It’s strange to find such a fine museum on Ehime’s history and culture in a small city like Seiyo rather than Matsuyama city. But it’s in an idyllic setting on top of a mountain. Entry is 510 yen per adult and free for school kids. The permanent collection covers the pre historic era till present day Ehime. Although the explanations are in Japanese, the museum provides a free audio guide in English. There are many recreations of houses and street scenes to depict live in the countryside and the city. We spent about 2 hours going through the exhibits. When we were there, there was also a temporary exhibition on the work of a paper sculpture artist whose elaborate settings of Kūkai life story will blow your mind.

The museum is out of the way, about 1.5 hour from Matsuyama. However, the drive was scenic, we deliberately avoided using the tolled IC to see the country side. It is a huge museum and it was virtually empty on the Friday afternoon when we visited. There were only several visitors besides our family. The displays were plentiful with systematic descriptions and labelling. English audio is available but we opt to just enjoy strolling around. Allow for at least 2 hours if you enjoy museums. There were replicas of old streets of the 40s to 60s which we enjoy most. There was also an area displaying Japanese traditional doll sets. On the whole, it is a very impressive museum. The museum restaurant offers very affordable ramen and simple set meal.