quick tour
Aoshima, Ehime Prefecture, where all cat lovers will want to go
If you like cats, can admit that cats are your masters, have the opportunity to come to Ehime County in Shikoku, and are willing to spend your whole day for cats, there is one place you must not miss - that is In Aoshima, Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku, the legendary Cat Island.
Qingdao can become the legendary cat island, not because of the cats on the cat island, but because you need to have incomparable love and luck for cats when you go to Qingdao, so that you will have the opportunity to visit cats in Qingdao. And no matter if you ask anyone who is planning to go to Cat Island, they will tell you that the reason for the need for love and luck is because Qingdao is so difficult to get there.
Features of Aoshima, Ehime Prefecture
In the past, Qingdao was just like other small islands in Japan, just an ordinary place to live. But as time passed, the number of residents living in Qingdao became less and less, and the number of cats gradually became more cats than humans because there were no foreign enemies, which is what everyone calls Cat Island.
Location of Shikoku Cat Island
Shikoku Cat Island is located in Iyo Nagahama JR Station, Ozu City, Ehime County, Shikoku, a small island 35 minutes offshore - Qingdao (Aoshima/あおしま). From the map, it seems easy to go to Qingdao. You only need to transfer to the passenger ship to Qingdao at Iyo Nagahama JR Station in Ozu City. Basically, there is no difficulty.
But because passenger ships are the only means of transportation to Qingdao, not everyone who plans to set off to Qingdao can successfully land on the island to visit cats.
How to get there from Aoshima, Ehime Prefecture
Also because the passenger ship is the only means of transportation connecting Qingdao and Iyo-Nagahama JR Station, so to successfully board Qingdao to visit cats, you must be able to set foot on the passenger ship of "Qingdao Shipping" to Qingdao. However, the passenger ships going to Qingdao are easily affected by factors such as weather, wind and waves, and maintenance. They do not operate every day, so even if they are local Japanese, not everyone who plans to go to Qingdao will be able to board in the end. Qingdao.
Qingdao Shipping now provides 2 passenger ships departing from Iyo Nagahama to Qingdao Seaport every day, departing at 08:00 in the morning, arriving at Qingdao Seaport at 08:35, and departing at 14:30 in the afternoon and arriving at Qingdao Seaport at 15:05.
"Qingdao Shipping" scheduled sailing schedule
Traveling to Qingdao requires a love of cats
For tourists who usually travel to Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku, staying in a hotel in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture is the most normal thing, because it is convenient to visit the main tourist attractions. But it is also because the accommodation is arranged in Songshan City, visiting cats in Qingdao requires love for cats and luck to succeed.
If you want to successfully board Qingdao to visit cats, you first need to successfully board the passenger ship of Qingdao Shipping, which is the departure at 08:00 in the morning, or the departure at 14:30 in the afternoon. But sometimes due to the influence of weather, wind and waves, it may be:
- Departures departing at 08:00 am and departing at 14:30 pm (best case)
- Only departures at 08:00 am, not departures at 14:30 pm (common cases)
- Departures at 08:00 am can stay until the afternoon
- Departs at 08:00 am, but only stays for 10 minutes (common case)
- All flights suspended for the whole day (worst case)
More importantly, because the local weather changes very quickly, it is true that "Qingdao Shipping" cannot fully guarantee you the passenger ship schedule tomorrow. Therefore, most of the cat slaves who intend to go to Aogo will try their luck and try their best to seize every opportunity to go to Qingdao - arrive at the location of the boat at Iyonagabin Harbor before 08:00 in the morning, and hope to take the boat before 08:00 in the morning You can also take the flight at 14:30 in the afternoon.
But here lies the problem, because the location of hotels for general tourists is not Ozu City near Iyo Nagahama Harbor, but tens of kilometers away, the city center of Ehime County – Matsuyama City. The point is that it takes 1 hour and 23 minutes by car from Matsuyama City to Iyo Nagahama JR Station.
Train schedule from JR Matsuyama to Iyonagahama
That is to say, if you want to successfully board the passenger ship to Qingdao at 08:00 am, you must first ensure that the weather is good and the passenger ship can depart, and then you must arrive at Iyo Nagahama Station before 08:00 am. There is only one way to get to Iyo Nagahama Station, that is, you need to successfully take the JR train departing from Matsuyama Station at 05:51 in the morning. After 1 hour and 23 minutes, there is no delay.
In addition, you also need to ensure that you can get up early, you will not miss the JR train at 05:51, and you will not mistakenly take the JR train departing to other places before 05:51 in the morning because you have not woken up.
Because only the train at 05:51 can send you to Iyo Nagahama Station on time before 08:00, so that you can catch up with the passenger ship of "Qingdao Shipping" at 08:00.
After a series of competitions of luck and fate, you will find that you have finally arrived at the boarding place of "Qingdao Shipping".
Seeing a cat requires fate
The passenger ship of "Qingdao Shipping" was originally provided to Qingdao residents as an exclusive means of transportation between Qingdao and Dazhou City, and residents have the priority to use it. Although there are not many residents living in Qingdao now, the space of passenger ships is limited, and sometimes not all passengers who want to go to Qingdao can board the ship. This is the first step to test your fate with cats. The second step is to look at the weather. Sometimes even if you can board the boat and set off for Qingdao, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can visit the cat for a whole day. Because in bad weather, the passenger ship of "Qingdao Marine Transport" will only tell you before departure that it will only stay in Qingdao for 10 minutes today, and then return to Iyonagahama Port.
In other words, you managed to board the JR train at JR Matsuyama Station at 05:51 to Iyo Nagahama Station, and then finally boarded the passenger ship "Qingdao Kaiyun" at 08:00 am, and arrived at 08:35 am Qingdao seaport, but because of the bad weather, the captain needs you to return to the passenger ship at 08:45 am, and then return to Iyo Nagahama Station at 09:20 am with the residents who plan to depart from Qingdao, and then there will be no passenger ship in the afternoon Go to Qingdao again.
This concludes your visit to cats in Qingdao.
Preparations before departure to Cat Island
Also because there are a lot of uncertainties in going to Qingdao, different plans must be prepared before departure.
Assuming that you successfully boarded Qingdao to visit cats
When visiting a cat, if you want to successfully take pictures with the cat, you must have the food and toys that the cat likes. These can be found in department stores and supermarkets near JR Matsuyama Station. But what is more important than cat food and toys is because Qingdao is now only residential, and there are no shops in Qingdao. So the day before departure to Qingdao, it must bePre-purchase food, drinks, and sunscreen(or cold protection items), withPrepare to stay in Qingdao for more than 6 hours.
If you set off without preparing enough resources for yourself, in addition to affecting your body, it may also cause inconvenience to local residents, which is what the Japanese often say "confuse"!
Suppose you can't board Qingdao
As I said just now, being able to board a passenger ship to Qingdao requires luck. Even local residents cannot guarantee that they will be able to board Qingdao to visit cats every time they set off. So it is worth adding a backup plan to Qingdao's itinerary to visit cats.
Shimo Nada Eki
The characteristic of Shimonada Station is that it is one of the unmanned stations closest to the sea in Japan. It can take very beautiful photos at sunset when the weather is good. It is also a recommended attraction that often appears in Japanese travel magazines.
The method to get to Shimonada Station is very simple, just take the JR train from Iyo Nagahama Station back to Matsuyama City, and get off at Shimonada Station.
Although the scenery at Xiatan Station is very beautiful, it can probably make up for the regret of not being able to visit cats in Qingdao.
However, it should also be noted that there are very few trains passing through Iyo-Nagahama Station and Shimonada Station on the Pre-San Line, about one train per hour, or longer. If you need to wait an extra hour at Xiatan Station for the next JR train to take a few photos, you must first consider whether it is worth it.
Imabari いまばり
If the weather is really bad and you cannot go to Qingdao to visit cats, it is also a good choice to immediately convert the itinerary to a railway tour.
Imabari is a place that produces high-quality Japanese towels, and Imabari happens to be one of the stations on the Aizan Line. From JR Matsuyama Station to JR Imabari Station, it only takes 1 hour and 7 minutes to take the JR train.
Suppose you come back from Qingdao at 09:20 in the morning, and you have exactly 10 minutes to visit the cat in Qingdao. You can take the JR train at 10:14 from Iyo Nagahama Station to JR Matsuyama Station, arrive at JR Matsuyama Station at 11:13, then buy a small amount of drinks and food at JR Matsuyama Station, and then transfer to depart from Matsuyama at 11:23 The train to Imabari then arrives at Imabari JR station at 12:01.
Since the entire pre-zan line is connected to the Linhai Tram, even if you cannot go to Qingdao due to bad weather, the scenery along the way is actually very beautiful. So even if you can’t go to Qingdao to visit the cats, it’s still a good travel experience to enjoy the scenery of the Linhai Tram on the Prezan Line, buy some high-quality towels as souvenirs in Imabari, and then go shopping in Matsuyama City.
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Recommended accommodation to Cat Island
As I said just now, if you want to successfully board the "Qingdao Marine" passenger ship at 08:00 in the morning, you must take the train departing from Matsuyama JR Station at 05:51 on time.
To achieve the above goals, you must be very conservative when choosing accommodation in Ehime Prefecture. It is best to live instation platform…No, it should be a hotel near the station (laughs).
Although there are many hotels to choose from in Matsuyama City, when considering the need to board the JR train at 05:51, that is, you need to buy tickets, breakfast, and arrive at JR Matsuyama Station before 05:40. In order to minimize the risk, the safest way must be to arrange the location of your hotel near the station, so that you can jump on the JR train and start off as soon as you get up.
Hotels near JR Matsuyama Station
Therefore, when booking accommodation, you should book accommodation near JR Matsuyama Station, such asTerminal Hotel MatsuyamaThis one happens to be the closest hotel to the station. You don't need to cross the road, you only need to walk 100 meters to JR Matsuyama Station.
AlthoughTerminal Hotel MatsuyamaThe quality of the rooms is a bit old, and the design is still in the 90s, but the room rate is very cheap. And in terms of location, and considering the convenience of starting to visit cats, for a person who wants to become a cat slave, basically the quality of the room and the price are probably not the key points, because he can catch the JR train at 05:51 on time and successfully Visiting cats is the most important point!
Click the link to claim the limited-time discount offer: Pre-OrderTerminal Hotel Matsuyamaaccommodation plan
Check-In/Check-Out: 15:00 / 10:00
Address: 〒790-0066 Miyata-cho 9−1, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture
Tel: +81899475388
Breakfast arrangements for departure to Cat Island
when booking a roomIt is not necessary to book the plan including breakfast at the same time, because of the need to start early in the morning, basically there is no time to eat breakfast in the hotel. In terms of breakfast arrangements, it is highly recommended that you prepare breakfast the night before.
However, even if you forget to buy it, it doesn’t matter, because there will be a convenience store near JR Matsuyama Station, which allows you to quickly make up for breakfast. But because it is not open 24 hours, it will not open until about 05:45, and the types of goods are all in stock that cannot be sold out until yesterday, so it is not necessarily guaranteed that there will be enough goods for you to buy at 100%.
To put it simply, if you really forgot to prepare breakfast in advance, you must arrive at the convenience store before 05:45, and then complete the purchase and payment within 3 minutes. It is exactly 05:48 at this time, and you still have 3 Run to the train platform in minutes, and board the train before the JR train departs at 05:51. Absolutely need to be full of luck to be able to succeed, soThis approach is highly not recommended.
A suitable backup accommodation plan for Qingdao
if unfortunatelyTerminal Hotel MatsuyamaIf there is no room available, you can also try to make a reservationHotel New Kajiwara, though not likeTerminal Hotel MatsuyamaIt's so close, but it's just across from JR Matsuyama Station, and it's only a 4-minute walk to JR Matsuyama Station. In terms of location, it is also a suitable alternative accommodation plan. After all, the most important thing is to be able to board the JR train that will take you to Cat Island on time!
Things to keep in mind when visiting Cat Island
Respect the locals and cats when boarding Qingdao
Although going to Qingdao to visit cats is a very special itinerary experience, there are still many places to pay attention to on Cat Island, especially Qingdao is originally a place where local residents live, and the passenger ships of "Qingdao Shipping" are the priority transportation for residents tools, so when visiting cats, the first condition should be not to disturb the lives of residents.
In addition, because most of the residents in Qingdao are related to the elderly, there are no food, drinks, and trash cans on the island, so when you leave for Qingdao, you must be prepared for your own needs and not for the local residents. cause trouble.
In addition, what Qingdao residents have always emphasized is that Qingdao is not a tourist place in the first place, and it is common for passenger ships to stop sailing due to strong winds and high waves. When the residents themselves have no boats to take, they should not complain as tourists, but should prioritize the safety of the captain and residents, and then arrange other itinerary attractions by themselves.
Don't take the wrong station when departing from Matsuyama
As long as the hotel you booked isTerminal Hotel MatsuyamaIf so, the chances of you going to the wrong station are of course very low.
But if the hotel you booked is another hotel in the Matsuyama area, you must be careful when you go to the Matsuyama JR station in the morning, and don’t go wrong because you are too nervous.Iyo Railway JR Matsuyama Ekimae Station! Because there is a circular streetcar in Matsuyama City, it cannot take you to Iyo-Nagahama JR Station. Never wait there until 06:00, and then realize that you have missed the JR train that originally departed for Iyo-Nagahama JR Station. It will be too late to regret it by then.
Worth arranging to stay in Songshan for 2 days or more
As I said at the beginning, even "Qingdao Haiyun" cannot tell you the weather tomorrow in advance, so the chances of failing to visit cats are very high.
So if you come to Ehime Prefecture – the purpose of Matsuyama is to be a slave to cats, staying at Matsuyama Station for 2 days or more is the best itinerary. In addition to improving the chances of successfully landing in Qingdao, in fact, the Dogo Hot Springs, Young Master Train, Ehime Satsuma, etc. in Matsuyama City are actually good itinerary experiences. And these itineraries take a whole day to be enough, and don't worry about wasting time because you stay at Songshan Station for an extra day.
Prepare a Shikoku JR Pass
In addition to arranging a trip to Qingdao to visit cats, I believe you will also go to Ehime Prefecture and other scenic spots in Shikoku. If you will stay in the Shikoku area for more than 3 days, it is highly recommended to use the JR Pass in the Shikoku area. The reason is that the JR Pass in the Shikoku area is very cheap. Taking the 3-day JR Pass as an example, the average daily cost is only about ¥4,000. The daily cost of the 7-day JR Pass is only about ¥3,000. Basically, as long as you go back and forth from Matsuyama JR Station to Iyo Nagahama JR Station once, you can already recover most of the cost of a JR Pass.
The way to buy JR Pass is to buy tickets at the station after arriving in Shikoku, or use the one provided by KlookShikoku JR Pass Purchase Benefits, Compared with buying tickets on the spot, you can get an additional discount of about 5%. It is very suitable for some passengers who have decided to plan the entire Shikoku itinerary.
Itinerary after leaving Cat Island
In addition to Qingdao in Shikoku Ehime County, there are actually many different scenic spots in Matsuyama City that are worth visiting. You will find out more in a later timeShikoku Tourist Information, please pay close attention!
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