By bus
Highway buses connect Matsuyama with the rest of Shikoku, as well as with other major cities in Japan. The following buses are operated by JR Shikoku Bus (http://www.jr-shikoku.co....) Japanese website and affiliated JR bus companies.
Within Shikoku, the Botchan Express bus runs multiple times per day from Takamatsu 2 3/4 hours, ¥3900, while the Nangoku Express offers six daily round-trips from Kochi 2 3/4 hours, ¥3500 and the Yoshinogawa Express offers service to/from Tokushima 3 1/4 hours, ¥4300.
The interestingly-named Madonna Express bus service runs six daily round-trips between Matsuyama and Okayama 3 hours, ¥4300.
From Osaka and Kobe, service is offered on the Matsuyama Express Osaka bus. Eight daily round-trip buses during the day from Osaka and Sannomiya Bus Terminal 5 3/4 hours from Osaka, ¥6700. One round-trip bus runs overnight, starting from Kyoto station 8 1/4 hours, ¥7000 and stopping at Osaka and Sannomiya along the way.
The Olive Matsuyama bus service operates overnight between Nagoya and Matsuyama, via Tokushima and Takamatsu 10 1/4 hours, ¥10,000.
Overnight buses are offered from Tokyo on the Dream Takamatsu-Matsuyama service 10 1/4 hours, ¥12,000; ¥14,300 for Premium Seats.
Iyo Tetsu Bus operates similar services in competition with those listed above, at similar prices. It should be noted, though, that Iyo Tetsu's overnight services make pickup and dropoff stops directly at Dogo Onsen see below. Both Iyo and JR buses make stops at the Okaido arcade, from which Dogo Onsen is a short, convenient journey by tram.
Iyo Tetsu Bus also offers an overnight bus to Matsuyama from Fukuoka and Kitakyushu 10 hours from Fukuoka, ¥8000.
Willer Express (http://willerexpress.com/en) operates buses from Matsuyama to Kobe, Osaka and Tokyo. Online bookings are available in English.
By plane
Matsuyama Airport MYJ, â +81 089-972-5600, . Nonstop service from major airports such as Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya Komaki, Osaka Itami and Fukuoka, as well as from Okinawa. There are also direct flights to and from Seoul and Shanghai. The Limousine Bus connects the airport to DÅgo Onsen, running at 20 minute intervals ¥450 via JR Matsuyama Sta ¥300. edit
By train
Matsuyama is on the JR Yosan Line. From the mainland, take the San'yo Shinkansen to Okayama, and transfer to the Shiokaze Limited Express, which will get you to Matsuyama in about three hours ¥6630.
The Ishizuchi Limited Express connects Matsuyama with Takamatsu on the eastern end of Shikoku 2 1/2 hours, ¥6010. The Uwakai and a few other limited express services run to Uwajima 75 minutes, ¥3410. Many limited express trains in Shikoku combine or divide with others at certain stations, so be sure you're in the correct part of the train.
The Sunrise Seto overnight train from Tokyo departs at 10PM. It goes to Sakaide ååº station, the first stop after crossing the long Seto-Ohashi bridge, and the station before Takamatsu. After a 40-minute wait during which you can get a bite to eat, take the Ishizuchi limited express to Matsuyama, arriving at 10AM. The Sunrise Seto is one of the few overnight trains in Japan with a shower on board. You can use the shower for a small fee, or for no charge, depending on your accommodation type. But if you don't like being limited to six minutes of water, just plan an early visit to DÅgo Onsen! Note that during holiday periods, the Sunrise Seto runs directly to Matsuyama after reversing direction at Takamatsu.
If you have a Japan Rail Pass, all travel on JR trains is covered except for room accomodations on the Sunrise Seto. If you are traveling a long distance to reach Matsuyama, you can choose to simply split up your journey, stopping at an intermediate destination en-route in order to sleep somewhere. For example, on a trip from Tokyo to Matsuyama you could leave Tokyo in the evening on the Shinkansen and make your way to Osaka or Himeji to spend the night. The next morning you can continue to Okayama to connect to the Shiokaze train.