Ehime · MatsuyamaNo.1301★★Open in map →

Botchan Train

historyOff the trail — and worth it

A replica of the Meiji-era steam train that Natsume Soseki put into his novel Botchan, now running on Matsuyama's city tram tracks. A free museum a short walk from Matsuyamashi Station keeps a full-size model of the original engine on show every day.

FromMatsuyamashi Station (Iyotetsu)
About 200 m on footIyotetsu terminal, then a short walk
Botchan Train

Directions ↗

The sweet spot

This is not a hidden sight. Ehime's official tourism site lists it, and it runs on the same tracks as the everyday trams. The thing to plan around is the calendar rather than the crowds: when checked, it ran on weekends and holidays only. On a weekday, the free museum near Matsuyamashi Station is the way to see the engine up close.

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Matsuyamashi Station tram stop光朝 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Botchan Train Museuma gallery in the Iyotetsu head office with a full-size replica of engine No. 1, plus rails and vehicle parts
Matsuyamashi Station tram stopone of the boarding stops, and one of the places where the crew turn the engine round by hand
Engine and carriagesa chimney that puffs water-vapour smoke, and a crew in uniforms modelled on the company's founding years
Dogo Onsen Stationthe hot-spring end of the line, where the engine is turned again for the trip back

How to actually get there

Matsuyamashi Station → Botchan Train Museum (walk east about 200 m; enter through the Starbucks entrance of the Iyotetsu Group head-office building).
Museum → Matsuyamashi Station tram stop (walk back; on weekends and holidays when checked, the Botchan Train boards here).
Matsuyamashi Station → Dogo Onsen (Botchan Train; the crew turn the engine by hand at the end of the run).
Dogo Onsen → Matsuyamashi Station (ordinary city tram).

On foot from Matsuyamashi Station: Matsuyamashi Station is where Iyotetsu's suburban trains start and end. From the station, walk east about 200 metres to the Iyotetsu Group head-office building. The museum is on the ground floor, and Iyotetsu asks visitors to enter through the Starbucks entrance. The Botchan Train itself boards at the Matsuyamashi Station tram stop outside the station.
Back by ordinary city tram: If you ride the Botchan Train to Dogo Onsen, come back on an ordinary city tram bound for Matsuyamashi Station. You do not need to wait for the Botchan Train's own return trip. If you stay into the evening, check the last departure on the board at the stop.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

The Botchan Train is a working replica of the small steam trains that Iyotetsu, Matsuyama's railway company, ran in the Meiji era. Today it runs on diesel and shares the ordinary city tram tracks. It links Dogo Onsen with either Matsuyamashi Station or the stop in front of JR Matsuyama Station. Two sets are in service: one engine pulls two small carriages, the other pulls a single carriage. There is no turntable on the line, so at the end of a run the crew lift the engine on a jack built into it and swing it round by hand.

How to enjoy it

See the museum first, then board at the Matsuyamashi Station stop and ride out to Dogo Onsen. When checked, the museum was open from 7:00 to 21:00, so it fits early or late in the day. Reach the stop a little before departure and you may catch the crew turning the engine.

Background & history

Iyotetsu opened its first line, between Matsuyama and Mitsu, in 1888. Its small steam trains then served the city for about 67 years. In Soseki's novel Botchan, the hero boards one and calls it a train like a matchbox, and the train takes its nickname from the novel. The replica began running in 2001, and in 2016 the company opened a museum on the ground floor of its head office. A staff shortage halted the service from November 2023; it has since returned.

Before you go

Cash: The museum is free. When checked, Iyotetsu and the prefecture's tourism site both gave the Botchan Train fare as 1,300 yen per ride for an adult. Check Iyotetsu's page for the accepted ways to pay before you ride.
Good to know: When checked on 3 October 2026, Iyotetsu's service-status page listed the Botchan Train as running on weekends and public holidays only, and its own page notes a break over the New Year. The service has been suspended for long stretches before, so check the status page on the day. The museum is listed as open every day of the year.
Another way: From JR Matsuyama Station, Iyotetsu lists the JR Matsuyama-ekimae tram stop as a boarding point for the Botchan Train, so you can start the ride there. To reach the museum first, take the loop-line city tram from the same stop to Matsuyamashi Station.
After you get off: From the Matsuyamashi Station tram stop, walk east along the street for about 200 metres to the Iyotetsu Group head-office building, and go in through the Starbucks entrance.