Ishiteji

Ishiteji ( 石手寺 ) literally means the Stone Hand Temple, is one of the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage. The Shikoku Pilgrimage (四国遍路 ) or Shikoku Junrei (四国巡礼) is a famous 88 temples pilgrimage to honor Buddhist monk Kuukai on the island of Shikoku, Japan. The Ishiteji is temple number 51.

While I was in Matsuyama, I visited this temple on my free time. Unfortunately, I couldn't explore the whole temple because I needed to go back to my Hotel to prepare for Shimanami Kaido trip. A shame, but I managed to explore quite a bit.

Matsuyama Castle

Matsuyama Castle (松山城) is definitely the best Castle I've been in Japan. The castle stands proud above the hill, right in the middle of the town. This castle is one of the preserved castle. It is still original, with a little bit of repair here and there because of the fire long time ago. It also offers you a gorgeous view of the city from the top. There is also a place where you can dress up as a samurai inside. And for non Japanese speakers, rejoice ! All of the history and description have very good English translation. It is a very impressive castle.

Matsuyama

There are four main islands in Japan: Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Shikoku ( 四国 = Four Countries ) is the smallest of the four. It is considered to be the forgotten island among the four. People rarely go to Shikoku. Guide books don't bother mentioning about this island. Even my friend questioning my decision to go to this island.

Let me tell you that Shikoku is Japan's hidden gem. There are lots of thing to do here. Some of them are pretty wild, but if you like outdoor, nature, adventures, and willing to spend some time to venture into the inner part of this place, you will be rewarded with amazing scenic views, natural beauty untouched by human.

I only had a few days off to enjoy the island, but I definitely want to go back to Shikoku again.

I will split the Shikoku review into separated posts, starting from Matsuyama.