Dōgo Onsen

Dōgo Onsen (道後温泉^?) is a hot spring in the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan.

Dōgo Onsen is one of the oldest onsen hot springs in Japan, with a history stretching back over 1,000 years. The springs are mentioned in the Man'yōshū (written c. 759), and according to legend Prince Shōtoku (574–622) used to partake of the waters.

Dōgo Onsen was the favorite retreat of writer Natsume Sōseki (1867–1916) when he was working near Matsuyama as a teacher in what was at the time rural Shikoku. In Soseki's loosely autobiographical novel Botchan, the eponymous main character is a frequent visitor to the springs, the only place he likes in the area.

Modern haiku poet Masaoka Shiki (1867–1902), a noted critic of Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694), was a resident of Dōgo Onsen. His poems are prominently inscribed in many places around town.

The present building of the Dōgo Onsen public bath was organized by Dogo Yunomachi mayor Isaniwa Yukiya and built in 1894. Built on three levels for maximum capacity, the baths remain popular and are usually crowded at peak times, such as in the early evening before dinner.

While Dōgo is largely engulfed in the suburban sprawl of modern-day Matsuyama, the area around Dōgo retains the feeling of a resort town, with guests from all over the country wandering the streets in yukata robes after their bath. Dōgo is easily accessible from central Matsuyama by tram, and has regular bus services to and from both the air and ferry ports. It is also one of few public onsen's in japan that allow people with tattoo's to enter as they want people from other countries to feel welcome rather then rejection.

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