I woke up early again in the morning and went downstairs for breakfast, which to my delight, included bowls of udon, which are a specialty of the Kagawa region. I had a busy day ahead, especially since the rain the previous day pushed back my original plans. I left the hotel just after 8:00am and caught the train to Ritsurin, entering the garden by 9:00am.

I’m so glad I didn’t go to Ritsurin during the downpour because it was amazing seeing the grounds in the sun. Honestly it was even more beautiful than Korakuen and I spent a full two hours inside making sure I didn’t miss any spots. You can also pay for a boat ride, but seeing as I did that already in Kurashiki, I didn’t feel the need to do it again.

After I left the gardens I made my way over to Udon Uehara for lunch. I was lucky there wasn’t a huge queue when I got inside and quickly got my small udon set with assorted tempura. Lunch was so cheap and so good I wish I was able to eat more.

Since the train times weren’t great nor direct in Takamatsu, I decided to walk to my next stop, which was for a haircut I had booked at Raise. It was so nice being pampered at the salon for 90 minutes. Afterwards I walked back to my hotel to grab my bags, then it was to the station for my train to Matsuyama. The train ride would be around 2.5 hours, so I made sure to grab some snacks for the journey. 

Honestly it was amazing my schedule worked out so well as I made it to Matsuyama by 5:30pm. Matsuyama is the only city on this trip where the majority of the hotels aren’t super close to the main station. I had to take a tram to my hotel, which I paid for with my IC card, as it isn’t covered with the JR Setouchi pass. After checking in and resting for a bit, I went back on foot to Ramen Nakamura for dinner and had a yummy bowl of their spicy shio ramen. 

Later I took the tram over to Dogo Onsen for a bath. Dogo Onsen Station is an attraction on its own, as well as the Botchan Karakuri Clock next to it. Once you make it through the nearby shopping street, you’ll arrive at the onsen itself. At Dogo Onsen Honkan there’s two main baths you can use – Kami-no-Yu and Tama-no-Yu. There’s different rooms and suites you can choose from and the price varies depending on the facilities. I chose the most basic one that evening, which was the Kami-no-Yu. I paid ¥700 for the admission, with an additional ¥320 for a towel rental. It was so nice being able to soak in the hot springs. But I will admit, the best thing was the glass of cold milk after coming out of the bath. =D

I caught the light show outside the onsen at 8:30pm as I was leaving, then also saw the Botchan show at 9:00pm. I took the tram back to the hotel and grabbed a snack before making it to my room for the night.