if you're ever in Matsuyama...
the journal of Michael Werneburg
twenty-seven years and one million words
Tonight I ate pork uterus. We found a superb yakiniku place in Matsuyama, Japan - just around the corner from the main train station (Matsuyama JR). The place is here.
We spent the rest of the day doing tourist things. Up early, we were out the door to the mountain-top castle for a look. We got there by a funny little tourist train that looks like a steam train but actually is both diesel and electric. The castle was well worth the visit despite what turned out to be 35°C weather (which, at 61% humidity, feels like 44°C). We'd previously done the low-land castle in the city of Hiroshima but this was a real treat - it's beautiful and has been lovingly preserved. Then we walked the length of the shoutengai (shopping street) that crosses the city center, and took advantage of some free tickets to the ferris wheel that sits atop a department store. This was the first ride of any kind since the "tower of terror" and my dutiful brain immediately dredged up thoughts of that experience as we got going.
two kids in a ferris wheel gondola
Mari then struck upon the idea of getting to tonight's hotel room, switching into our swimwear, and avoiding the worst of the heat of the day at a national swimming center on the outskirts of town. This worked fantastically - we emerged well-refreshed in the evening - until we fell victim to the damage wrought by the recent typhoon - the return train we were counting on was one of those canceled due to damage somewhere in the system. They're running on limited trains per day it seems. A small price to pay for such a fine day.