Differences Between "Matsuyama Castle" in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, and "Bitchu Matsuyama Castle" in Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture, and How to Reach Them

Differences Between the Two Matsuyama Castles

(Checked on 2026/10/23 against the official Matsuyama Castle website and the guides of Matsuyama City and Takahashi City.)

Confusion Caused by Similar Names

Matsuyama Castle in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, and Bitchu Matsuyama Castle in Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture, have similar names but are different castles. They are in different prefectures, and their nearest stations are also different. When you enter a castle name in a transit guide or map app, check the prefecture name shown.

Takahashi City's FAQ also says that many people confuse it with Bitchu Takamatsu Castle in Okayama City. This is because the nearest station to Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, "Bitchu-Takahashi," shares the first part of the name, "Bitchu-Taka."

Location and Nearest Transportation for "Matsuyama Castle" in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture

Matsuyama Castle stands on Shiroyama in the center of Matsuyama City, and the honmaru plaza is 132 m above sea level. The castle keep is one of the 12 extant castle keeps.

The tram stop closest to the ropeway and lift boarding point (the Shinonomeguchi Station building) is Okaido on the city tram. From JR Matsuyama Station or Matsuyamashi Station, take the city tram for about 10 minutes; from Matsuyama Airport, take the airport limousine bus bound for Dogo Onsen Station and get off at Okaido after about 30 minutes.

You can also walk up without using the ropeway. There are 4 castle trails, and the most commonly used are the Shinonomeguchi trail and the prefectural office rear trail.

Location and Nearest Station of "Bitchu Matsuyama Castle" in Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture

Bitchu Matsuyama Castle is at 1 Uchiyamashita, Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture, and its castle keep stands on 430 m-high Mt. Komatsu. The keep is a national Important Cultural Property. It is the only one of the 12 extant castle keeps that was built as a mountain castle on a mountain top.

The nearest station is Bitchu-Takahashi Station on the JR Hakubi Line. From JR Okayama Station, it takes about 35 minutes by the limited express "Yakumo" or about 50 minutes by local train. From the station front, a taxi takes about 10 minutes to the Fuigo Pass parking lot, and from there it is about 20–30 minutes on foot along a mountain trail to the keep. Walking from the station to the keep takes about 90 minutes.

Points to Note When Booking Train Tickets or Searching Routes

If you enter only "Matsuyama" on a JR booking site (such as e5489) or in a transit guide while intending to go to Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, JR Matsuyama Station in Ehime Prefecture will be selected. The station for Bitchu Matsuyama Castle is "Bitchu-Takahashi." Check the prefecture and line names shown on the booking screen.

Another Hot Spring Area with the Same Name as Dogo Onsen

If you search only for "도고온천" in Korean, you may get information about a hot spring in Asan City, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The Korean Wikipedia page for "도고온천" is a disambiguation page that lists Dogo Hot Spring (도고온천) in Asan City and Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. The Hangul spelling is the same, but the Chinese characters differ: "道高" and "道後."

When looking for Dogo Onsen in Ehime Prefecture, add a place name such as "마쓰야마 도고온천" or "에히메 도고온천" to your search, and check that the map pin is in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. When searching in English, likewise add the city name, as in "Dogo Onsen Matsuyama."

Getting from Dogo Onsen to Matsuyama Castle

From Dogo Onsen Station, take the city tram and get off at Okaido after about 10 minutes. From there, it is about 5 minutes on foot to the Shinonomeguchi Station building, where the ropeway and lift boarding point is. How to ride the city tram and pay the fare is summarized in How to Ride the Iyo Railway City Tram (Streetcar) and Pay the Fare.

Tickets are common to the ropeway and lift, and you may ride either. An adult round trip is 520 yen and one way is 270 yen; an elementary school student round trip is 260 yen and one way is 140 yen.

The castle keep is open from 9:00 to 17:00 (until 17:30 in August, until 16:30 from December to January), with admission until 30 minutes before closing. It is closed on the 3rd Wednesday of December. Because it takes about 30 minutes from the first floor of the Shinonomeguchi Station building to the keep's ticket counter, visitors are advised to arrive at the station building with about 1 hour to spare. Keep admission is 520 yen for adults and 160 yen for elementary school students.

The geographical relationship between Matsuyama and Dogo, and how to get there from outside Shikoku, are covered in Geographical Location and Broad-Area Access for Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen in Shikoku.

Sources:

• Hours and Fees | Matsuyama Castle
• Matsuyama Castle Official Website
• Frequently Asked Questions About Matsuyama Castle | Matsuyama City
• Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, the Only Mountain Castle with a Surviving Keep | Takahashi City
• Bitchu Matsuyama Castle | Takahashi City
• Access to Bitchu Matsuyama Castle | Takahashi City
• Frequently Asked Questions | Bitchu Matsuyama Castle | Takahashi City
• Dogo Onsen | Wikipedia

Last checked: 2026/10/23