絶景バス路線で駅間をショートカットする旅 | 宇和島自動車 宇和島→宿毛
I’m in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture. It has a population of approximately 60,000, and the city developed around Uwajima Castle. I’m heading to Uwajima Station, my starting point. It’s a large shopping district, but it’s still quiet because it’s early in the morning. Palm trees line the main street. This is Uwajima Station. Its impressive station building houses a hotel. This is a replica of the German-made locomotive that first ran through Uwajima in 1914. At the time, it was a light railway with narrow rails and small carriages. Express trains run hourly north, but only local trains run every two hours south. I’ll introduce my route. I’m heading south to catch the train on this blue route. Taking the train from Uwajima would take the black route, but that would require me to cross part of the blue route twice, which would take longer. So , I’ll take the bus on the red route to Sukumo, the end of the blue route, for a shortcut. (The journey takes about two hours, and costs 1,850 yen ($12)). The bus stop is here. There are about 10 buses bound for Sukumo per day, more than the number of trains heading south. The bus is operated by Uwajima Bus, and serves various destinations. The bus arrived. Or so I thought, but it ended up at a different stop. The bus bound for Sukumo is a regular route bus. I took a numbered ticket to board. There are no restrooms, so I’ll do that beforehand. IC cards and other cards aren’t accepted; when you get off, you pay the fare in cash along with your numbered ticket. There’s a change machine on board, but I prepared the exact fare. The bus departed. There were about five passengers, and although some people left, the number remained about the same. I bid a brief farewell to the train. The palm trees create a relaxing, tropical atmosphere. The seats are a little cramped, but the seating is quite comfortable. I arrived at Uwajima Bus Center. It appears that express buses to Osaka and Kobe depart from here. Uwajima Castle, where I was earlier, can be seen peeking out from the top of the mountain. Leaving the city center, we see rows of suburban-style shops lining the road. From here, a highway for cars only runs along a similar route, but this bus continues on local roads. More suburban-style shops appear. The road then climbs uphill and heads into the mountains. After exiting the tunnel, the road descends and houses appear again. From here, we enter the former Tsushima Town area. Tsushima Town merged with Uwajima City in 2005. More buildings are appearing. This area seems to be the center of Tsushima. We’re driving along the river. Across the river is a district where traditional buildings remain. (Iwamatsu Townscape) We cross the Iwamatsu River. The mountains and bridges are reflected beautifully in the river. Here, we join the expressway. The streets of Tsushima Town Arashi come into view. The sea is just around the corner. Finally, the ocean is in sight. And so it is, a charming little fishing port. From here, we continue along the coast for a while. Many small buoys are evenly spaced in the sea. Pearl farming is popular in this area, and I believe those are also pearl farming rafts. I can see a lot of land across the water. This area has a complex, ria coastline, which provides calm waters and is ideal for cultivating pearls, yellowtail, and sea bream. We entered Ainan Town, Minamiuwa District, Ehime Prefecture. This is the southernmost municipality in Ehime Prefecture. Here, you can enjoy Sunokawa Park, camping, and swimming. More houses are popping up. There’s also a large hotel, suggesting demand for tourism and business. We cross the Sozu River. We enter the center of Ainan Town. From here, the buildings are densely packed, giving a sense of the town’s strength as a population of 17,000. We arrive at the Johen Sales Office. The Ainan Town Hall is nearby. We head into the mountains again. Once we emerge from the mountains, we see a village lined with traditional Japanese houses. This appears to be a small fishing port. Occasional views of rice fields can be seen. We see a blue sign that reads, “Welcome to Kochi.” We leave Ehime Prefecture and enter Kochi Prefecture. We drive along the Sasakawa River. The city of Sukumo comes into view. It’s been a while since we’ve seen such wide, flat land. We can see the elevated railway line and the station. That’s our destination, Sukumo Station. After about two hours from Uwajima Station, we finally arrive at Sukumo Station. Since it’s a local bus, I was worried about delays, but it was only about two minutes behind schedule. All the passengers have gotten off, but the bus is still on its way to the Sukumo Depot. Thank you for watching. Please watch the next video to see the train journey from Sukumo Station.
愛媛県宇和島市から高知県宿毛市へ、路線バスで移動しました。
鉄道だと遠回りなため4時間以上かかりますが、この路線バスを利用すれば2時間に短縮できます。
しかも車窓からは、リアス式海岸の美しい風景や、真珠養殖いかだの浮かぶ静かな海、素朴な漁港の町並みなど、四国南西部ならではの絶景を楽しめます。
この動画では、そんな一石二鳥なバス旅の様子を紹介します。
