Shanghai - Japan Shikoku 13 Days Part 2-9 - Matsuyama Castle Park (Bansui Villa) and more

Day 2 (Friday, March 14, 2025) Imabari - Matsuyama: Sightseeing: Kurushima Strait Observatory / Itoyama Park overlooking Kurushima Strait Bridge / Imabari Castle / Fukiage Inari Shrine / Imabari street scenes / JR Matsuyama Station Iyo-Tan Monogatari sightseeing train / Matsuyama Castle Park (Horinouchi area) / Bansui Villa / Matsuyama General Park. Last time we introduced Matsuyama Castle Park (Horinouchi area), today let's talk about Bansui Villa within the park. Bansui Villa is a historic building located in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. - Background and construction time: Built in 1922 by Count Sadamune Hisamatsu, a descendant of the former Matsuyama feudal lord. Sadamune Hisamatsu graduated from the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in France, served as a military attaché in Paris, and lived in France for 15 years. Influenced by this, the building adopts the French Renaissance architectural style. - Architectural features: It is the oldest reinforced concrete building in Matsuyama City. Its colorful stained glass windows are magnificent, especially the stained glass at the central staircase, which adds grandeur and solemnity to the entire building. - Historical status: It was once the social gathering center for the local upper class in Matsuyama and also served as a reception venue for members of the imperial family and noble celebrities visiting Matsuyama. In 1985, it was designated as a tangible cultural property by the Ehime Prefectural Government, and in 2011, it was designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. - Current status: Now serving as a branch of the Ehime Prefectural Museum of Art, the first floor regularly hosts special exhibitions. Also, the "Gudabutsu-an," where the famous Japanese writer Natsume Soseki and the waka poet Masaoka Shiki once lived together, is located inside Bansui Villa. Photos 1-8: Exterior and surroundings of Bansui Villa; Photo 9: Guide map around Bansui Villa; Photo 10: Introduction to Bansui Villa; Photo 11: Entrance of the Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum; The Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum is located at the entrance of Bansui Villa. It was built to commemorate Ryotaro Shiba and his famous work "Saka no Ue no Kumo." It opened in April 2007 and is the core facility of the "Saka no Ue no Kumo" city planning. Photo 12: Soseki Coffee Shop; Next to Bansui Villa is the Soseki Coffee Shop, which was rebuilt from Aisho-tei, where Natsume Soseki once lived. It is also known as the "Young Master Coffee." Aisho-tei was the first boarding place for Natsume Soseki when he worked as an English teacher at Matsuyama Middle School. Soseki loved this place very much and praised it in a letter to Masaoka Shiki as "a heavenly place with an excellent view." The shop’s interior is decorated in a retro style, and the outdoor environment is quiet and serene. A small courtyard is arranged with a dry landscape garden. Its business hours are 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM, with last orders at 5:00 PM. It is closed every Monday and Thursday but open on holidays. If a holiday falls on a closed day, the closure is postponed. Photo 13: A corner of Matsuyama street scenes; Photo 14: Matsuyama Shinonome Junior and Senior High School; Matsuyama Shinonome Junior and Senior High School is a private school. It is established by the Matsuyama Shinonome Gakuen educational corporation and located at 3-2-24 Okaido, Matsuyama City. Matsuyama Shinonome Gakuen was founded in 1886 by its first principal, Pastor Kunijiro Ninomiya, as the first Christian girls' school in the Shikoku region. Now the school offers secondary education through Matsuyama Shinonome Junior High School and Matsuyama Shinonome High School. Photo 15: Beautiful free shuttle bus encountered near Matsuyama Michi-no-Ouji Hotel; Photos 16-20: Matsuyama General Park; This park was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Matsuyama City administration. - Park scale: Covers about 52 hectares, designed in Matsuyama style, cleverly utilizing the hilly terrain. - Main attractions: At the summit is a 360-degree excellent observation plaza. The European castle-style observation tower on the plaza symbolizes the friendship between Matsuyama City and Freiburg, Germany. From the top of the tower, you can enjoy panoramic views of Matsuyama Castle, cityscape, rural scenery, the Seto Inland Sea, and small nearby islands. It is also a great spot to watch the sunrise, sunset, and summer night views. - Famous flower viewing spot: It is a well-known flower viewing site in Matsuyama City, with over a thousand cherry blossom trees and more than 500 varieties of camellias, the city flower of Matsuyama. The Cherry Blossom Hill attracts many visitors during the cherry blossom season. We specifically took the tram to Nishi-Iyama Station and hiked for over half an hour round trip, eager to experience the "Japan Night View Heritage" at the Matsuyama General Park observation plaza at night. However, we didn’t see much of the so-called night view and ended up with tired legs. We returned to the hotel at 10 PM, which was a bit disappointing!