What to Do in Imabari

Imabari is the second largest city of Ehime prefecture, after the capital Matsuyama. Most visitors tend to be on their way to or from the Shimanami Kaido, the expressway that connects the two major Japanese islands of Shikoku and Honshu. But this city of 170,000 inhabitants deserves to be more than just a pit-stop. Here are five things worth doing while in Imabari.

If there’s something such as a signature dish for Imabari, it has to be Yakibuta Tamago Meshi. It consists of a bowl where slices of pork are placed on rice, and topped with two fried eggs, a secret sauce and a healthy dose of pepper. This dish was invented by a Chinese restaurant in Imabari, and is definitely better than the sum of its parts might suggest. We highly recommend that you give it a try if you can. Today, Yakibuta Tamago Meshi is served at several different places all over town. During our visit, we went to Hakurakuten located about ten minutes from Imabari station. Despite visiting during the peak lunch hours, the line outside wasn’t so bad.

Have Yakibuta Tamago Meshi

Hakurakuten Imabari Main Store

4.0

108 Reviews

Ehime Imabari-shi Tokiwacho 4-1-19

0898237292

[Lunch] 11:00-15:00 (LO 14:3…

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Imabari is a very bicycle friendly town as it is one of the endpoints of the Shimanami Kaido bicycle route. Even if you don’t plan to traverse the entire route all the way to Onomichi, some 70 km away, we highly suggest that you rent a bike at one of the many bicycle rental shops located in town and explore the surrounding areas on two wheels, especially along the coastline towards the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge.

Rent a bike

Imabari produces some of the most well-regarded towels in all of Japan. The company known as Imabari Towel even runs a “museum” dedicated to their own towels. While we would argue that this is more of a glorified souvenir shop rather than a cultural institution, we still think it might be worth a visit if you happen to find yourself in Imabari. Its location is somewhat inconvenient though, so if you’re short on time you can just grab some towels as souvenirs at one of the many shops in town instead.

Shop for towels

The Towel Museum

3.5

250 Reviews

Ehime Pref. Imabarishi Asakurakami

0898561515

9:30-18:00 * Last entry to …

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Although it is not one of the most famous castles in Japan, this impressive building is well worth a visit if you have some time to spare. Although most of the structures standing on the grounds today are reconstructions, the castle keep and the view from the top of the tower is worth experiencing. Especially if you’re into old weapons and armor, as the replica of the castle keep houses an exhibition on historical warfare material. To get to Imabari castle you can take a bus from the JR station, and get off at the Imabari-jo-mae bus stop.

Visit Imabari Castle

Imabari Castle

4.0

333 Reviews

Ehime Pref. Imabarishi Torichou 3-1-3 Imabari castle management office

0898319233

9:00-17:00

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Hotel Portside Imabari

Toorimachi 1-4-7 Imabari

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The bridge connecting Shikoku to Oshima, one of the islands of the Shimanami Kaido, was completed in 1999 and is the longest suspension bridge structure in the world. It consists of three successive bridges, in total over four kilometers from start to finish. If you’re only planning to do a small part of the Shimanami Kaido to get a feeling for what it’s all about, the trip across this bridge, as well as a trip around the island of Oshima, will provide a good sample.

Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge

Kurushima-kaikyo Bridge

Ehime Prefecture Imabari City - Oshima Between

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