Ozu (大洲)

Map

Getting There

• train
• bus
• car

Best Times to Visit

• spring: Mild weather, cherry blossoms, fresh greenery, and comfortable conditions suit castle, garden, museum, and historic-town visits.
• summer: Cormorant fishing, ayu season, and warm riverside scenery make summer especially rewarding despite humidity and rain.
• autumn: Imotaki runs from late August into mid-October, while chestnuts, freshwater fish, foliage, and comfortable weather enhance the visit.

What's There

• architecture: Wooden castle reconstruction, historic villas, preserved townhouses, and traditional streetscapes showcase distinctive Japanese architectural heritage.
• castle: Ozu Castle is a historically reconstructed wooden castle with surviving important cultural-property turrets.
• cherry blossoms: Castle grounds and riverside areas provide seasonal spring blossoms and attractive heritage scenery.
• culture: Historic town walks, traditional cuisine, cormorant fishing, and preserved customs represent Ozu’s living regional culture.
• fishing: Traditional cormorant fishing and freshwater-fish cuisine are closely associated with the Hiji River.
• food: Imotaki, chestnut-and-pork rice, satsuma, ayu, and other regional dishes are central Ozu specialties.
• garden: Garyu Sanso combines refined traditional buildings with a carefully composed riverside garden.
• history: Ozu’s castle-town heritage includes historic buildings, streets, shrines, villas, and long-standing regional traditions.
• market: Pokopen Yokocho and historic-town shopping areas evoke traditional and postwar commercial life.
• museum: Ozu City Museum presents regional history, art, folklore, industry, and natural science.
• nature: The Hiji River, surrounding hills, seasonal landscapes, and riverside scenery are important parts of Ozu’s appeal.
• park: Castle grounds and nearby green spaces provide scenic settings for walking and heritage exploration.
• river: The Hiji River shapes Ozu’s scenery, cuisine, cormorant fishing, riverside gatherings, and historic development.
• sake: Local sake is part of Ozu’s regional food culture and reflects the area’s water and agricultural traditions.
• shrine: Mitsukue Shrine and other religious sites contribute to Ozu’s historic townscape and cultural heritage.
• views: Ozu Castle and Garyu Sanso offer notable views over the Hiji River, hills, gardens, and historic cityscape.

Specialties

• Ozu Imotaki (大洲のいもたき): Imotaki is Ozu’s traditional taro hot pot, made with local taro, fried tofu, konnyaku, shiitake mushrooms, and chicken in a soy-based broth. It is traditionally enjoyed at riverside gatherings along the Hiji River, especially in autumn.
• Tonkuri Mabushi (とんくりまぶし): Tonkuri Mabushi is an Ozu specialty rice bowl topped with pork and locally grown chestnuts. It can be eaten as a rice bowl or finished with dashi to create an ochazuke-style dish.
• Satsuma (さつま): Satsuma is a traditional dish from Ozu’s Kawabe area made with grilled amago trout, barley miso, broth, and rice. It reflects the freshwater-fish cuisine associated with the Hiji River basin.
• Ayu Sweetfish (鮎): Ayu is a locally valued freshwater fish associated with the clear waters of the Hiji River. It is used in Ozu cuisine, including the broth traditionally used for imotaki.
• Iyo Sake (伊予の地酒): Ozu’s local sake is produced by brewers in the river’s upper reaches and is presented as part of the city’s regional food culture. The local brewing tradition is linked to the quality of the surrounding water and agricultural region.