Matsuyama

"This Is What a Tourist Town Should Feel Like": Is Dogo Onsen Worth It, According to Japanese Locals

The most-liked comment on a Japanese food crawl through Dogo Onsen — 2,663 likes — is not about food at all: "It just feels like a tourist town done right. I've seen so many oversaturated tourist spots lately that I'm honestly happy a place like this exists." The reply under it (251 likes) names the places it is aiming at: Omicho, Atami, Yokohama Chinatown. More than 40 commenters introduce themselves as Ehime residents, and the case they build is about price rather than food — a tourist strip that never learned to gouge. There are reservations too: the mikan juice really is expensive, Shikoku is a long way from anywhere, and there is one bath locals quietly switch to when the Honkan is full.