GOGOSHIMA ISLAND GUIDE — MATSUYAMA, EHIME
Ten minutes by ferry,
into island time.
Gogoshima Island is a gourd-shaped island floating just off Takahama Port in Matsuyama: emerald-green water, terraced mikan groves and a handful of small shops beside the harbor. It makes a fine day trip, but staying the night is another thing entirely. This is a standing guide to enjoying the island as an overnight guest.
The sea, the mikan groves
and a small port town.
Gogoshima has two ports, Yura and Tomari. Step off the ferry and the village and the sea are right in front of you: an udon shop, a coffee shop, a brewery in an old farmhouse. Island life is packed into a few walkable blocks.
Our advice is not to fill the schedule. Loop the island by bike, or do nothing at all on the beach. We hope this guide helps you find your own way to spend island time.
Six chapters for finding your way.
Access
Getting to Takahama Port, boarding the ferry, and getting around the island.
Model course
A two-day “my kind of island time”, plus a half-day loop by bike.
Island food
Udon topped with hijiki tempura, island coffee, a farmhouse brewery, a café in a closed school.
Dining in
A sushi chef who comes to you, barbecue, party platters, or cooking for yourselves.
Seasons & events
Shima Shikoku, swimming, the Funaodori boat dance, and mikan season.
Frequently asked questions
Shopping, paying, rainy days — the questions that come up before you set off.
My kind of island time
Cross at midday, choose a beer, then cook dinner in the kitchen of your house. We turned one two-day stay into a timetable. Here are the first three stops.
-
11:55
Over to the island on the Gogoshima ferry
Board the Yura Port sailing at Takahama Port. Step out on deck and island time has already begun.
-
15:00
Stop by gogoshima beer farm
Taste a craft beer while you pick out the bottles for tonight. Some of them are only brewed at this time of year.
-
15:30
Check in
The rest of the timetable is on the model course page. An evening stroll and a bowl of island udon are still to come.
Island scenes.
The moments the noticeboards never mention are the ones you remember best.
Five houses and one place to work.
D1 GOGOSHIMA has five houses on the island. Each one is a whole-house rental with its own kitchen. And at all five, Space Gogoshima — the coworking space in front of Yura Port — is yours to use as much as you like while you stay, and the electric-assist rental bikes are free.
The island is best by bike.
Over the rise, along the shore, in between the mikan groves. Stay at any of the five houses and the electric-assist rental bikes are free. Getting around the island costs you nothing.
Free to borrow if you are staying.
The electric-assist bikes kept at Space Gogoshima, the coworking space in front of Yura Port, are free to borrow whichever of the five D1 GOGOSHIMA houses you stay in. The island has plenty of hills, and with a motor they are a pleasure to ride.
YULLAT and Shimayado keep two of their own.
YULLAT and Shimayado each have two bikes at the house, quite apart from the ones at the coworking space. With a bigger group, the bikes at Space Gogoshima are free as well, so everyone can set off together.
MemoNumbers are limited. Just ask at your house or at Space Gogoshima when you would like one.
Stay on the island.
A day trip is selling it short. The quiet harbor in the evening and the sea at first light belong to the people who stay. Choose one of five whole-house rentals and start your own island time.
See the houses