“Though I can’t justify doing it when guiding others or traveling with compatriots, my favorite type of travel largely involves throwing out the map.” – Old Sean
Serenity Seeking
After spending a full day wandering around Matsuyama, I promised myself one last trip nearby. I specifically wanted to go someplace in the countryside to enjoy a soft-stepped walk.
My favorite option was Uchiko, a small village that was once a prosperous producer of wax and paper production.
As such, the next morning, I got myself a bowl of boar-meat ramen, hefted a nice dose of coffee and departed by train to my chosen destination.
Of course, I timed everything rather poorly, so I ended up in a bright, loud and flashy Japanese dance and video arcade. I wish the United States had a stronger arcade culture. I’m all for the retro places stateside, but those Japanese arcades are something else.
Anyway, on to Uchiko.
Visiting Uchiko
It was chilly, but I was delighted by what I found while walking around.
The scent of bok choy emanated from all the house-side gardens and farms was prevalent on the air. I picked my way to the “Preserved Historic Town” and only passed a couple dozen cars the entire walk.
The old town area was nice enough, with a few tourist shops half-heartedly open. Everywhere, there say pretty, old buildings with distinct, canary orange walls decorating the place.
But after browsing these historical structures, I desired to leave the majority of that behind in the hopes of doing some legitimate hiking.
My opportunity came when I made my way to an obscure temple observation deck under a Japanese name so faded I couldn’t read it.
The great thing about this little gem wasn’t the pretty temple, but the oddly well-maintained trail leading behind it, into the forested mountain. The path had been well-carved, but clearly devoid of recent use as evidenced by the thick layers of autumn leaves settled deeply atop it.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed a long, meandering hike, taking special care to stack stones to mark my path at splits in the trailhead. The trails go back really far and they seem functional, not touristy, meaning that identification was scant and getting lost was a real threat.
Regardless, I enjoyed the hike a lot and one of the trails spat me back out at a water cistern and secondary temple overlooking the city which resulted in excellent views of the train track cutting through the countryside.
Inward Hike
The entire process was an enjoyable one, and I ducked back into Uchiko for other chances to meander.
I eventually made it to Ryuow Park, which is a gem I’d have never expected to find. It has a tower overlooking the sunset, cherry blossoms just beginning to bloom on the riverside-slope, a large baseball field, a dense bamboo grove and, best of all, an adult slide at the top of the mountain.
Now when I say adult slide, I mean a long, sheltered chain of impressiveness gradually going down the staircase proper. This slide is multicolored, different hues indicating slide speed and is composed of a safety cage and a long-long-long string of rollers to “slide” down.
I had a lot of fun.
Return to Matsuyama
Anyway, following my little hike, I saw night was falling and wound my way back to Matsuyama. I’ll always recall Uchiko as a lovely little town, very peaceful.
This night was my last true “vacation night.” I was supposed to end my trip at this stage and scurry back to China to begin work on February 10th. Since my JR rail pass is finished the day after tomorrow, I would have likely lodged myself in Osaka for the duration of the time in Japan.
Except due to the Coronavirus, I don’t have work or lodging readily available to me in China. The country has shut me out and my company is currently discussing my employment.
Meaning the plan has changed and I’ll be scurrying to Vietnam instead.
So until then, best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written February 6th, 2020
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