Imabari
Imabari is a small city in the northwest part of Ehime Prefecture
It is most known for its towel manufacturing
It overlooks the Setouchi Inland Sea and has beautiful seaside views
Imabari is a small city located in the northern corner of Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku Island. While it’s not really a tourist destination, it’s well known throughout Japan.
How to get there
The main train is Imabari Station. You can get to it from Ehime’s main city of Matsuyama by catching a JR Limited Express train. This is what we did and it took around 40 minutes, and cost under USD $15 each way.
About Imabari
Imabari is most famous for its towel manufacturing. Its climate and water help make it ideal to do just that, and that industry has thrived for over a hundred years.
If you’ve ever used a quality Japanese towel, there’s a high chance that it was made here. A lot of local factories are in the Imabari Towel union, and they have high very standards to which towels can and can’t bear their label of approval.
I also created a video visit Ehime where I spent some time in Imabari:
What we did
Imabari Towel factory visit
The Imabari Towel union is the most famous in Japan. When people hear “Imabari Towel”, they associate it with quality.
I visited Imabari for work - shooting photos of a couple of the local towel manufacturers. It was impressive.
The craft of towel-making is a huge focus as it dates back over a century here. There are several big manufacturers and numerous brands, and in order for them to get the privilege of having the “Imabari Towel’ brand mark, their towels need to go through strict quality checks.
Seeing the back side of all of this, it’s clear that quality is the main focus. In fact, each and every towel goes through human checks.
Each brand is focused on slightly different points, but ones that I like/use are Fil-usine, Kontex [J], Iori, and Olsia.
Ship yard
Another industry that Imabari is known for is ship building. Its biggest ship-building company, Imabari Shipbuilding, dates back over a century and is said to have a the fourth-largest global market share in 2016.
While not a must-see or anything, visiting the central area for these massive ships and seeing things up close was impressive.
As with any trip, checking out some local food and drink spots is recommended. Here are a few.
Where we ate
Umi-no-mieru Cafe
Relaxing cafe with an amazing view.
Umi-no-mieru is a quaint cafe overlooking the Setouchi Inland sea. People go here for many reasons ranging from business meetings to dates, but they’re all here because it has one of the best views in town.
There’s both indoor and outdoor seating, and sipping on a drink while enjoying the clear view of the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge is a great way to escape for a bit.
Daichi-so
Daichi-so is a ryokan (Japanese-style hotel), but it also has a restaurant open to the public.
Positioned on a cliff, the restaurant offers wide views of the Setouchi Inland Sea, overlooking numerous islands as well as the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge.
We went for lunch and they have various teishoku set options, including the local cuisines like taimeishi, which is sea bream fish and rice either steamed together or raw and separate.
Great place to have lunch and enjoy the view.
Matsu Seimen-jo
While the other eating options are for enjoying a meal or drink with a view, this one is for actual locals.
Matsu Seimen-jo specializes in fast food udon. Shikoku, the island that Imabari is on, is known for its udon.
Resembling the more internationally known Marugame, Matsu Seimen-jo also has a cafeteria-like ordering experience. Choose one of several base udon bowls, then choose the sides that you want.
Quick, authentic, and delicious.
Keep in touch:
Visiting the Furano area of Hokkaido in the summer, a popular tourist destination for Japanese