Kicking the bucket...list: Day 22 - Drying out in Dogo Onsen

 

Dogo Onsen Honkan 

What a difference the sun makes. The day before had been overcast, with rain coming down at intervals, resulting in high levels of uncomfortable humidity. On this day, the thermometer would climb up into the low 30s Celsius, but the skies would be clear and the humidity level a little but still noticeably lower. I would still work up a sweat at times, but overall this day would much more comfortable.

Japan certainly has no shortage of celebrated hot spring restorts. One of the most famous is Dōgo Onsen 道後温泉. It's claimed to be the oldest in the country, with mention being made of it in the Nihon Shoki 日本書紀, an 8th-century book of classical history. According to legend, a white heron recovered from a leg injury after dipping its ailing limb into the hot water there. A thriving resort was in place by the 17th century, with segregated baths for monks and samurai on the one hand, and for the lower-class artisans and merchants on the other, alongside women-only bathing facilities. But Dogo Onsen's place in the national consciousness was cemented by the resort being the setting for Natsume Sōseki's 夏目漱石 classic 1906 novel Botchan 坊っちゃん.

I reached the onsen and its old-fashioned terminal station by way of Matsuyama's 松山 tram network:

The Botchan Karakuri Clock 坊っちゃんカラクリ時計 was put up in 1994 as part of the Dogo Onsen Honkan's centennial celebrations. Figures based on the main characters from Botchan appear every hour between 0800 and 2200, but I managed to miss the display during my time in the area. There was also a footbath that I didn't take advantage of. There's a reason why I'm not an acclaimed travel writer like Rick Steves, but a faceless government bureaucrat with an amateurish blog:

A statue of Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規, a Meiji period 明治時代 author, literary critic, poet and Matsuyama native:

Isaniwa Shrine 伊佐爾波神社 sat atop a steep flight of steps: 

It's said to have a history going back more than a thousand years, though the main hall building "only" dates back to 1667:

A painting depicting the Forty-seven Rōnin 四十七士. This oft-told and -portrayed tale has taken on legendary status over the centuries, but the video below does a good job separating fact from fiction in this ultimate tale of revenge: 

A votive plaque detailing the Siege of Port Arthur 旅順攻囲戦 that took place during the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War:

 

The Mochida Great Mikoshi 持田大神輿, a palanquin shrine paraded around during annual festivals:

Facing the steep walk down from the shrine:

I came across the Dogo Onsen Sky Walkway & Footbath 空の散歩道(足湯) overlooking the Dogo Onsen Honkan building, and there took a break:

Finally giving my feet a good soak:

From there it was a 1.3 kilometer/0.6 mile-long walk to Ishite-ji 石手寺, Temple 51 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage 四国遍路. The odd-looking pagoda I passed by on my way to the main gate was an indication that Ishite-ji was going to be one of the more unusual of the 88 temples on the route. The name means "stone hand", and is associated with a legend connected to Kōbō Daishi 弘法大師 according to which a baby was born with a stone in its hand (the explanation is in the link to the temple):

The main hall 本堂:

The traditional walking path used by the henro  遍路 pilgrims:

The sign indicates that Temple 52 Taisan-ji 太山寺 is 10.5 kilometers/6.5 miles from Ishite-ji:

The Daish Hall 大師堂:

What made Ishite-ji particularly unique was the caves and tunnels located at the rear of the complex. These dimly-lit passageways were lined with Buddhist icons. While the atmosphere could be foreboding at times, it was also refreshingly cool inside:

A Spanish-speaking woman who was part of a tour group walked into one of these at crotch level because she was trying to take a photo of the cave ahead of her. The Daishi insists that the pilgrim must maintain concentration at all times if they wish to seek inner peace and eventual salvation from the endless cycle of birth and rebirth, and thus spare any discomfort in one's nether regions: 

The main tunnel led to a road on the other side of the hill, where unfortunately I had a glimpse of a Daishi statue on the top of another hill that appeared to be close by:

Unfortunate, because instead of returning to the main temple grounds, having seen the statue I was compelled to see it up close. On the way up I walked by this house sporting an American flag for unknown (to me) reasons: 

Was it dead or alive? It wasn't there on the way back so a conclusion could be drawn it was just playing dead. On the other hand I've been known to miss the most obvious of things, so...:

Was it worth the effort it took to walk up to it? No, it wasn't. Did I have any regrets? None at all. I was sweaty from the hike, but it was a good kind of perspiration, and not at all like the humid bath I'd taken the previous the previous day: 

Some stats. The height of the statue is 16 meters/52 feet. For the rest of the information I'll leave it to you to make use of Google Translate:

There wasn't much of a view from the top, though Matsuyama Castle 松山城 could be made out in the distance:

On the way back down:

A final look back before plunging back into the tunnels:

By now it was lunchtime. MECIYA 食堂めしや stood just outside the front of Ishite-ji. There were only two choices on the menu - fish or hamburg steak, and I opted for the latter. The owner took time and care to prepare the lunch sets, and all I can say is it was well worth the wait, being one of the finest meals I had on this trip: 

The owner was very friendly. As I was the last customer of the afternoon, he wanted a photo of the two of us together on his phone, and then agreed to let me take one of us on mine. It was these personal encounters that helped to make my time in Shikoku 四国 such a memorable one:

 

On the walk back to Dogo Onsen:

At last it was time to visit the Dōgo Onsen Honkan 道後温泉本館. The main building in the hot springs resort was constructed in 1894, and designated as an important cultural site a hundred years later. The three-story building incorporates traditional design elements, and on top is crowned with a white heron, the legend of which I noted above. The pricing scheme was a little complex but I ended up choosing the ¥2000 option, which allowed me to use two of the baths (the Tama-no-yu 霊の湯 "Hot Water of the Spirits" and Kami-no-yu 神の湯 "Hot Water of the Gods"), along with a serving of green tea and rice crackers 煎餅, and a tour of the Yūshinden又新殿:

As the baths are full of naked people, photography inside them is understandably prohibited. The following photos are taken from this website. 

The Kami-no-yu for men:

The Tama-no-yu for men:

The treats I was given in the waiting room:

Following my baths I was taken on a tour of the Yushinden, the only bathhouse in Japan that was reserved for the exclusive use of the Imperial household. As such it has only been used ten times, and not since 1950, but the imperial apartments have been preserved: 

The deep bath looked more like a swimming pool than an onsen:

Back outside. I'm not a hot springs connoisseur, especially when it comes to busy public onsen (I prefer my baths to be more private, like those you find in traditional inns), but I'm glad I did partake of the experience in the Honkan:

And I couldn't think of a better way to unwind afterward than with a Botchan Beer 坊っちゃんビール at the nearby Dogo Beer Hall 道後麦酒館:

Of course many visitors travel to Dogo Onsen without ever soaking in any of the baths, content with exploring the abundance of souvenir shops and snack stands:

Japanese baseball legend and recent inductee into the U.S. baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York Ichirō Suzuki 鈴木一郎 hawks Yunker ユンケル黄帝液, a health tonic long marketed to Japanese workers as a temporary cure for work-related fatigue. I've never tried it, but I've seen so many commercials for it and similar products on Japanese TV over the years. If it works for Ichiro...?:

I returned to my hotel by tram in the late afternoon:

A lone swan in the castle moat. Signs said not to feed the swan or the carp also present in the water:

The view while waiting for the elevator on the 10th floor of my hotel: 

For dinner that evening I found myself at SAPP BURGER, a small but welcoming establishment, where I had a cheeseburger and a chocolate shake while watching the NBA finals on the restaurant's TV:

A nightcap in my room while watching the second entry in the Yakuza Ladies 極道の妻たち movie series: 

My birthday+1 turned out to be a very enjoyable day, though the unseasonably warm weather for the rainy season has me considering whether future trips to Japan should occur during cooler periods of the year. Global warming or not, the following day would be the hottest one so far as my nearly month-long visit wound its way toward the end. Stay tuned and keep cool...