Whether you’re traveling to Shikoku from within Japan or from Asia, Matsuyama Airport is likely to be on your itinerary. Flights to and from this little airport pass over the beautiful island-studded Seto Inland Sea, making it a fitting welcome or farewell to Shikoku.
Within Japan, All Nippon Airways flies to Tokyo-Haneda, Osaka-Itami, and Nagoya-Centrair for connections to flights inside and outside Japan. This is also a good way to enter Shikoku from the three biggest cities on Honshu. Additionally, there are flights to Fukuoka and Kagoshima in Kyushu with Japan Air Commuter, and Naha in Okinawa with ANA.
For links with Asia, Asiana Airlines flies to Seoul-Incheon, while China Eastern Airlines flies to Shanghai-Pudong. The mayor of Matsuyama has also come to an agreement with Taiwan to establish charter flights.
On the ground, getting to and from Matsuyama Airport itself is easy. Iyotetsu runs a limousine bus service between the airport and JR Matsuyama railway station, Matsuyama City railway station, and Matsuyama Tourist Port for rail and ferry links. There’s also a bus to Dogo Onsen for hotels and sightseeing. Most places in Matsuyama can be reached by taxi from the airport for around 2,000 yen. Long-term parking is also available at the airport for a reasonable rate.
As a small, regional airport, taking flights to and from Matsuyama Airport is a relatively pleasant experience. Checking in is quick and painless, and you don’t need to walk miles to get to baggage collection. The airport has a range of comfortable eateries, coffee shops and kiosks, and the large souvenir corner is a great place to stock up on last-minute gifts. There are some fairly bizarre ‘Cool Japan’ offerings to mystify your friends and family with – goods featuring an iconic man with a slice of Swiss roll for a head feature prominently.
If you have time to kill, you can go up the stairs from the waiting area and out onto the roof of the airport, which offers a fine view of the planes landing and taking off.
