[Dogo Onsen Travel Guide] Soak in Japan’s Oldest Hot Spring and Timeless Atmosphere

Dogo Onsen Honkan is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan and is a magnificent building that evokes history.
In January 2019, preservation and repair work began while it remained open, and full operation resumed in July 2024.
The alkaline simple hot spring water here is smooth and gentle on the skin, with little刺激, making it suitable for therapeutic bathing and beauty as well.

A facility that opened in 2017 as a hub for sharing new hot spring culture.
With the theme of “Ancient Dogo,” it incorporates Asuka-period architectural styles befitting Dogo Onsen, said to be Japan’s oldest.
You can enjoy free-flowing hot spring water straight from the source, with no heating or added water, and it also offers features not found at the Honkan, such as an open-air bath.
Several bathing courses are available, and the baths and lounges you can use vary by course.

The sister bathhouse of Dogo Onsen Honkan—designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan—is Dogo Onsen Tsubaki no Yu.
Dogo Onsen Tsubaki no Yu was built in 1953 near the center of the Dogo shopping arcade, about a 3-minute walk from Dogo Onsen Honkan.
After later renovations, it reopened after renewal in 2017.
Like the Honkan, the bathing area uses granite. In the spacious, high-ceiling bathhouse, you’ll also find Dogo Onsen’s hot water boiler, and you can luxuriously enjoy the famous Dogo waters as free-flowing source water with no heating or added water.

Founded around 1627 during the Edo period.
Dogo Onsen Funaya is a long-established hot spring ryokan that hosted many writers and notable figures, including Matsuyama-related author Natsume Soseki and haiku poet Masaoka Shiki.
Its 58 guest rooms include a special sukiya-style room, along with Japanese-style rooms, Japanese-Western rooms, and Western-style rooms.
It offers a comfortable stay.

A hot spring inn located in the heart of the hot spring town, close to Dogo Onsen Honkan, and the first in Dogo Onsen to feature an open-air bath.
The signature open-air bath is on the 10th (top) floor, with views of Matsuyama Castle and Mt. Ishizuchi, among others.
At night, you can enjoy a soak while gazing at a sky full of stars.
In addition, the women’s bath offers an open-air rose bath on Saturdays and Sundays from 5–10pm.
You can enjoy a luxurious bathing experience unique to Chaharu.
After your bath, it’s also recommended to take a break at the scenic lounge.

Dogo Onsen is said to be Japan’s oldest hot spring. Among the many hot spring inns lining the hot spring town, one of the largest is Dogo Prince Hotel.
With purely Japanese-style rooms, Western-style rooms, and special rooms with open-air baths, you can enjoy a relaxing stay.

A hot spring inn located just a short walk from Dogo Onsen’s popular landmark, Dogo Onsen Honkan.
From the scenic open-air bath where you can choose between “hot” and “lukewarm” water to the spacious main bath that can accommodate around 100 people, you can enjoy the waters of Dogo Onsen, also said to be Japan’s oldest hot spring.

Grand opened in 2019 on a hill in the center of the hot spring town, with an outstanding location overlooking Dogo Onsen Honkan.
Not only does it combine the relaxation of a hot spring inn with the comfort of a hotel, it’s also a cutting-edge hotel that uses clean energy as its main energy source under the concept of being “kind to people and the environment.”
From the top-floor panoramic large bath with an open-air bath, you can take in views of both the hot spring town and Matsuyama City. You can enjoy stunning scenery and famous hot spring waters at the same time. In particular, the one-room-only private detached villa in the courtyard, “Tokinone,” is packed with luxurious facilities that promise a premium stay, including a private open-air hot spring bath.

Adjacent to the Dogo Onsen Honkan building, the Dogo Shopping Arcade is affectionately known as “Dogo Haikara Street.” It’s an L-shaped, approx. 820-ft (250 m) covered arcade connecting Dogo Onsen Station—the terminus of the Iyotetsu streetcar line—to Dogo Onsen Honkan.
Lined with many souvenir shops and restaurants, after a soak at Dogo Onsen, taking a stroll in your yukata is a unique pleasure of a hot spring town.

Opened in 2021 as a collaboration between Yamatoya Honten, a long-established Dogo Onsen ryokan founded in 1868, and Dogo no Machiya, a popular cafe on Dogo Haikara Street, Dogo Onsen’s main street.
This is a “footbath cafe” where you can enjoy drinks and sweets while soaking your feet.
Located right next to Dogo Onsen Honkan, it’s perfect for a break during your Dogo Onsen stroll. When your feet get tired, relax with cafe time while enjoying the footbath.

A mechanical clock built in 1994 at Hojoen in front of Dogo Onsen Station, as a project commemorating the 100th anniversary of the construction of Dogo Onsen Honkan.
Every hour from 8am to 10pm, it puts on a performance to the sound of the clock, giving visitors to Dogo Onsen a festive welcome.

Dogo Onsen Station is the nearest station to Dogo Onsen, known as Japan’s oldest hot spring, on the Iyotetsu city tram line.
It’s the terminal station for the Botchan Train that runs from Matsuyama-shi Station to Dogo Onsen Station, and it’s a rare spot where you can see the Botchan Train change direction at the back of the station.
You can see the current station building—restored from the old station built in 1911—together with the Botchan Train, a replica steam locomotive that used to run through the city from the Meiji to Showa periods, letting you feel the nostalgic charm of this hot spring town.

A vast urban park of approx. 21.3 acres (8.6 hectares), developed on the Yuzuki Castle Ruins, a nationally designated historic site.
The entire park is where a castle once stood from the early 14th century to the late 16th century, and remnants such as earthen ramparts and moats remain today; it’s designated as a national historic site as the “Yuzuki Castle Ruins.”
It is almost tortoise-shell shaped with a diameter of approx. 1,150 ft (350 m), and the central area forms a hill of around 100 ft (30 m).
The observatory is also popular as a scenic spot with panoramic views over the Matsuyama Plain.

Dogo Beer Hall is a brewery-run spot located across from Dogo Onsen Honkan.
It’s popular as a place to enjoy a refreshing drink after soaking in Dogo Onsen, also said to be Japan’s oldest hot spring.
Here you can try four types of Dogo beer delivered directly from the brewery: a kolsch known as “Botchan Beer,” an alt known as “Madonna Beer,” a stout known as “Soseki Beer,” and a weizen known as “Nobosan Beer.”
It also offers an appealing lineup including limited-edition beers, local sake, and shochu—another perk of being brewery-run.

Kadoya Okaido is one of Kadoya’s locations in Matsuyama. Kadoya first opened in 1955 in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture, as a town diner.
In a prime location with excellent access to Matsuyama Castle, Dogo Onsen, and downtown Matsuyama, it serves local cuisine focused on “seasonality,” “ingredients,” and “sense of place.”
When you visit, one must-try is Uwajima tai-meshi, one of Ehime’s 대표 local dishes.

Tanimoto Kamaboko Shop is a long-established kamaboko shop founded in 1916. Its craftspeople, certified with Japan’s national qualification as top-grade fish cake processing technicians, carry on traditional techniques. Today, it operates multiple locations, and the Dogo shop is right in front of Dogo Onsen Honkan. It’s takeout-only, and you’ll often see many tourists enjoying warm items as they walk.
A popular item is jakoten, a simple Ehime souvenir staple. Another favorite is jakokatsu, a croquette-style twist made by adding carrots and onions to jakoten fish paste and coating it with breadcrumbs.