Dogo Onsen Yumeguri

道後温泉湯めぐり (Dogo Onsen Yumeguri) is the bath-hopping stamp rally of Dogo Onsen, in Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku. Dogo is one of the oldest hot springs in Japan, written about for some 1,300 years, and its three public bathhouses all draw the same source water. Pick up a stamp card, soak your way through all three, and you finish with a small souvenir to prove it.

The three baths

• 道後温泉本館 (Honkan): the grand 1894 wooden bathhouse at the heart of Dogo, a designated Important Cultural Property, topped by the Shinrokaku (振鷺閣) drum tower and its white heron (shirasagi, 白鷺) finial.
• 道後温泉別館 飛鳥乃湯泉 (Asuka-no-Yu): the newest bath, opened in 2017, built in an Asuka-period style with interiors that mix Ehime crafts and contemporary art.
• 椿の湯 (Tsubaki-no-Yu): the locals' everyday bath next door to Asuka-no-Yu, plain and roomy.

How it works

1. Pick up a 湯めぐり手形 (yumeguri tegata), the stamp card, at any of the three baths' ticket counters or reception, the tourist information centre, or an affiliated hotel front.
2. Bathe at each facility and collect its stamp.
3. Finish within one month, either the two-bath course (Honkan + Asuka-no-Yu) or all three, and exchange the card for a prize.

Prizes

• All three baths: an Asuka-no-Yu original towel (made just for the rally), plus a Honkan postcard and a small mikan (Ehime mandarin) soap.
• Two baths (Honkan + Asuka-no-Yu): a Dogo Onsen Honkan folding fan.

A bit of Dogo

Legend says the spring was discovered when a white heron was seen healing an injured leg in the warm water, which is why the heron crowns the Honkan to this day. The bathhouse is also tied to Natsume Soseki's novel Botchan, whose hero loved a soak here, and the third floor keeps a "Botchan room". The Honkan even holds the Yushinden (又新殿), the only bathing suite built for the imperial family, open for viewing tours.

Earning the Onsen Oni badge

The Dogo Onsen Yumeguri badge is awarded by Onsen Oni moderators once you've bathed in all three baths. A photo of your stamped 手形, or a set of check-in photos sent through the feedback channel, is enough. There's no time limit on the badge itself.