Jun 19, 2012

How the Local Enjoy Dogo Onsen 地元的道後温泉の楽しみ方

道後温泉の歴史は古く、万葉集や源氏物語にも出てきます。
古くから多くの天皇皇后が訪れたようで596年には聖徳太子も来訪したとか。


Dogo Onsen (hot spring) has a long history.  It is mentioned in  Manyo-shu (poetry collection between fifth to eighth century) and also in the famous Tale of Genji.
Record tells that many Emperors and Empresses visited here, including Prince Shotoku in 596.



これが1894年完成の道後温泉本館。
城大工が作ったそうですが、まさにお城のようですね。


This is Dogo Onsen Main Bath House.
It was built in 1894 by castle carpenters.  
Yes, it looks like a castle.


すだれをかけて夏らしい装いになっていました。


Sudare (bamboo blinds) are added to prepare for summer.

皇室専用の浴室があるんですよ。
又新殿(ゆうしんでん)といって、使用中でなければ(そして前回使用されたのは60年前だとか)見学可です。



It has Yushin-den, a bathroom exclusively for Japanese Imperial Family.
Unless it is used (and the last time it was used was more than 60 years ago), the tour is available.

近くにある伊佐爾波(いさにわ)神社も1000年の歴史があります。
この階段の上です。


Isaniwa Shrine nearby has also a long history of 1000 years.
But these steps... 


現在の社殿は江戸時代に松山藩主松平定長(1640~1674)が建てたものだそうで、とっても豪華です。

The current building was built in Edo era, by the feudal lord Sadanaga Matsudaira (1640-1674).
It is gorgeous.



さて観光客でにぎわう道後温泉ですが、地元の人もよく利用します。

Dogo Onsen attracts many people from all over the country, but also the local people enjoy it, too.

たとえば私の父。道後温泉本館で朝風呂です。
道後温泉本館は朝6時に太鼓を打ち鳴らして開館するんですよ。

Take, for example, my father.  He enjoys taking a morning bath at Dogo Onsen Main Bath House.  
It opens at 6 AM with its famous drumming. 

一方姉はたくさんある旅館やホテルのランチ巡りを楽しんでいるようです。
旅館によってはお部屋でお食事をいただいて、お風呂にも入れる日帰りプランがあります。
たとえば以前に私も行ったことがあるのが、ここ古湧園
よかったですよ。

My sister enjoys visiting ryokan and hotels in the area for lunch.
Some ryokan offer a day plan, with which you can have lunch in the ryokan room, relax for a while and enjoy Onsen.
I have been to Kowaku-en. (this page is in Japanese, but you can see the pictures of the food and the price.)  It was great.

でも今回はもっとお手軽に温泉を楽しむことに。
But this time, my sister and I went for more reasonable price.



食事の後、お風呂にも入ってたったの1000円!タオルまでつきます。

The lunch and Onsen for only 1000 yen, a towel included!


お風呂の中では地元の人の伊予弁に耳を傾けながら、ゆっくりお湯の中で身体をほぐすことができました。

お風呂大好きです\(^o^)/

I soaked myself in a big hot bath, relaxed, listening to the chatting of the people in the Iyo dialect.

I am an Onsen lover! \(^o^)/


にほんブログ村 英語ブログ 国際交流へ

8 comments:

Rurousha said...

Lunch and onsen and towel for ¥1000? I want to go there, too! NOW! ^^

The first photo surprised (shocked?) me a bit: that contrast between the old onsen and the modern building behind it. I wish it was a mountain or a forest rather than a concrete building!

Does Isanima Jinja have an escalator? :D

PS: お風呂も大好きです!

Merry Witch said...

Dear Rurousha,
Yes, unbelievable price, isn't it?
And the onsen has everything you need, soap, shampoo, hair dryer, basic skin care, icy water and cups.

I know it's sad, but there are many hotels and ryokan around the area. So, the Main Bath House is surrounded by many modern buildings.

And for the mountain and forest lover, I won't tell even if the Jinja has an escalator.(^_-)

Rurousha said...

It's the Dogo Onsen in that Hayaku video! That's why it looks so familiar! :D

PS: It looks much bigger in the video that in most photos I've seen.

Merry Witch said...

Yes, the video captured it so beautifully!
Thank YOU for showing that wonderful video. I liked it a lot.

Dru said...

Thanks to Ru for pointing me here. Now I have to read all of your posts. :D I love Dogo and Shikoku and this brings back memories when I visited Shikoku 3 years ago.

I posted about it 3 years ago too for my entire Shikoku tour. Dogo

I have more on Matsuyama and all of Shikoku but I need to edit my posts so that it has links. Just look at the Shikoku Category for everything. ^^

Merry Witch said...

Dear Dru,
Thank you for visiting here(^_^)
I'm glad that you enjoyed Dogo and Matsuyama. It looks like you are a great traveler. Please enjoy exploring many places in Japan, and also, if you can, visit Matsuyama again.

Dru said...

I will try to visit Dogo and Matsuyama again. It isn't at the top of my list, but I am dreaming of cycling from Onomichi to Imabari. Might try it next year if I find the time and money. ^^

Merry Witch said...

It will be a lot of fun cycling those bridges over the sea. But I heard it's more up-and-down than it looks. Good luck training.(^^)

I'm planning to go back to Matsuyama in November, and see people in Imabari.(not cycling, though) I'll see if I can find useful information there.