Ehime with a toddler (2–3) 3 spots
Ehime is citrus country on the Inland Sea. A ropeway climbs the hill to Matsuyama Castle, the wooden bathhouse at Dogo Onsen is one of the oldest in the country, and the orange juice comes out of a tap.
A zoo home to Peace, the first polar bear successfully hand-reared in Japan.
Stroller OK · Nursing room · Changing table · checked Aug ’26
A wooden bathhouse under a drum tower, the first public bath named a national cultural property.
checked Aug ’26
A sea bream rice restaurant in the Dogo arcade, where you build the bowl yourself.
Stroller OK · checked Sep ’26
From the lower parking lot, which holds 300 cars, you walk up to the entrance gate following animal footprints painted on the ground — the hunt starts before you are even inside. At the far end of the zoo, the SKY GARDEN observation restaurant has a 360-degree view over the grounds and looks straight out on the African elephant area, so lunch happens with elephants in front of you. The snack counter next door, Tobemaru Cafe, sells udon noodles, soft-serve ice cream and fries.Feeding starts around 3:30 p.m., and some animals are off view while it goes on. The zoo opens at 9:00 and stops admitting at 16:30, so a morning start gets you around everything. The zoo says the roofed rest areas are for eating, taking a break, and getting out of sudden rain. Children under 6 get in free. It is closed on Mondays, or the next weekday when Monday is a public holiday.
The child rate starts at 2, since child means ages 2 to 11, and the first-floor Kami no Yu bath is 350 yen. With a Kami no Yu second-floor ticket, 1,300 yen for adults and 650 for children, you get the big tatami hall to rest in after the bath; from June to September it hangs reed screens, and it holds up to about 70 people.A Kami no Yu ticket is good for 60 minutes; the third-floor private rooms of Tama no Yu allow 90. The first-floor Kami no Yu cannot be reserved. The second-floor seating is up the staircase at the far left end of the central corridor. Bathing in underwear or a swimsuit is not allowed, though a bathing garment made to cover scars is permitted. Food and drink must not be carried into the bath. No towels are provided for the first floor or second-floor seating of Kami no Yu: rental towels are 110 yen and bath towels 320.
A child this age can eat off one adult portion, and the rice tub holds two bowlfuls with free refills after that. Jako katsu is on the menu too: minced fish and vegetables, breaded and deep-fried, with nothing raw about it.The Uwajima sea bream rice has a raw egg in it as well as the raw fish, which is worth knowing before you order. Ask for a spoon: one visitor was lent one, though the shop lists nothing about kids' tableware.