East Asia · Japan

Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama

Cultural Half day difficulty: Easy with kids: yes

One of the oldest hot-spring bathhouses in Japan, a three-story wooden building with a tower and curved roofs that looks like it stepped out of another time. People walk in with their towel to bathe in hot water as they have for centuries.

The pop wink

This wooden bathhouse is often mentioned among the inspirations for the building in Spirited Away. The studio didn't confirm it as the only model, but its tower and hallways strongly evoke the film's bathhouse.

With kids

Look up at the wooden building with its tower and its clock
Sense the air of the Spirited Away bathhouse in every hallway
Stroll in a yukata, the light cotton robe, through the little streets
Watch the steam rise from the hot springs at dusk

Accessibility: All ages; there are family baths — it helps to learn the onsen rules

With family

Take a hot-spring bath as a family, respecting the local customs
Have tea and a sweet in the rest room after the bath
Ride the old tram that connects to the center of Matsuyama
Talk about why in Japan the bath is a ritual, not a rush

Full listing, routes and recommendations at Mi País — Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama. ← All destinations