Moopon

1. Once visitors exit immigration and customs at Kansai Airport, visitors will be on the 1st floor. Follow the signs for “Railways”, taking one of the 4 escalators or 3 elevators to arrive at the 2nd floor.

2. Once on the 2nd floor, follow the signs to one of several walkways and walk across the road to Kansai-airport Station. Visitors need to exit the air terminal building to arrive at the JR Station (two separate buildings connected by a walkway). Two train companies use Kansai-airport Station: JR (blue/green) and Nankai (orange). Only JR can take visitor to the platform Haruka departing from. DO NOT use Nankai.

3. Before entering tickets gate, find JR Ticket Office where visitors can purchase ticket or reserved ticket for JR train.(there is a huge sign in English above their head).JR ticket office staff may or may not speak English, but they can read place names and train types written in the Roman alphabet. 

4. With one’s tickets, go through JR ticket gate and take an escalator to get to Platform 4.

The city of Ozu grew as a castle town during the Edo Period (1603-1867). Like many other cities, the city experienced a period of westernization during the Meiji Period (1868-1912). Today, the old town around the city center retains an atmosphere reminiscent of bygone decades, with nostalgic stone-paved alleys and quaint houses of both Edo and Meiji Period architecture. Although they are not open to the public, many old merchant houses and samurai residences remain in the area,

A castle wall lines the river north of the old town for several hundred meters, stretching from Ozu Castle in the west all the way to Garyu Sanso Villa, and reminding of the extent of the castle’s influence during the feudal age. Just south of the walls is the Ozu Redbrick Hall, a remnant of Meiji western architecture. The building functions as a gallery and resting place for tourists was originally a commercial bank.

Access info
Ozu's old town can be accessed in a 20 minute walk from Iyo-Ozu Station. Alternatively, take the city loop bus from the station to Asamoya-mae (あさもや前) bus stop (7 minutes, 100 yen, 1-2 buses per hour), which is located immediately south of the old town.


Omoide Warehouse
It is a small charming museum showcasing retro exhibits from the Showa Period (1926-1989), such as old Coca Cola bottles, household items and toys. The warehouse is part of the Pokopen Yokocho Alley which recreates the ambiance of an arcade in the 1950s. The alley is lined with nostalgic wooden-framed stalls offering small items, desserts, beverages and games. However, the stands are open only on Sundays from April to November and every third Sunday in winter.

Schedule and cost
Hours: 9:30 to 16:30 (Last entry 16:00)
Closed: December 29-31
Admission:200 yen

Ozu Castle (大洲城, Ōzujō) stands on a hill by Hijikawa River in the northwestern part of downtown Ozu. Ozu City (大洲, Ōzu) is located in Ehime Prefecture on the western coast of Shikoku. The city emerged during the Edo Period (1603-1867) as a castle town. The recently reconstructed Ozu Castle stands proudly in the city center as the local icon. The castle has its origins in the 1300s, and it was rebuilt a few times over the years upon destruction by fire, as well as natural and human-caused disasters. The current castle has been reconstructed in phases since the 1950s, and the reconstruction of the main keep was finally completed in 2004.

Different from many other castles that were rebuilt in the last century using ferro concrete, the main keep of Ozu Castle was crafted mainly with wood and traditional construction techniques. That skill added the castle more value. As a result, it looks close to the original castle not only from the outside but also inside. The main keep is flanked by turrets on two sides, an interesting feature that is quite rare among Japanese castles, many of which have just solitary standing main keeps.

Inside the castle buildings, there are exhibits about the history of Ozu, maps about the local topography from past to present, models of the castle, and displays of armors and other items belonging to past feudal lords. Ascending to the top of the four story main keep rewards visitors with good views over the city and the river.

Schedule＆cost
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed: No closing days
Admission:500 yen (castle only), 800 yen (castle and Garyu Sanso)

Access info
Ozu Castle can be accessed in a 20-30 minute walk from Iyo-Ozu Station. Alternatively, take the city loop bus from the station to Ozu Honmachi (大洲本町) bus stop (5 minutes, 100 yen, 1-2 buses per hour), from which the castle is a 5-10 minute walk

Garyu Sanso (臥龍山荘, Garyū Sansō) is a subtle yet outstanding villa located by the river east of Ozu's old town. Ozu City (大洲, Ōzu) is located in Ehime Prefecture on the western coast of Shikoku. The city emerged during the Edo Period (1603-1867) as a castle town. A section of the old town remains today with nostalgic alleys and old-fashioned houses, serving as remembrance both to the days of the Edo Period and the Meiji Period (1868-1912). Its garden incorporates background landscape into itself and offers exquisite combination garden of art and nature. This impressive villa was built around 1907.

Main building; Garyu-in
It is a big, wooden, thatched-roof house. Here there are a few seemingly simple, yet brilliantly conceived rooms. Each room has interesting features, such as elaborately carved transoms, gracefully made lattices, unequally sized tatami mats, tastefully decorated door handles, aesthetically pleasing alcoves and coffered ceilings. One room has a circular window that symbolizes a full moon, while the staggered shelves to its left represent clouds; when the candle on the Buddhist altar behind the window is lit, the window and the shelves resemble a bright moon in the midst of floating clouds.

Garden
Behind the main building is a nice garden, whose strolling path is formed by stone slabs of different shapes and sizes. Within the peaceful surroundings stands Chishi-an, a small tea house that used to be the bathroom of the villa when it was first built. The tea house has a unique squarish entrance elevated above grou.( visitors are not allowed inside.)
At the innermost of the garden stands another thatched-roof house named Furo-an, which utilizes a living tree as one of its pillars. The image of Furo-an resting on stilts above Hijikawa River is celebrated among photography enthusiasts.

On weekends from April through October, tea and a small snack are served here for 400 yen.

Hours and Fees
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed: No closing days
Admission:500 yen (Garyu Sanso only), 800 yen (Garyu Sanso and Ozu Castle)

Access info
Garyu Sanso can be accessed in about a 30 minute walk from Iyo-Ozu Station. Alternatively, take the loop bus from the station to Asamoya-mae (あさもや前) bus stop (7 minutes, 100 yen, 1-2 buses per hour) from which the villa is a five minute walk.