It's only recently that I realized that most of the shops downtown and in the main tourist sections are displaying these posters. They advertise the popular historical television drama Saka no Ue no Kumo ("Clouds above the Hillside"), which is set in Matsuyama. I think it started running a year or two ago and is still ongoing. In fact, once I became aware of the posters, I started seeing other references to this show everywhere around town: on the side of trolleys, at the tourist information center, and at the station for the "ropeway" that goes up to Matsuyama Castle.
Matsuyama Castle is at the top of the mountain in the center of town. We had a good view of this mountain from our hotel room at the Tokyu Inn, though the castle at the top is barely visible in this photo:
The castle itself is very impressive, and has been beautifully restored (many sections had been lost to fire over the years).
There's a very nicely done museum inside the castle, with extensive displays and notes on the history of the castle, its construction, and life in and around it. This is one of the many suits of samurai armor on display; it was owned by one of the Matsudaira feudal lords who commanded Matsuyama.
The views from the top level of the castle tower were, as one might expect, spectacular.
There are quite a few places to get areal views of Matsuyama other than Matsuyama Castle. One, of course, is Dōgo Park, where we caught a lovely sunset a few nights back:
Another is the big ferris wheel inside one of the downtown department stores:
And here's Matsuyama Castle, seen from the top of the ferris wheel:
Aw, I miss you guys!
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