Matsuyama is home to many fascinating historical buildings, such as Dogo Onsen, known as the oldest hot spring in Japan with a history of over 3,000 years, and Matsuyama Castle, one of the few castles in Japan with 12 surviving castle towers. It is also a city with a rich cultural background, having produced many famous haiku poets and being the setting for Natsume Soseki's "Botchan" and Shiba Ryotaro's "Clouds Above the Hill."