It’s up to us
We are joined by a reassuring companion for the stretch to the 60th temple, Yokomine-ji — the woman behind a green, staple-bound booklet that we have seen countless times since entering Ehime Prefecture. Titled YON, it’s an independent outdoor magazine focused on Shikoku, founded by Ai Hino from Saijo City (in Ehime) in October 2023.
“I named it after the number 4, which represents Shikoku, and the Iyo dialect phrase, ‘Nani shiyon?’ (What are you doing?), explains Hino-san. “Shikoku is full of charm. But if we don’t try to preserve it, it might be forgotten one day. I remember looking at a Japanese guidebook in London, and Shikoku only had a single page. I was shocked. Since no one else was doing it, I thought ‘Well, it’s up to us then.’”
The inaugural issue, which brought together the talents of Shikoku creators, including photographer Shintaro Miyawaki from Kagawa Prefecture, sold out just a few months after its release. In addition to online sales, the magazine was distributed to bookstores and cafes. Hino-san’s personal touch and sincerity extend beyond the magazine’s pages to its distribution, with her visiting new outlets to establish connections and promote the project.
Walking along the pilgrimage path together, Hino-san moves with a light step, befitting an outdoor magazine editor. She carries a kongō-zue (pilgrim’s staff) passed down from her mother, who had done the pilgrimage by car, and uses the nōkyō-cho (stamp book) of her grandmother, who was a pilgrim half a century ago. Born in Saijo City, she had always looked up to both Mount Ishizuchi and the pilgrims.
“Mount Ishizuchi is 1,982 meters high, the highest peak in western Japan. I didn’t discover its appeal until I was an adult since I was so terrible at sports. The mountain isn’t widely talked about on a national level, so I want to get the word out. I also want to create something that people who can’t visit for various reasons can enjoy reading. I’d love to do a feature on the pilgrimage one day too.”
We decide to have Hino-san show us her favorite spots after we descend from the mountains into the city. Like the famous “Uchinuki” spring water that flows abundantly throughout Saijo City, her suggestions are sure to keep pouring out.
The Pulse Behind Shikoku’s Outdoor Magazine
In the heart of Saijo City, a.k.a The City of Water, a moat surrounds the site of the former Saijo Clan’s headquarters. Today, Saijo Prefectural High School stands there, and for Hino-san, who was once a member of the school’s cheering squad, the adjacent Ehime Folk Crafts Museum, built in the traditional storehouse style, was a favorite spot to relax.
“You can see local crafts like Iyo Kasuri fabrics and Tobe ware up close. They used to serve tea, and I loved taking a tea break on the second floor.”
After moving back to her hometown and starting her job at the city hall, Hino-san’s go-to place for satisfying her cravings was POGO CURRY. Their complex curry, made with three types of curry spice, features unique ingredients like Kaeshi sauce (soy sauce, mirin, and sugar) and thick fried tofu, resulting in a flavor that’s both authentic and one-of-a-kind.
“The owner, Toshihisa Okada, has a background in street culture and feels like one of those cool local older brothers,” explains Hino-san. “The same goes for Ippei Kubo of ‘crosspoint,’ an outdoor shop and cafe. I’ve gotten a lot of support and mentorship from this older generation.”
Among her peers, there’s Fumi Kanemitsu, who runs the traditional farmhouse inn, Engawa no Toki. She opened the inn in 2023, after discovering an old farmhouse with a view of Mount Kamegamori. Watching her former classmate working tirelessly, Hino-san remarks:
“We just want to make our town a more enjoyable place to live, don’t we?”
EHIME Guide
Ehime Folk Crafts Museum
238-8 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime
TEL：0897-56-2110
POGO CURRY
1760-2 ŌmachiSaijo, Ehime
crosspoint
Kō-1261-2 NakanoSaijo, Ehime
TEL：0897-58-6373
Engawa no Toki
76 Tanbarachō SekiyaSaijo, Ehime
Ai Hino
Born in Matsuyama City and raised in Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture Hino-san became a public relations specialist at Saijo City Hall, after working at an advertising production company. Later going independent, she co-founded the Shikoku outdoor magazine YON with her colleagues in 2023 and serves as its editor-in-chief. The second issue, featuring Tokushima, is set to be published in September.