move via Uchiko on day 3, then visit Ozu Castle and return to Matsuyama on the final day. Choose the Uchiko stop only if you can walk with light luggage.
Via Uchiko for one night in Ozu →Separate return trips to Uchiko and Ozu
Spend three nights in Okaido to visit both towns without changing accommodation. Make separate day trips to Uchiko’s old streets and Ozu Castle, using return trains from JR Matsuyama on both days.
Day 1: visit Matsuyama Castle from Okaido
Spend three nights in Matsuyama, with a separate day trip to each of Uchiko and Ozu. Use return trains from JR Matsuyama on both days.
- Matsuyama Airport or JR Matsuyama Station → Okaido stop
From JR Matsuyama-Ekimae, take city tram 5 towards Dogo Onsen and alight at Okaido. From the airport, check that a limousine you can catch after arrival stops at Okaido. Not every airport bus reaches this stop. Initial arrival transport is excluded from the sightseeing subtotal.
City tram timetableAirport limousine routes, fares and 1–24 October 2026 timetableAccess to the lower station
- Okaido stop → Shinonomeguchi ropeway lower station
Walk from Okaido tram stop to Shinonomeguchi ropeway’s lower station. The official walk is about 5 minutes.
- Shinonomeguchi ropeway lower station → Upper station and keep ticket office
Buy an adult JPY 520 return ticket at the lower station and take the ropeway. From the upper station, walk through Honmaru to the keep ticket office. The operator’s approximately 30-minute route from the lower station’s first floor to that office excludes touring the keep interior.
- Keep ticket office → Matsuyama Castle keep
Adult keep admission is JPY 520, separate from the return ropeway ticket. Usual hours are 09:00–17:00, with entry ending 30 minutes before closing. August and December–January hours differ; check your date’s deadline before entering.
- Matsuyama Castle keep → Ropeway lower station and Okaido shopping street
After visiting, return to the upper boarding point and take the ropeway down. Walk from the lower station towards Okaido for food or a rest.
Keep admission and a return ropeway ride have separate fees. Walking only around Honmaru does not require keep admission. Moving this visit to day 2 requires rescheduling its existing visits, transport and admission deadlines.
Day 2: walk Uchiko’s old streets and return to Matsuyama
After breakfast at your accommodation, take city tram 5 from Okaido towards JR Matsuyama-Ekimae.
- Okaido accommodation → JR Uchiko Station
Take tram 5 from Okaido towards JR Matsuyama-Ekimae, walk into JR and change to a train stopping at Uchiko. Matsuyama-shi is not a JR station. Check arrival and return services for your date. The accommodation walk, tram transfer, JR ticket purchase and platform access are outside the train time. Choosing a limited express adds a non-reserved supplement to the basic ticket.
City tram timetableApril 2026 fare table, page 2Uchiko tourism-association visiting guideFare tableMatsuyama StationUchiko StationIyo-Ozu Station
- JR Uchiko Station → Uchiko’s old streets
Tourism-association guidance gives about 1 km/15 minutes from Uchiko Station to the old streets’ southern entrance. Explore buildings and lanes, then have lunch. It suggests 1–2 hours for streets and Uchiko-za surroundings, or about 3 with food/a café. Uchiko-za’s main interior is closed for works and excluded. Check opening days, fees and your return train before adding a preserved-house visit.
Uchiko tourism-association visiting guideTourism-association closure guidanceUchiko Town dressing-room access guidance
- Uchiko’s old streets → Okaido accommodation
Walk back from the streets’ southern entrance to Uchiko Station and choose a Matsuyama-bound train for your date. Set lunch’s finish time to leave 15 minutes for the walk plus boarding margin. Check the train’s Matsuyama arrival on the same date. Alight at JR Matsuyama and walk to the tram stop. Take tram 5 towards Dogo Onsen, alight at Okaido and return to your accommodation. Plan dinner nearby.
City tram timetableApril 2026 fare table, page 2Uchiko tourism-association visiting guide
Day 3: walk from Iyo-Ozu to Ozu Castle
Take tram 5 from Okaido to JR Matsuyama-Ekimae, as on the previous day.
- Okaido accommodation → JR Iyo-Ozu Station
Take tram 5 from Okaido towards JR Matsuyama-Ekimae and walk into JR. Choose a limited express stopping at Iyo-Ozu via Uchiko. Trains via Iyo-Nagahama can also reach Iyo-Ozu, but the fare example below is for a non-reserved limited express via Uchiko. Even for an Uwajima-bound train, check its Iyo-Ozu stop on your date. The JR fare table gives JPY 1,840 per adult single: basic fare 1,080 + non-reserved supplement 760.
Uchiko tourism-association visiting guideFare tableMatsuyama StationUchiko StationIyo-Ozu Station
- JR Iyo-Ozu Station → Ozu Castle
The official walk from Iyo-Ozu to Ozu Castle is about 30 minutes. Follow the operator’s old Ozu Kaido route through Tokiwamachi shopping street and across the Hijikawa. Allow walking and ticketing time. The castle runs 09:00–17:00, ticket sales until 16:30; adult admission JPY 550. Afterwards, eat at an open restaurant or walk briefly by the river, returning to Iyo-Ozu for your train. A circular bus requires separate checks of your date’s frequency and fares; the default costs assume walking between station and castle.
- Ozu Castle → Okaido accommodation
Choose a Matsuyama-bound train at Iyo-Ozu. After the castle and lunch, allow the 30-minute station walk plus boarding margin. If running late, check the next Matsuyama service. At JR Matsuyama, take tram 5 towards Dogo Onsen and return to your Okaido accommodation.
City tram timetableApril 2026 fare table, page 2Uchiko tourism-association visiting guideIyo-Ozu StationUchiko Station
Day 4: bathe at Dogo Onsen before departure
- Okaido accommodation → Dogo Onsen Honkan
Take tram 3 from Okaido towards Dogo Onsen, alight at the terminus and walk along Haikara-dori to Honkan. Choose the JPY 700 adult Kami-no-Yu bath-only option: 06:00–23:00, reception until 22:30, 60-minute use, without advance reservations. Other options cost differently.
Bath options, prices and reservation rulesCity tram timetableApril 2026 fare table, page 2Official Dogo Onsen Station, arcade and Honkan walking map
- Dogo Onsen Honkan → Okaido stop
After bathing, return to Dogo Onsen Station and take tram 3 towards Matsuyama-shi, alighting at Okaido. Eat or rest in the shopping street; select the airport or JR departure route below. For a morning departure, move bathing to another day.
Included items: The subtotal includes JPY 2,290 for facilities, JPY 3,220 for return limited-express trains to Uchiko and JPY 3,680 for return limited-express trains to Ozu, plus six trams costing JPY 1,500 in cash or JPY 1,380 with an IC card.
Extra costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, luggage storage, separate journeys between accommodation/stops/stations/facilities, initial arrival transport, airport limousine, taxis and extra transport cost more. Paid Uchiko houses/museums are excluded. Recalculate JR costs for ordinary trains, reserved seats or a pass.
This covers separate return trips from Matsuyama to Uchiko and Ozu. Non-reserved limited expresses cost JPY 3,220 return to Uchiko and JPY 3,680 to Iyo-Ozu via Uchiko. Six trams cover Okaido↔JR on both days and the final Dogo Onsen return. Staying in one accommodation still requires both JR return journeys and all six trams.
Castle fees and hoursBath options, prices and reservation rulesApril 2026 fare table, page 2Boarding and paymentFare tableOzu City castle guide
Via Uchiko for one night in Ozu
Choose two nights in Matsuyama and one in Ozu to rest there after the castle and hot spring. Move via Uchiko on day 3, then visit Ozu Castle and return to Matsuyama on the final day. Choose the Uchiko stop only if you can walk with light luggage.
Day 1: visit Matsuyama Castle
After two nights in Matsuyama, move to Ozu for one night. Leave time to return to JR Matsuyama after the final-day Ozu Castle visit.
- Matsuyama Airport or JR Matsuyama Station → Okaido stop
From JR Matsuyama-Ekimae, take city tram 5 towards Dogo Onsen and alight at Okaido. From the airport, check that a limousine you can catch after arrival stops at Okaido. Not every airport bus reaches this stop. Initial arrival transport is excluded from the sightseeing subtotal.
City tram timetableAirport limousine routes, fares and 1–24 October 2026 timetableAccess to the lower station
- Okaido stop and accommodation → Shinonomeguchi lower station and keep ticket office
Official guidance gives about 5 minutes on foot from Okaido stop to Shinonomeguchi ropeway station, then about 30 minutes by ropeway and on foot from the lower station’s first floor to the keep ticket office.
- Keep ticket office → Matsuyama Castle keep
Usual keep hours are 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:30, changing by season.
- Matsuyama Castle and ropeway lower station → Okaido accommodation
Take the ropeway down, eat in Okaido and return to your accommodation. Without entering the keep, its JPY 520 admission does not apply. If day 1 is too short, swap with another day’s city programme.
Day 2: bathe at Dogo Onsen and return to Matsuyama
Take city tram 3 from Okaido towards Dogo Onsen and alight at the terminus.
- Okaido stop → Dogo Onsen Station
Take tram 3 towards Dogo Onsen and alight at the terminus. The walk to Honkan and on-site queue take extra time.
- Dogo Onsen Station and Haikara-dori → Dogo Onsen Honkan
Walk along Haikara-dori to Honkan and use Kami-no-Yu bath-only. Adult JPY 700, 06:00–23:00, reception until 22:30, 60-minute use; this option cannot be booked ahead.
Bath options, prices and reservation rulesOfficial Dogo Onsen Station, arcade and Honkan walking map
- Dogo Onsen Honkan and station → Okaido accommodation
After bathing, choose an open shop in the arcade for food or a rest. Take tram 3 from Dogo Onsen towards Matsuyama-shi, returning to Okaido for a second night in the same accommodation.
Day 3: move to Ozu accommodation via Uchiko
Change accommodation from Matsuyama to Ozu via Uchiko today. Storage for large bags in Uchiko is unconfirmed; choose this only if you can walk with light luggage. Otherwise, use the direct Iyo-Ozu route below.
- Okaido accommodation → JR Uchiko Station
Take city tram 5 from Okaido towards JR Matsuyama-Ekimae and walk into JR. Matsuyama-shi and JR are different stations. Choose a limited express stopping at Uchiko. The example adult non-reserved single is JPY 1,610: basic fare 850 + supplement 760.
City tram timetableApril 2026 fare table, page 2Uchiko tourism-association visiting guideFare tableMatsuyama StationUchiko StationIyo-Ozu Station
- JR Uchiko Station → Uchiko’s old streets
Walk about 1 km/15 minutes from Uchiko Station to the old streets’ southern entrance. Explore old buildings and lanes and have lunch. The tourism association recommends 1–2 hours for walking or about 3 with food. Uchiko-za’s main hall is closed for works, so interior visits are excluded.
Uchiko tourism-association visiting guideTourism-association closure guidanceUchiko Town dressing-room access guidanceTabirian location and general hoursTourism-association FY 2024 business reportRakutabi sales-suspension notice
- Uchiko’s old streets → JR Uchiko Station
After walking and lunch, retrace your route to Uchiko Station. Add ticket purchase and boarding margin to the approximately 15-minute walk from the southern entrance, then choose an Iyo-Ozu-bound train for your date.
- JR Uchiko platform → JR train stopping at Iyo-Ozu
Choose a train that stops at Iyo-Ozu on your actual date. The separate-section non-reserved limited-express example is JPY 780: basic fare 330 + supplement 450. This amount does not apply unchanged to ordinary trains, reserved seats or passes.
- JR train towards Iyo-Ozu → Outside JR Iyo-Ozu Station
Alight at Iyo-Ozu and leave the station. Choose the accommodation route from its booked address; plan dinner and rest nearby.
A Uchiko walk requires two sections: Matsuyama→Uchiko and Uchiko→Iyo-Ozu. Skipping the stop uses one Matsuyama→Iyo-Ozu section. Look up trains and stops for your actual date.
Day 4: visit Ozu Castle before departure
- Ozu town centre → Ozu Castle
Ozu Castle runs 09:00–17:00, ticket sales until 16:30; adult admission JPY 550. The official station-to-castle walk is about 30 minutes. Follow old Ozu Kaido through Tokiwamachi shopping street and across the Hijikawa bridge. For an early final-day departure, move the castle to an earlier sightseeing day.
- Ozu Castle → JR Iyo-Ozu Station
Retrace the route from Ozu Castle to Iyo-Ozu. Allow the approximately 30-minute walk plus boarding margin and choose a Matsuyama-bound train for your date. Limited expresses via Uchiko and ordinary trains via Iyo-Nagahama have different routes and fares.
- JR Iyo-Ozu Station → Your actual departure boarding point
For Matsuyama Airport, take a JR Matsuyama-bound train from Iyo-Ozu via Uchiko, then change to the airport limousine outside JR Matsuyama. An adult non-reserved limited-express single costs JPY 1,840: fare 1,080 + supplement 760. The recorded JR-station-to-airport bus is JPY 1,000 cash or JPY 980 with a nationwide transport IC card. Reaching the airport requires this bus transfer. Check your flight time against post-castle train waits, walking to the bus stand, bus travel and airport procedures. For another city, choose its train separately from Iyo-Ozu.
Airport limousine routes, fares and 1–24 October 2026 timetableFare tableMatsuyama StationIyo-Ozu Station
Included items: The subtotal includes JPY 2,290 for facilities and limited-express journeys from Matsuyama to Uchiko at JPY 1,610, Uchiko to Ozu at JPY 780 and Ozu to Matsuyama at JPY 1,840. Three trams add JPY 750 in cash or JPY 690 with an IC card.
Extra costs: Flights, accommodation, meals, luggage storage, separate journeys between accommodation/stops/stations/facilities, initial arrival transport, airport limousine, taxis and extra transport cost more. Paid Uchiko houses/museums are excluded. Recalculate JR costs for ordinary trains, reserved seats or a pass.
This applies when moving via Uchiko to Ozu and returning towards Matsuyama Airport on the final day. JR sections are used once each: Matsuyama→Uchiko 1,610, Uchiko→Iyo-Ozu 780, Iyo-Ozu→Matsuyama 1,840. Three trams cover the Dogo Onsen return and Okaido→JR once. The JR-to-airport bus is extra. Skipping Uchiko or departing Ozu for another city changes JR sections and costs. Luggage storage is separate, with availability and prices unconfirmed.
Castle fees and hoursBath options, prices and reservation rulesApril 2026 fare table, page 2Boarding and paymentFare tableOzu City castle guide
Questions before you leave
Is All Shikoku Rail Pass cheaper for Uchiko and Ozu?
With three Matsuyama nights and separate town returns, non-reserved JR limited expresses cost JPY 3,220 to Uchiko and 3,680 to Ozu, total 6,900. After the 1 October 2026 revision, adult All Shikoku 3-day costs 12,000 and 7-day 20,000; 4/5-day sales ended. These two normal-ticket returns cost less than the 3-day pass. Add actual JR sections/days for other cities to compare. Eligibility requires a foreign passport and Temporary Visitor status. Iyotetsu city trams, airport buses, castle admission and bathing are excluded. Revised conditions confirmed 9 October 2026; JR fares 8 October 2026.
All Shikoku Rail Pass: official 1 October 2026 revision noticeOfficial All Shikoku Rail Pass guideFare table
Can I visit Uchiko and move to Ozu on the same day?
Choose an Iyo-Ozu train after allowing about 3 hours for Uchiko food/walks, about 15 minutes back to the station and boarding margin. Stop on moving day only with bags light enough to walk. With large bags, travel directly from Matsuyama to Iyo-Ozu; visit Uchiko another day or omit it. Direct travel changes JR sections/costs.
Uchiko tourism-association visiting guideUchiko StationIyo-Ozu StationRakutabi sales-suspension notice
Official sources and confirmation dates
- Castle fees and hours ·
- Access to the lower station ·
- Bath options, prices and reservation rules ·
- Uchiko tourism-association visiting guide ·
- Tourism-association closure guidance ·
- Uchiko Town dressing-room access guidance ·
- Ozu City castle guide ·
- Fare table ·
- Matsuyama Station ·
- Uchiko Station ·
- Iyo-Ozu Station ·
- Ozu Castle access ·
- Tabirian location and general hours ·
- Tourism-association FY 2024 business report ·
- Rakutabi sales-suspension notice ·
- Airport limousine routes, fares and 1–24 October 2026 timetable ·
- Matsuyama Airport bus guide ·
- City tram timetable ·
- April 2026 fare table, page 2 ·
- Boarding and payment ·
- Official All Shikoku Rail Pass guide ·
- Official Dogo Onsen Station, arcade and Honkan walking map ·
- All Shikoku Rail Pass: official 1 October 2026 revision notice ·