We were served a Japanese breakfast in our groups private dining room in the ryokan.Then we took a taxi to the temple of Ishiteji - #51 on the Shikoku pilgrimage we started the other day. It included a 3 story pagoda and a cave lined with statues.
Then we took a bus to Matsuyama Castle. We approached the castle first by a ropeway (gondola) up Mt. Katsu, part of which overlooked cherry blossoms, then by zigzag inclined paths up to the castle through high stone walls.
We followed this by a street car ride back downtown, and a visit to the Emperor's rooms in the Dogo Onsen, the first onsen (public baths in hot springs) in Japan.
Dogo Onsen was terrifically crowded, so we left Blaine and Sean there for the baths (because it is famous for anime/ manga reasons). The rest of us returned to our ryokan and bathed in its onsen, which is better equipped and less crowded. This meant Dave was segregated off by himself, and Debbie, May and I went to the women's side. There was an inside bath, and one outside with a bit of Japanese garden and fresh air (no photographs allowed in onsen so you can't see it).
We then had a Kaiseki-style dinner at our ryokan. This is a meal of many small courses made of high-end ingredients. It was very tasty! One does have to like raw fish, Japanese pickles, tofu, miso soup, etc. and not mind eating totally unknown ingredients.
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