With our stay over in Matsuyama, it was time to set off to our next city: Imabari. Originally, we wanted to cycle the Shimanami Kaido on the 10th and 11th. However, according to the forecast and greying skies, there was going to be a whole lot of rain hitting the region. Either way, we made our way back to the JR station to catch the limited express train that will take us to Imabari.
The ride was only about an hour. Upon arrival, my initial impressions of Imabari was a quiet countryside city. As we were making our way to our hotel, we noticed a bus stop nearby that was selling tickets that we needed to head back to Honshu (since we weren't doing the cycle anymore). After getting our tickets, we continued looking for our hotel. Skies were quite overcast, and it started to rain ever so slightly. As we were navigating, it seemed we were getting further and further away from hotels. The buildings we were passing by seemed to only be a few stories high. About 400 m away, we noticed a huge tower standing, what seemed to be, in the middle of no where. It turned out that building was our hotel: Imabari Kokusai Hotel.
Normally, I would stay in a business hotel due to them being the most economically friendly. Imabari Kokusai was only about $10-20 more, so we decided to book it back in July. I had to say I didn't expect the hotel to be that grand for only that much extra money. It certainly hits the point that the further away you stay, the more you get for your money. The main lobby was extravagant and the service was by far the best we received during the trip. After dropping off our luggage, since it was too early to check in, we headed out to look for lunch.
Our first destination was the Imabari Towel Head Store. As we walked towards the store, we stumbled across a small restaurant. Despite it being noon, there was not a single soul inside besides an elderly couple watching TV. The man seemed well into his 70-80s with hyper kyphosis (bent back), while the woman seemed to suffer a similar fate. A bit startled, the woman greeted us and led us to a table. We ordered off the menu and waited for our food. In the meanwhile, the woman came back with a bottle of freshly made cold green tea (not typical tea you get at other restaurants). Drinking the tea reminded me of all the time my dad used to brew tea at home. I took in the scenery of the restaurant, which seemed to be molded after a Japanese home. It kind of reminded me of the dining room in the homestay at Yufuin - a homey vibe unlike a commercial restaurant. The decor seemed to be based on the mid 80s or so (or more like my grandparents place in Yamanashi).
Soon after, we received our meals. I got a regular oyakodon (mother and child rice bowl) which consists of tender chicken mixed with egg. I don't think I ever had oyakodon before, but the taste was unimaginably good. Granted, it may have been a bit of bias due to setting, pity for the elderly couple who still need to work at their age (I'm assuming they need to work... could be they just enjoy running a business still), and hunger, but it was by far the best meal I had throughout this trip. I'm not much of a foodie; most meals I had would be classified as bad or good. However, this oyakodon evoked such emotions, with the last event being the oyster and large intestine noodles I had at the night market in Taiwan. I can't really describe it, but it tasted like a home cooked meal. (Which it was.)
After eating, paying and giving our thanks on how good the food was, we headed back on a trek to the head store. The streets were quiet, as we walked through residential areas to get to the store. When we arrived, we were greeted with at least a hundred different varieties of towels. Pricing wasn't too bad either, and I ended up getting towels for my relatives, close family and for my own house. There was a small demonstration in a glass building outside, so we went to check that out after paying. Once we got our fill, we walked across the street to the mall/arcade. We spent some time exploring, while playing some games at the arcade. The mall itself wasn't super modern inside; reminded me of the mall close to my girlfriend's house in Hong Kong with the aesthetics. After spending a few hours there to kill some time, we headed back towards our hotel to go visit the castle.
Being the third castle this trip, I didn't have high hopes for anything remarkably different. I was proven to be wrong as we entered, for they turned the entire castle (or at least the main keep) into a museum with art and artifacts. With nothing else to do, we spend time going over the various exhibits (there was also a mini science centre inside), before heading back to the hotel to check in. Our bags were brought up into our room ahead of time. Sitting down in the plush chairs, we sat and talked for a bit before thinking of what to eat for dinner. In the end, we decided to head back to the elderly couple's restaurant for dinner. As we approached, one patron left. We both ordered an omurice, in which the elderly man got to work. His wife was no where in sight, so he was left to watch the restaurant on his own.
The omurice was good, but not as spectacular as the oyakodon from lunch. For about $5 though, it was a fulfilling meal. I say this now, but if I was living in Imabari, I would stop by more often at this restaurant. As we made our way back, we stopped by a dessert place to pick up some cake and pudding. Feeling that it wasn't "enough", we went to a nearby convenience store to purchase more monaka ice cream.
Compared to the first and third day in Shikoku, it was a relatively laid back day. As I grow older, I'm starting to appreciate days on vacation where I don't try and fit in as many sights/sites as possible.
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