So in my last video, Sherry Norm and I were riding on the Iyonada Monogatari train
through Shikoku! We got on at Matsuyama and we arrived here at Yawatahama
There's lots of neat things to see in this area
So today I'm going to show you guys around!
Yawatahama is a port city, located in the south western part of Ehime Prefecture
It's famous for having the largest fish market in the Shikoku region
We are at the michi no eki, called Minatto in Yawatahama
This is a really large michi no eki (roadside station)
I love michi no eki, there is always so much to see
You can try some of the popular local foods of each city when you go to them
and there's usually tourist information centers
washrooms, vending machines...
All that kind of stuff that you need when you're going on a road trip
We decided to rent some electric bikes to ride around town
I think these are an awesome option if you want to see as many things as possible
and you have a limited amount of time
Especially if it's the summer time in Japan, which is very humid and hot
So having the nice breeze while you're riding is a bonus
All right, here we go!
I've got my electric bike turned on now
So now when I pedal...
It gives me a boost of power
It's on medium power right now
But if I put it on max power
it's so easy to ride!
Minimum effort and I can go the speed that I would be going if I was pedalling full blast
So it's pretty cool! I'm liking this electric bike!
Stop #1 was Wakamatsu Flag Shop where they specialize in dying fabrics
The couple that works at the shop was so kind
They sat down with us and explained all the techniques that they use for dying their fabrics
It was really neat to find out that they are very committed to using
the same traditional techniques that were used hundreds of years ago
Take a look at this
Oh it's made from paper?
Oh you know what it's made of?
I'm not positive
It's WASHI! (traditional Japanese paper)
This one has been well used
Newer ones are stiff like this one
Oh wow I can't believe it's washi
They have interchangeable tips
All different sizes
You can change the size depending on the project
The glue we use is made from mochi rice
We make glue from it
Then we add the rice bran
On top of the areas where we've applied the glue
That's so cool
I didn't know that!
I'm surprised to hear it's all made from rice!
We were starting to get hungry
So we stopped by Miyagawa Sweets Shop
which is a traditional Japanese sweets shop
They have lots of colourful and beautifully designed sweets
But this one is their signature sweet, the usukawa manjyuu
I was attracted to the pink coloured warabi mochi
So that's what I went with
And I was not disappointed, these were so freaking delicious guys!
I really recommend them
It was time to return our bikes
So we decided to do a little souvenir shopping in the market
Wow those are some cheap eggplants
80 yen and they're huge!
Oh my god...
That's a great price!
Look at these jellies that they're selling here
This one has a full mandarin orange in it
And this one has a full... tomato!
That... I... why???
Ehime is famous for mikan, so you will see lots of fresh mikan juices
They sell the usual souvenirs like keychains, postcards, magnets
But what I thought was really cool is they had this small corner of the store
where they were selling handmade crafts!
Crafts that the locals had made, and they brought to the shop to sell
and there were lots of really original things there
Lots of local items
Hand-woven slippers
Lots of pretty and super Japanese stuff that would make a great souvenir
One of my favourite memories from Yawatahama
was one of the guys who was working at the shop, came up and gave us these!
They're handmade out of this grass
Are these not the most amazing thing ever!?
I was holding them walking through the station...
and this lady thought they were real bugs and jumped back!
It was pretty funny
It's time to end our lovely day in Yawatahama
If you guys would like to see more videos from our trip, I will link my friends Sherry and Norm below
If you enjoy these travel videos please give me a thumbs up to let me know!
and I'm going to leave you guys with this beautiful view from our train
Thanks for watching and I'll see you again soon, bye!!