Kumakogen: Winter Sports, Art and Pilgrimage Culture

Kumakogen brings together several possible travel highlights: winter sports at KUMA SKILAND, art at the Kuma Art Museum and the pilgrimage tradition in Kuma. Seasonal cuisine and horseback riding add to the options. When planning your trip, it helps to decide whether you are mainly interested in the slopes, art and history, or an activity in the forest.

Skiing at KUMA SKILAND

KUMA SKILAND has numerous slopes, including a children's slope and a beginner slope for first-time skiers and practice. If you are traveling with first-time skiers, the beginner slope is a specific place to start; if you are planning a trip with children, you can also consider the children's slope. Some slopes are lit for night skiing. Check the current operating hours if you want to make this part of your plans. This lets you take both the types of slopes and your preferred time for skiing into account.

Art at the Kuma Art Museum

The Kuma Art Museum is housed in an unusual wooden building for a museum, made from locally sourced Kuma cedar. For architecture enthusiasts, the material is a point of interest in its own right, alongside the artworks. The museum preserves and displays around 920 works. These include oil paintings by Murayama Kaita and Yorozu Tetsugorō from the Taishō period of modern Japanese painting, as well as Japanese paintings and ceramics. The works on display may vary. The museum also hosts gallery talks and concerts. If you would like to combine your visit with an event, check the specific dates.

Daiho-ji and the Shikoku Pilgrimage

Kuma is known as the temple town of Daiho-ji, the 44th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage. The approach to the temple passes through an avenue lined with centuries-old giant cedars. Those interested in the pilgrimage can find two specific points of reference here: Daiho-ji's status as the 44th temple and the approach lined with ancient cedars. This provides a way to understand the pilgrimage tradition through both the temple and the path leading to it.

Cuisine and forest experiences

The Tenku-no-Sato Restaurant Sansan serves a buffet of homemade dishes made with seasonal wild herbs, highland vegetables and mushrooms. The buffet format and seasonal ingredients define the restaurant's culinary focus.

Kuma Kogen Furusato Travel Village is an experience-focused facility for families, couples and solo travelers. Horseback riding is offered in the Travel Village forest. Unlike a museum visit or pilgrimage culture, the focus here is on an activity in the forest. If you choose your trip based on the type of experiences you want, this is another specific highlight to consider.

Getting there and finding a hotel

The Tenku no Sato Sansan roadside rest area is about a 30-minute drive from the Matsuyama Interchange. For winter sports, the types of slopes and current operating hours are important; if you want events at the Kuma Art Museum to shape your visit, check the dates of the relevant events.

Discover more destinations: Shikokuchuo, Ōzu, Niihama, Ikata, Matsuyama, Uwajima, Futami, Saijō.

For the broader travel overview: Ehime Prefecture.