New Year's First Shrine Visit in Dogo: Crowds, Parking and Trains Around Dogo Onsen at Year-End and New Year, and What to Check Before Going to Isaniwa Shrine, Yu Shrine and Ishiteji

If you plan a New Year's first shrine or temple visit (hatsumode) in Dogo, the roads to Isaniwa Shrine, Yu Shrine and Ishiteji get crowded at year-end and New Year. Using the year-end and New Year guidance that remains on a City of Matsuyama official page (updated December 2019), this guide summarizes the crowded period, the municipal parking lots and how to get there by city tram. For the hatsumode hours at each shrine and temple, and for the 2026 special train timetable and traffic restrictions, it writes only what could be confirmed officially, and anything not yet announced or not confirmed is marked as such.

The Crowded Period (City Guidance from Previous Years)

According to the City of Matsuyama's guidance, during the year-end and New Year period (12/28 to 1/13), traffic is concentrated around Dogo Onsen Honkan and Asuka-no-Yu, and roads and parking lots become crowded. Roads in the area are said to be especially congested from 12/31 to 1/3 and during the Hatsune Festival (1/12 to 13). This page was updated on December 27, 2019, and it does not confirm anything for 2026.

Getting There by Tram

The same guidance urges people to use public transportation where possible, saying the city tram is convenient for Dogo Onsen Honkan and that the walk from Dogo Onsen Station to the Honkan takes about 3 to 5 minutes. For Ishiteji, the description of the 2024 program "Ishiteji Pilgrimage Experience" in the Dogo Onsen official area guide says it is about a 20-minute walk from Dogo Onsen (this is not the time needed during hatsumode crowds). Iyotetsu's special year-end and New Year timetable was not listed in its news section as of October 6, 2026, and has not been announced. We will update this once it is announced.

Parking if You Drive

According to the guidance from previous years, there were two paid municipal lots, Dogo Onsen Parking Lot (Kanmuriyama, 100 spaces) and Dogo Onsen Iwaidani Higashimachi Parking Lot (43 spaces), and a free temporary tourist parking lot (65 spaces) was also opened during the period (except 1/7 to 9). Any of them can become full. At Dogo Onsen Parking Lot (Kanmuriyama), using the Honkan, Asuka-no-Yu or Tsubaki-no-Yu gives a one-hour discount, and at Iwaidani Higashimachi the first hour is free regardless of facility use. The numbers of spaces and the periods are those of that time and are not confirmed for 2026.

Stopping by Dogo Onsen Before or After Your Hatsumode Visit

The 2026 guidance from the City of Matsuyama and the Dogo Onsen official site says that Dogo Onsen Honkan, Asuka-no-Yu and Tsubaki-no-Yu operate as usual, including at year-end and New Year, except on their annual deep-cleaning days. The 2026 deep-cleaning closures are all day on Tuesday, December 1, 2026 for the Honkan, and all day on Wednesday, December 2, 2026 for Asuka-no-Yu and Tsubaki-no-Yu. These do not overlap with the hatsumode period (12/31 to 1/3).

What We Do Not Yet Know

The hatsumode hours at Isaniwa Shrine, Yu Shrine and Ishiteji, the busiest times of day, parking within their grounds, and 2026 traffic restrictions either could not be reached on the official pages or have not been announced, so they are not written here. Please check each shrine's and temple's official announcements before you go.

Sources

Sources (checked 2026-10-06): City of Matsuyama official "Please Help Ease Congestion Around Dogo Onsen at Year-End and New Year" (updated 2019-12-27) / City of Matsuyama official "Closing Days of Dogo Onsen Honkan, Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu and Tsubaki-no-Yu" / Dogo Onsen official site news / Dogo Onsen official area guide "Ishiteji Pilgrimage Experience" / Iyotetsu Group news. Of the 7 facts confirmed, 2 are confirmed for 2026 and 5 are records or guidance from previous years (the summary and the individual source notes give the same counts).

• City of Matsuyama official "Please Help Ease Congestion Around Dogo Onsen at Year-End and New Year" (update date shown on the page: 2019-12-27)

• City of Matsuyama official "Closing Days of Dogo Onsen Honkan, Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu and Tsubaki-no-Yu"

• Dogo Onsen official area guide "Ishiteji Pilgrimage Experience"

How We Checked, and Limits

Only facts checked word for word on the retrieved official pages are included. We could not connect to the official sites of Isaniwa Shrine, Yu Shrine and Ishiteji, so their hatsumode hours, crowds and on-site parking are not confirmed. The City's guidance on crowds and parking was updated in December 2019 and is not for 2026. The 2026 special timetable and traffic restrictions have not been announced, and we will update this once they are.