At The Station : Dogo Onsen

It's a street-car/tram station. Quaint station.

The station is known as the doorway to Dogo Onsen; the oldest hot spring spa in Japan - all 3,000 years worth of history there. What stories can the onsen tell us? No wonder it is said that the onsen is an inspiration for the animated movie "Spirited Away". Even without knowing it before, I thought of "Spirited Away" when I saw Dogo Onsen. ^^

The Dogo Onsen station embodies the charm of Meiji era (1868-1912). However, the current building is not the original Meiji era building but was rebuilt in 1986 and identical to the original one that was outdated. Iyo Railway had initially wanted to turn the old station into a terminal building complete with a hotel and a shopping centre but locals (and local businesses) opposed to the plan and urged for the preservation of the station building.

I don't know about you, but I think it would be quite incongruous to have such modern replacement for the station, what with Dogo Onsen just a few minutes away from the station!

Not that the surrounding area really is in harmony with the 110 years old three-storey timber structure, important cultural property that is Dogo Onsen. heh

The Botchan Reesha, a diesel powered replica of the original Iyotetsu matchbox-like streetcar that operated in Matsuyama between 1888 - 19654.

The tram operates once an hour all year round (trips varies for weekends and holidays).

We didn't get on the Botchan Reesha on our way back to Matsuyama Station. We got on this instead. 150yen per trip.

The interior of the tram we took. Very retro looking interior, don't you think?

That guy in white pants was going for a run at a nearby park. He got on at a station near a hotel and got off a few stops later, but not before I saw his stuff (ID, phone, cash) neatly packed in a clear plastic case. That folks, is a sign of a runner, going for a run. Zaini mentioned that he should have just run from his hotel to the park. I totally agree with Zaini. hehe