Matsuyama Castle, with its original keep on a hilltop, and Dogo Onsen with its historic bathhouse, linked by tram. A city of haiku and the setting of the novel "Botchan".
A mountain hot-spring resort close to Tokyo. You can make a full loop by mountain railway, cable car, ropeway and a boat across Lake Ashi. Mt. Fuji appears on clear days.
Streets of Edo-period merchant houses, morning markets and an old government office, all walkable from the station. Buses run to Shirakawa-go and the hot springs of Okuhida.
A port city squeezed between the sea and the mountains. Hillside Western houses, Chinatown and the harbor lights are all walkable from Sannomiya, and Arima Onsen lies just over the hills.
A hot-spring city with steam rising all over town. See the colorful "hells", then soak in public baths or a sand bath. Over the mountain lies Yufuin, a quiet resort below Mt. Yufu.
