Uchiko & Ozu: Ehime's 'Little Kyoto' in 2026

In the soft green valley of the Hijikawa River, west of Matsuyama, two old towns keep the quiet, lamplit atmosphere that has earned this part of Ehime the name of a “little Kyoto.” Uchiko grew rich on Japan wax and kept a whole street of Meiji merchant houses and a perfect Taisho-era playhouse; Ozu, downriver, gathers around a castle keep rebuilt entirely in timber, a riverside villa of rare craftsmanship, and the centuries-old summer spectacle of cormorant fishing by torchlight. This guide is for travellers — especially couples — who want a slow, atmospheric two days away from the crowds, and it explains what to see, the live issue of the Uchiko-za restoration, and the remarkable lodging that makes the trip.

At a glance — Duration: 2 days. Cost band: mid–high (sights modest; the lodging is the cost — NIPPONIA or the castle stay). Best season: June–September for cormorant fishing; spring and autumn for the towns. Who it’s for: couples, heritage and craft lovers. Base: a restored townhouse in Ozu, or the castle keep itself.

Uchiko: the wax-merchants’ town

Uchiko grew wealthy in the late Edo and Meiji periods on the production of Japan wax — the pale, fragrant vegetable wax pressed from the berries of the haze sumac, used for candles, cosmetics and polish and exported around the world. The wealth built a town, and a remarkable amount of it survives. The Yokaichi-Gokoku district is a single long street of some ninety houses, faced in pale ochre plaster with latticed fronts, deep eaves and sculpted gable ends, protected as a preservation district since 1982. Unlike the famous old towns elsewhere, Yokaichi is barely touristed and still lived in; a slow stroll up and down it, pausing at a craft shop or a sweet shop, is the whole pleasure of it.

The grandest of the merchant houses is the Kamihaga Residence, the home and works of a branch of the Haga family who were among the largest wax producers. The complex of some ten buildings around its courtyards has been preserved with its living quarters, storehouses and the long sheds where the wax was boiled, pressed and bleached in the sun, and an attached museum explains the whole craft. Admission is about ¥500 (approx., 2026), open roughly 9:00 to 16:30.

A word about the town’s famous playhouse. The Uchiko-za, built in 1916 as a full traditional theatre with a hanamichi runway, box seating and a hand-turned revolving stage, is one of the best-preserved provincial playhouses in Japan. But it is currently closed for major conservation work, from September 2024 until about 2028. During the restoration only a backstage exhibit is open — letting you see the under-stage machinery and the structure — while the auditorium itself cannot be visited. Admire the building from outside, take in the backstage display if it interests you, but do not plan your trip around seeing a performance there until the work is done.

Ozu: the castle town on the river

Downriver, Ozu gathers around a bend of the Hijikawa where the river loops about the town. Its centrepiece is Ozu Castle, whose four-storey keep was demolished in the Meiji period and then rebuilt in 2004 — not in concrete, as most reconstructions are, but entirely in timber, using old photographs, a surviving wooden model and traditional joinery, with no nails. It is one of the most faithful castle reconstructions in Japan, and inside you climb steep wooden stairs past exposed beams to the top floor and its view over the river and the tiled roofs.

What makes Ozu extraordinary is the castle stay. Ozu pioneered Japan’s “castle stay” programme, in which a couple can be received as the lord and lady and spend a night inside the keep itself, complete with a welcome procession, performing arts and a banquet. It is premium, exclusive and books far ahead, but it is unquestionably the most remarkable lodging in Ehime, and the romantic high point of this route for those who choose it.

A short walk above the castle stands Garyu Sanso, a small villa of astonishing refinement built over four years in the early twentieth century by a wealthy Ozu merchant on a bluff above the loveliest bend of the river. Every detail is the work of master craftsmen — a transom carved as a bat in flight, a window framing the moon, a teahouse called the Furoan that seems to float on stilts over the water. On the scale of a jewel, it is quietly one of the most beautiful buildings in western Japan. Admission is about ¥550 (approx., 2026). At the entrance to the town, the 1901 red-brick former bank, the Akarengakan, now holds a craft shop and cafe and makes an easy first stop on arrival.

Cormorant fishing by torchlight

The signature experience of an Ozu summer is ukai, cormorant fishing on the Hijikawa — one of the three great cormorant fisheries of Japan, practised here for some four centuries. After dark the fishing boats put out under blazing iron baskets of pine fire hung over the water, and the fisherman handles his team of cormorants on their lines as they dive for sweetfish in the firelight; guests watch from pleasure boats drawn up alongside, often with food and drink served aboard. What makes Ozu unusual is its awase-ukai, in which the fishing boats and the guest boats drift down the river together so closely that the spectacle unfolds at arm’s length. The season runs only from June 1 to September 20 in 2026, so if you travel outside that window, replace the ukai with a riverside dinner — and if you travel within it, this is the most romantic possible close to two days in the valley.

Our Uchiko and Ozu itinerary sets a slow pace: Uchiko’s street, house and playhouse on day one, then Ozu’s castle, villa and the evening’s fishing on day two.

Where to stay

The genuine high end of lodging in this valley is NIPPONIA Hotel Ozu Castle Town, a “dispersed hotel” that has restored the old merchant houses and storehouses scattered through the castle town into a scatter of guest rooms, with reception, dining and bar in further historic buildings nearby. To stay here is to live, for a night, inside the town itself rather than in a hotel beside it — craftsmanship, quiet, and a strong local table built on the produce and fish of the area. Ehime has no branded five-star, and this, together with the castle stay, is the real luxury of the route, expressed as heritage hospitality. For couples it is the most atmospheric base in the prefecture.

Getting there and around

Uchiko and Ozu sit on the limited express line southwest of Matsuyama, about 25 and 35 minutes by train respectively, and both have stations within reach of their old centres. A car makes it easiest to move between the two towns and out to Garyu Sanso and the riverside, and to reach the cormorant boats in the evening, though the towns themselves are walkable. Many visitors combine this route with Matsuyama to the north or continue south toward Uwajima.

FAQ

Can I see a performance at the Uchiko-za in 2026? No. The Uchiko-za is closed for major restoration from September 2024 until about 2028, and during the works only a backstage exhibit is open — the auditorium cannot be visited and no performances are held there. You can still admire the historic building from outside and see the under-stage machinery on the backstage tour.

What is the Ozu “castle stay” and is it available? It is a programme that lets you spend a night inside Ozu Castle’s timber keep, received as the lord and lady with a welcome procession and banquet. It operates in 2026 but is premium and exclusive, with very limited dates, so book well ahead. It is the most extraordinary lodging in Ehime.

When can I see the cormorant fishing in Ozu? The 2026 ukai season on the Hijikawa runs from June 1 to September 20, in the evenings after dark, by reservation. Ozu’s distinctive “awase-ukai” brings the fishing boats and guest boats drifting down the river side by side. Outside that season, plan a riverside dinner instead.

How do Uchiko and Ozu differ? Uchiko is a preserved merchant street built on the Japan-wax trade, best for a slow walk among Meiji houses and the wax museum. Ozu is a castle town on a river loop, with a timber castle keep, the Garyu Sanso villa and summer cormorant fishing. They are a short distance apart and pair naturally into one trip of two contrasting old towns.

For Ehime’s capital and its famous hot spring, see our Matsuyama, Dogo Onsen and castle guide.

Request a personalized quote from a local operator