Ehime might be most famous for the Shimanami Kaido, but the province, located on Shikoku Island, a one-hour flight from Tokyo, has so much more to offer cyclists than the famous white bridges. Ehime also boasts high alpine mountains, historic castle towns and magnificent river gorges, all of which our group took in over four days of cycling along bike paths, forest ways and quiet roads, with the odd major route thrown in.
But first: onsen
A small group of Aussie cyclists, we kick off our trip with some team-building – Japanese style. Fresh off the jet, we head to Dogo Onsen, a short drive from Matsuyama airport. Dogo Onsen is said to be the oldest onsen in Japan, with 3,000 years of history, and if you’re an anime. The heritage-listed main baths building, built in 1894, is three stories high and constructed with traditional timber methods. Inside, we collect towels and toiletries and descend into a labyrinth of narrow wooden staircases to the communal bathing rooms.
