Page 233 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Japan

SHIK OKU  231

of fireworks launched from
an islet in the river.
E Garyu Sanso
Open daily. &

0 Uwajima
Uwajima
Ehime prefecture. * 89,000. £
n 1 min from stn (0895) 22-3934.
Uwajima, a harbor town with a
Stage of the historic Kabuki Theater in Uchiko castle, old temple district, and
mountain setting, is probably
8 Uchiko However, whereas it could best known for its bullfighting,
Uchiko be argued that Kyoto offers conducted on a system with
well-preserved relics of Japan’s ranks modeled on Sumo
Ehime prefecture. * 20,000. £ past, Ozu offers a past that is wrestling. The bull fights are held
n Uchiko (0893) 44 3790.
∑ we-love-uchiko.jp still alive. The riverfront is on six days each year, but a video
lined by quaint, narrow presentation is available year-
Located in a small valley where streets of tile-roofed bars and round at the Shiei Togyu-jo.
the Oda River splits into three restaurants with sliding wood The Taga-jinja shrine has
branches, the town of Uchiko is shutters. A riverside villa called famously sexually explicit
famous for its historic Garyu Sanso, built in 1907, statues and other objects
Kabuki theater, the is one of the most associated with fertility.
Uchiko-za, and its spectacular
sloping street of buildings. On P Shiei Togyu-jo
two-story wooden the river itself, Open Mon–Fri for video; bullfights
buildings with shallow-bottomed Jan 2, 1st Sun of Apr, Jul 24, Aug 14,
whitewashed walls, skiffs shunt 4th Sun of Oct. &
tiled roofs, and broad cormorant fishermen
fronts. In 1982 the back and forth Environs
govern ment moved Handmade through the river Uwajima is best appreciated as
to ensure the umbrellas, Uchiko breezes. Traditional a hopping-off spot for trips by
preservation of these culture is still the car, bus, or boat to the nearby
structures, which date from the norm in Ozu, where raw silk, islands and coastal areas. In
mid-19th century. Several are dairy products, and vegetables the mountains northwest of
open to the public, and others form the basis for the local Uwajima, just off Route 320, the
function as craft shops and economy. The town’s restau- Nametoko Gorge is noted for
restaurants. The area is often rants serve fish and eel its waterfall and fine views.
used for location shooting of caught in nearby rivers.
historical dramas for film and The panorama of seasonal } Nametoko Gorge
television. A quaint touch is the change is especially vivid in n Uwajima bus from JR Uwajima Stn
steam locomotive preserved in the wooded hillsides of Ozu. to Nijinomori Koen bus stop, then taxi
front of the station. August is marked with a festival to Nametoko.
F Uchiko-za
Open daily. &

9 Ozu

Ehime prefecture. * 50,000. £
n at JR stn (0893) 24-2111.
_ Kawa Matsuri Hanabi Taikai (River
Festival Fireworks, Aug 3–4).
A castle town built where the
Hiji River snakes in an S-curve
through a valley rimmed by
picturesque bluffs, Ozu is
known to insiders as the “little
Kyoto” of Ehime prefecture. Grave markers in the old temple district of Uwajima

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