Day 0 – 9 October 2025, Thursday

(Exchange rate: SGD 1 = JPY 115 / JPY 100 = SGD 0.87)

I usually label my trips as starting from Day 1, but I will do it slightly differently this time and label the first full day as Day 0. This is because I will be embarking on the Shikoku Challenge on the second day of the trip, so Day 1 will coincide with the start of the Shikoku Challenge.

After about three months of preparation, I was as ready for the Shikoku Challenge as I could be. On 8 October 2025, I left home at 6:05pm and headed to Changi Airport Terminal 2 with mum and dad. My buddy IH also came to the airport to send me off, and we had dinner together at Paris Baguette. At 8:05pm, I bade farewell to them and entered the Departure hall alone. As always, I feel a twang of guilt when I go on a trip without mum and dad, but the Shikoku Challenge was something I had to do alone.

I boarded my ANA flight NH844 at 9:40pm. Before departure, I received several emails from ANA informing me that there was a risk of flight cancellation or delay because of Typhoon Halong passing near Japan. IH also sent me multiple updates about the typhoon situation. Thankfully, the threat never materialised and my flight was not affected.

If I recalled correctly, this was my first time flying with ANA. The legroom was very generous and the seat was comfortable. The inflight entertainment had limited offerings but it didn’t matter since I intended to sleep as much as possible during the 7 hour 10 minute flight to Tokyo.

The plane took off at 10:17pm and drinks were served at around 11:00pm. The ANA cabin crew also handed us a snack pack each, comprising a small bottle of water, a Kit Kat chocolate bar, a packet of Lay’s potato chips and a small pastry. I managed to catch some sleep before breakfast was served at 3:30am local time (Japan is one hour ahead of Singapore).

Breakfast was cheese frittata with potato and bacon, baked beans and pumpkin cubes. There was also a cold side dish of pasta salad, assorted cut fruits, a cup of yoghurt and a bun with butter. The coffee was very lukewarm, actually more luke than warm. Perhaps it was for safety reasons to prevent scalding, but it wasn’t shiok because there was no coffee aroma. Generally, the food was delicious but I couldn’t finish it because my body was not used to eating at this hour.

I touched down at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport at 5:35am, ahead of the scheduled 6:20am. The weather was fine at 21 degrees Celsius, cloudy but not raining. I had a couple hours’ layover at Haneda before my next flight to Matsuyama at 9:05am. The Domestic terminal is located at the same building as the International terminal so it was pretty convenient to just walk to the other end of the building without having to do a transfer.

As it was still early, I decided to have a second breakfast. I made a beeline for FamilyMart to grab an egg sandwich (298 yen/S$2.60), an all-time favourite. I also bought a latte for 600 yen (S$5.22) and I was pleased that the coffee was hot, much better than the one I had onboard earlier. At about 8:00am, I proceeded to the Domestic terminal for my flight. However, I was still sleepy and hadn’t woken up fully yet so I made a mistake.

With my luggage in hand, I went straight in to the Domestic departure hall without checking in my big suitcase. Strangely, the staff also didn’t detect anything unusual and let me through, even though they directed me to use a special lane at the side because my suitcase couldn’t fit into the tray to put through the scanner. It was only after I went through the bag check that I realised something was amiss – my suitcase couldn’t possibly fit into the overhead cabin. I then went out of the Departure hall, checked in my big suitcase at the counter before passing through security once more. It was not a huge mistake since there was still enough buffer time before my flight.

As I made my way to the boarding gate, I saw some self-driving buggy carts where anyone can just hop on for a slow ride to their boarding gate. The buggy was made of wood and it looked really stylish. I didn’t use it but I thought it was super cool. We should have these at Changi Airport, especially since some of the boarding gates are located very far away due to the size of the terminal building.

While sitting at the waiting area, I was surrounded by locals. Matsuyama is the largest city on Shikoku and the capital of Ehime Prefecture. However, it is not a big international tourist destination so I was one of the very few non-Japanese on the flight. All the men were dressed in similar fashion – wearing white or light coloured long-sleeved shirts, dark coloured pants and a matching blazer, with black leather shoes and a briefcase or backpack. Many were doing work on their laptops.

Japan really is a homogenous society, with social norms that everyone is expected to follow. I observed an interaction between business partners. Upon meeting for the first time, they bowed to each other and exchanged physical name cards. Even though we live in a digital society now, the exchange of physical name cards is still a must and a formality between business associates. Bowing is also a mark of respect and is widely practised.

We started boarding our ANA flight NH585 at 8:50am for the 1 hour 30 minute flight to Matsuyama. It was a smaller plane with a 2-3-2 seating configuration. Our departure was delayed and we took off only at 9:35am. There was no meal; only beverages were served.

My favourite thing about a window seat is that I get to see the landscapes below, watching it change from big towns to mountain ranges to coastal settlements. From thousands of feet in the air, the swathes of farmland below look like patches of a large quilt, with different shades of green depending on the type of crops grown. I also love to see the puffy white clouds resembling cotton wool, casting their shadows on the land below.

From above, you get to see how settlements form along the meandering rivers, mountains and within the valleys. You also see very clearly that the water is shallower at the river mouth because of the depositing of sediments. Seeing all these natural phenomenon in real life is really is the best form of geography lesson.

I touched down at Matsuyama Airport at 10:34am, right on schedule. My luggage emerged from the carousel shortly after and I was out of the airport at 10:52am. Domestic flights are usually quick and fuss-free affairs. I had done my research beforehand so I knew I had to take the limousine bus to my hotel. The Limousine Bus Stop is located just 25 metres from the exit of the airport terminal. The bright orange Iyotetsu Express Limousine bus was already parked at berth 4. I managed to get on the 10:55am bus and took the last seat. Each bus can take 42 passengers. If I missed this one, the next bus would depart at 11:05am followed by another one at 11:10am.

Reservations are not allowed and you board on a first-come, first-served basis. Payment can be done on board using cash or cashless method (via IC card), with a 20-yen discount for cashless payment. The fare from Matsuyama Airport to Okaido (where I am alighting) is 1,200 yen for cash payments and 1,180 yen (S$10.30) for cashless payment. I used my digital Suica card on my iPhone’s Wallet to pay for the ride. It’s a hassle-free experience – just tap in when you board and tap out when you alight.

The Limousine Bus ride from the airport to the city took 30 minutes. The bus departed the airport at 11:02am and I alighted at Okaido at 11:32am. Upon FA’s recommendation, I booked Candeo Hotels for my stay in Matsuyama. It is very conveniently located just one minute walk from the Limousine Bus stop. I took the lift to the hotel reception on the 13^th floor, the top floor. The walkway from the lift to the reception area was elegantly designed and I felt great vibes about the hotel already.

Check-in was only available at 3:00pm so I deposited my big suitcase at the reception before heading out again. I had one important bit of business to settle – that is, to collect my rental bicycle from the Giant store. In my booking, I indicated my pickup time as 11:00am so I was already late. I was hoping that they would not release my bicycle to other people, so I walked briskly to the Giant store, about 1.5km away from Candeo Hotels.

As I walked along the streets, I had a good glimpse of Matsuyama city. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the weather was perfect for walking. I saw that the city centre had a tram system. I love cities with trams because we don’t have them in Singapore. Some of the trams looked older while others were shiny and new. I passed by a music bar called Ys Café and made a mental note to drop by for some live music if my schedule permitted.

After walking for 20 minutes, I arrived at the Giant store at 12:05pm. I was the only customer. After completing the necessary paperwork, I made payment of 32,560 yen (S$284) for 12 days’ rental. My bicycle was set up and ready for me. It was a blue, Gravier model gravel bicycle with 27.5-inch wheels and tyre width of 45mm. The tyre is wider than a regular road bike or hybrid bike, but slimmer than a mountain bike. I prefer wider wheels for more stability so this Gravier bike was perfect for me.

Even though the staff spoke limited English, he explained to me all the features of the bicycle and the accessories that were available for me to use, contained within a small waterproof bag attached to the top of the frame. After making sure that everything was in order, I browsed the store and chanced upon a cycling jersey that was on 50% discount. It looked nice and was a good bargain at 4,400 yen (S$38.30) so I bought it. At 12:35pm, I was off, eager to take my new companion out for a spin.

As I rode the Gravier bike for the first time, I immediately felt very comfortable with it. It was smooth, quite light at 11.8kg, but most of all, it was sturdy. I felt very secure riding it, which is important because I will depend on it for the next 11 days cycling around Shikoku. It’s like in Harry Potter, where the wand chooses the wizard. In this case, I felt an instant connection with the Gravier bike. Love it!

Since there were still a few hours before I could check in to my room, I took the opportunity to cycle to a few CD shops that I had bookmarked. First up was Book Off, a chain store selling secondhand items at very affordable prices. Book Off not only sells books, but also used CDs, DVDs and BluRay discs. I managed to pick up a couple of MJ titles here.

This outlet of Book Off also had Hard Off and Hobby Off located within the same building. Hobby Off is a dream for toy collectors. They sell secondhand figurines, trading cards, toy cars, plush toys and more. Hard Off sells musical instruments, equipment, game consoles and cartridges. If you’re patient enough, you’ll probably find some rare stuff here. In all, it’s a great place for bargain hunters.

Next, I cycled to More Music, an independent record store established in 1983. The collection was huge and everything was labelled and categorised properly. The owner was very friendly and she helped me pick out some MJ and Janet titles, which I eventually bought. From chatting with her, I found out that it is a family business, with her son and daughter-in-law helping to run the store. I love shops like these! When she asked what brought me to Matsuyama, I told her I was here for the Shikoku Challenge, and showed her my official challenge pass. She was very amazed and wished me luck for my adventure, very sweet of her!

From More Music, I cycled back towards my hotel but dropped by CoCo Ichibanya to have my lunch first. I saw the restaurant earlier on the way to the Giant store, so I came back for it since it was near the hotel. I ordered the chicken cutlet curry rice with additional potato topping, total 1,217 yen (S$10.60). I love their Japanese curry.

With lunch settled, it was time to check in. After retrieving my luggage, I went to my room on the 9^th floor. It was spacious and well-furnished, with a queen-sized bed and a long study desk. The bathroom was also considered large by Japanese hotel room standards. After taking photos and doing a room tour video, I went to get my bicycle from the ground floor and wheeled it to the room.

Besides its good location, one of the reasons FA recommended Candeo Hotels is because they allow bicycles to be brought to the room. In fact, of the 10 hotels I stayed at for the Shikoku Challenge, only three of them didn’t allow bicycles to be brought to the room. This was because the elevator was too small or the room had tatami mats. Hence, the majority of the hotels I stayed at allowed me to bring my bicycle to the room, which makes it much more convenient for packing my stuff.

Lethargy was setting in so I went to the Sky Spa on the 13^th floor to freshen up. It is not strictly an onsen or hot spring because it doesn’t use naturally hot water from geothermal springs but rather, the pools are filled with heated water. Most of the hotels I stayed at have baths like that. For the purpose of this trip, I shall call these hot baths onsens.

The men’s spa has an indoor pool and an outdoor, open-air pool. I went for a quick soak in both the pools. The outdoor pool was especially nice because you could feel the breeze from the cool air outside while soaking in the hot water, while admiring the view of Matsuyama city.

After the refreshing bath, I spent the next 1½ hours setting up my bike. I affixed my saddle bag, handlebar bag and frame bags to the Gravier bike, making sure they fit snugly without interfering with the brake cables. What took more effort was the placement of my accessories on the handlebar. I had to fit the front light, a bell, my Quad Lock phone mount and my GoPro mount on the handlebar and still leave enough space to secure the handlebar bag straps. It took a few tries to get it right, and I was pleased with the outcome when I finished assembling everything at 5:40pm. With the most important business settled, I felt more relieved and could enjoy the rest of the evening.

The temperature was now 23 degrees C, a very pleasant temperature – cool but no need to put on a jacket. Candeo Hotels is located at Okaido (大街道), where Matsuyama’s largest shopping arcade is at. The pedestrian-only covered arcade has a wide range of retail shops, restaurants and the Mitsukoshi department store.

As I walked down the arcade, I came across Duke, another CD shop that I had bookmarked but forgot about. It was a small shop selling mostly new music releases and a small International selection. I was lucky to scoop a Jackson 5 box set here. The shop did not provide tax free shopping so I decided not to buy the new Ed Sheeran album here, but leave it for Tower Records in Tokyo when I can buy more items to accumulate 5,000 yen spend to enjoy 10% tax free. With all the record shops visited, my music shopping in Matsuyama was complete.

I wasn’t that hungry so I opted for a simple dinner at Matsuya, a chain of budget-friendly restaurants found all over Japan. Despite having visited Japan so many times, I have not eaten at Matsuya before so this was a good time to try it. I ordered the beef bowl with miso soup and it cost only 460 yen (S$4.00).

The serving size was quite substantial, enough to fill you up. It was very good value indeed, but I think Sukiya and Yoshinoya are better, with better quality beef and rice. I felt that the beef at Matsuya was fattier and the rice was less tasty. But for that low price, you can’t really complain.

After dinner, I went to FamilyMart to grab some snacks. As usual, I bought the egg sandwiches, a cream puff, a small carton of Meiji fresh milk and a bottle of orange juice. I am obsessed with the cream puff and I can eat it every day. I saw that the Line Socks had new colours so I bought them too. You can probably tell that I am a fan of FamilyMart. It is my favourite among the Big Three konbinis in Japan, with the other two being Lawson and 7-Eleven.

I was feeling quite tired from the red eye flight so I headed back to the hotel at 7:45pm to rest. I will have another free day in Matsuyama after completing the Shikoku Challenge so I can explore the city more thoroughly then. Back in the hotel, I took another shower and soaked in the onsen once more. You can never have enough baths in Japan. I went to bed at 11:00pm. One more sleep before the Shikoku Challenge starts tomorrow!