[2025 Matsuyama Attraction] Travel Guide for Bansuisou (Updated Jan)

Soseki Coffee Shop Aishotei, located in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, is a café filled with historical ambiance. This place was once the lodging of Natsume Soseki when he was teaching in Matsuyama, and it has now been transformed into a nostalgic-style café offering various Ehime specialties in sweets and drinks. Bansuiso is a French-style mansion built in 1922, originally the villa of Count Hisamatsu Sadakoto, the lord of Matsuyama. This building, with its elegant design and historical value, has been designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan and is a significant cultural heritage of Matsuyama City. Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) is one of the representative writers of modern Japanese literature, originally named Natsume Kinnosuke. His works include "I Am a Cat," "Botchan," and "Kokoro," which have had a profound impact on Japanese literature. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University, he taught in Matsuyama and Kumamoto, later studying in England, and upon returning to Japan, he became a full-time writer. His works are known for their humor and deep human insights, and they remain widely loved by readers to this day. In autumn, Soseki Coffee Shop Aishotei is surrounded by stunning autumn foliage. The maple trees inside and outside the café turn bright red in the fall, adding a romantic atmosphere to the café. Visitors can enjoy Ehime specialty sweets while admiring the beautiful autumn foliage, making for a leisurely afternoon. 📍Address: 3-3-7 Ichibancho, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture

Built during the Taisho era, it is a Western-style mansion. Inside, you can tour rooms that evoke the modern Western-style of that period. It seems that members of the imperial family have stayed there, and there was also an explanation about that. The nearest tram station is O-kaido Station. Nearby, there are other tourist attractions such as the Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum and the Soseki Coffee Shop.