Welcome to Shikoku, one of Japan's 4 main islands.

This time we're in the city of Matsuyama

where I'm going to be … taking a bath.

But it's not just a bath here at historic Dogo Onsen.

Dogo Onsen is Japan's most famous public bath house

with natural hot springs.

So where is Dogo Onsen and Matsuyama?

Shikoku Island

Matsuyama is on the coast of Ehime Prefecture

A scenic ferry ride from Hiroshima or

a 70-minute flight from Tokyo.

Matsuyama Castle is up on the hill

right in the city center.

Just a short tram ride away from here

is Dogo Onsen Station

I'm right down there in front of the Dogo Onsen Honkan

There are loads of attractions here in Matsuyama but

for me, it's all about this

The Dogo Experience

So grab your towel, your yukata and your geta

and let's go!

The best time to go is in the morning.

But before we take a dip in the bath,

let look around the exterior

of this historic and mystical building.

The angles.

The shadows.

The colors.

Every corner has an interesting story to tell.

The back has a fire protected copper roof

which has turned green.

Mostly wood with sliding paper and glass doors.

From day — to night.

Dogo Onsen's exterior is more vibrant

when it's lit up.

At night

it can even get a little spooky.

Never fear. Bath time is here.

Late night bath time at Dogo Onsen!

This is the changing room for men.

I got special permission to film here after hours.

The lockers are free

The key is on a band that goes around your wrist.

In fact, the key is all you'll be wearing.

Here there are amenities like in most public baths.

You can bring your own soap and shampoo

or buy it for a very reasonable price.

We start in the historical TAMA NO YU

or “Bath of the Spirits“ on the 2nd floor.

It's small and requires a pricer ticket

meaning it's less crowded and more private.

It was made for the imperial family members

and their attendants

but now it's for you.

Let's swing over to the ladies KAMI NO YU bath.

It's quite spacious and luxurious

the water spouting from the centre like a fountain.

The tiled art tells the story of Dogo Onsen's history.

And this is the men's general KAMI NO YU bath

where I'll be taking my dip tonight.

so grab a bucket and stool

rinse off

and then get in.

This is the bath.

This is KAMI NO YU.

This is the first bath that people come to

it's open to the general public

without any extra charge

Now the water here is quite deep

deeper than most onsen

If I sit -

It could probably go up to eye level.

Now this water coming out

is natural.

It's coming from the cracks in the earth.

It's been doing that for —

They say for over 3000 years.

You can see on the top a white heron.

The white bird.

The myth goes that the white heron came

here with a broken leg every day

until the waters naturally healed

the heron's leg, and it flew away.

The white heron also known as the Great Egret

is an important symbol of the onsen

highlighting the onsen's healing properties.

It's even on the very top of the building.

I usually stay in the onsen for about 15 minutes.

It was a really special experience to have

the whole bath to myself.

If you want a similar experience

Try going first thing in the morning.

Dogo Onsen opens at 6:00am

to the beat of a taiko drum in the tower.

The first one in gets the bath to themselves.

Just don't expect to be alone for long.

It's usually very crowded by 7am.

Morning and evenings are the busiest times.

This is the general ticket for entrance to the bath only.

You can rent a yukata and have a snack

for an extra charge

which is well worth it for first timers.

Right! So ...

I just finished taking a bath

and I'm here on the 2nd floor lounge area.

It's one big tatami room

with lots of places where people can sit.

and with the course which I purchased

I have a green tea and senbei set

and after soaking in the hot bath

which is about 42 ~ 43°C

being up here on the 2nd floor is great because

you have a cool breeze

coming through the windows

through the openings here.

It feels ...

FANTASTIC!

I love this because

this is a whole experience

it's not just entering the bath

taking a bath, this is

taking a bath, coming up here and relaxing

and completing putting the outside world

in another place

and absorbing

Japan! And absorbing Dogo Onsen and the history.

There's a lot of history, too.

You can't stay the night in this building

but there are loads of ryokan nearby for that.

Visitors come in their hotel yukata

and a basket with their soap and shampoo.

The snack ticket is perfect for those on day trips

who want to get a taste of the experience.

I went upstairs to the 3rd floor to learn more about the onsen

from the manager who is waiting for me

in a private tatami room.

I had loads of questions to ask Shibata-san

starting with this building.

This building is 300 or 400 years old, isn't it?

It seems really old.

This building itself is 122 years old.

Built in 1894.

After renovations and additional construction,

it's what you see now.

On this side it's green — and there, it's black ...

Here (in the back) you can see

the black gradually becomes green

Amazingly, it fits well.

It really does.

The main building is really interesting

to see from the front and probably

from all different angles where you can also see

where the building has evolved

with the new additions over the years.

This building is one building but

when you see it from different angles

it can look like a different building

And that's pretty interesting.

An interesting building like this has

a lot of interesting places.

Shibata-san took me down to the YUSHINDEN

on the east side of the building.

it's reserved for the royal family.

The GYOKUZA NO MA bathroom is used

exclusively for the emperor.

It's interesting to think that the emperor and

the citizens bath in the same house

although he has't been here since 1950.

Maybe it's because of the royal toilet —

No washlet or heated seat here.

Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY animation

Yes!

After seeing it — is there a connection?

I have heard that Hayao Miyazaki had

mentioned Dogo Onsen as one of his inspiration

for the model of the movie.

Of course there was a model of so many building,

but I heard Dogo Onsen was one of them.

I heard it was the building, especially the

KARAHARU wave structure of the roof

at the main building's entrance

and the top of the roof.

You can see where the building's design inspired Ghibli

with the bath house in spirited away.

SPIRITED AWAY won an oscar in 2003

for “Best Animated Feature".

How does Dogo Onsen handle bathers with

Body Art and Tattoos?

I was also surprised to learn that

Japan's oldest onsen is also

tattoo friendly

I feel this is a really are onsen because

tattoos are okay here.

That's right. Tattoos are okay here.

But why here?

At nearly every sent or resort I visited

Bathers with attoos were prohibited.

Tattoos are part of the underworld culture and

and many Japanese citizens fear the sight of them.

So there's a general ban to everyone that's inked.

But how could Japan's oldest and most traditional bath

also be the most welcoming?

Well, different kinds of people come here.

Of course visitors from abroad

and people with tattoos as well

Many types of people visit here

so as part of our hospitality

we decided to welcome all people

even people with tattoos

so everyone can enjoy Dogo Onsen equally.

So there you go!

There's at least one famous onsen for those with tattoos.

You can wear your yukata around the Dogo Onsen streets

where you'll find lots to eat.

Ehime Prefecture is famous for oranges and mikans

and at this shop,

you can get freshly squeezed juice or —

Mikan Beer.

It really hits the spot on those hottest of days.

and then, there's this —

BOCCHAN DANGO

Instead of mochi, it's made from azuki bean paste.

It's named after Soseki Natsume's novel BOCCHAN.

I love the cafe right across form Dogo Onsen

where you can get an amazing view of the building

as well as a cup of matcha,

Matsuyama's famous tart

and a side stick of Bocchan dango.

If you're looking for something harder than tea,

try the Dogo Brewery restaurant across from there.

It serves locally made craft beers —

and food like this plate of

beer infused fried fish paste

which goes great with a brew.

This is my 3rd time to Dogo Onsen

and it certainly won't be my last.

There are many reasons to visit Japan

but if you want to put relaxation in the center

surrounded by history, food and fun —

there are few places better than Dogo Onsen.

See you there.

Next time: Udon Noodle Adventure

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