5 factory tours in Ehime
- You can walk in without booking at Hakata Salt (groups under 10) and Hatada, and both are free.
- Nihon Shokken's Kyuden Plant costs ¥1,000 for adults and ¥500 for students, and the Schönbrunn Palace Plant costs ¥500.
- Besshi Ame Honpo is free for groups of 10 or more booked at least 1 week ahead.
Ehime has five factory tours: Hakata Salt’s Omishima Plant and two Nihon Shokken palace-style plants in Imabari City, Besshi Ame Honpo in Niihama City and Hatada’s Dekitate Okashikan in Toon City. You can walk in without booking at Hakata Salt (groups under 10) and Hatada, and both are free. Nihon Shokken needs a booking by the day before and costs ¥500 to ¥1,000, and Besshi Ame Honpo takes groups of 10 or more only.
In short
- To drop in without booking: Hatada Dekitate Okashikan (9:00–19:00; tart-making days are on the official calendar) or Hakata Salt’s Omishima Plant (under 10 people, 9:00–16:00).
- On a weekend: Hakata Salt or Hatada. Nihon Shokken tours run on weekdays only; on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays you can see only the garden of the Kyuden Plant, free.
- For a big plant with a guide: Nihon Shokken’s Kyuden Plant (about 90 minutes, ¥1,000 for adults). For a shorter tour, the Schönbrunn Palace Plant (about 60 minutes, ¥500).
- For a hands-on class: Hakata Salt’s free salt-making class (book by phone 1 week ahead). For a group of 10 or more with tastings: Besshi Ame Honpo (free, book by phone 1 week ahead).
- Nihon Shokken guides in Japanese only. Hakata Salt guides in Japanese and posts some signs in English. Besshi Ame Honpo and Hatada do not say which languages they use.
Checked with official pages on October 21, 2026.
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Factory tours in Ehime: booking, fees and parking at 5 places
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| Place | Fee | Booking | Parking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hakata Salt | Free (tour and class) | Not needed under 10 | 3 lots |
| Nihon Shokken Kyuden | Adults ¥1,000, students ¥500 | By 15:00 the day before | 22 cars |
| Nihon Shokken Schönbrunn | ¥500 | By the day before | Yes |
| Besshi Ame Honpo | Free | 1 week ahead (10+ people) | Yes |
| Hatada | Free | Not needed | Yes |
“Students” means elementary, junior high and high school students. To see how towels are made, the Towel Museum in Imabari City runs a paid towel factory tour; its entry fee and parking are in our guide to rainy-day museums in Ehime.
Hakata Salt Omishima Plant, Imabari: free, no booking, salt-making class
At Hakata Salt’s Omishima Plant you watch salt being made through viewing windows: sun-dried salt is dissolved in Seto Inland Sea water, the strong brine is boiled for several hours, and the salt is dried over several days. The plant also has a reconstruction of the kind of salt field used on the Seto Inland Sea coast from 1953 to 1971. A new tour corridor opened on Friday, October 23, 2026. The plant runs from 9:00 to 15:00, and the line may be stopped on some days because of the production schedule, so to see salt being made, go before 15:00. The plant is about 1.5 km from Oyamazumi Shrine after you leave the Shimanami Kaido at Omishima IC; parking is free, and the company says you can also come by bicycle.
The tour is free for individuals and groups, and you need no booking if you are fewer than 10 people. Groups of 10 or more book at least 1 week ahead. Any age can join, but children not yet in elementary school need a parent with them. The corridor is barrier-free, and strollers and wheelchairs can be borrowed.
The plant also opens on Wednesdays during the summer holidays (except the Obon break) and in November. Weekends and holidays closed for inspection are on the tour calendar on the Hakata Salt factory site, and the production line is stopped on some days.
The free salt-making class (Hakata Salt factory site) has you boil brine down in a clay pot. It runs twice, 10:15–10:55 and 14:15–14:55 (check in by 15 minutes before), for up to 16 people each, and you book by phone at least 1 week ahead. Children in the lower elementary grades or younger need a parent with them, because the class uses a gas stove. The shop sells salt-flavored soft serve and sets sold only at this plant, takes credit cards and smartphone payments, and you can visit the shop alone (Hakata Salt factory site FAQ).
Of the three car parks, two take cars (13 and 19 spaces). Photos are not allowed in the tour corridor. Guidance is in Japanese, with some signs in English (Hakata Salt factory FAQ, Japanese).
| Tours | 9:00–16:00 (last entry 15:30) |
|---|
| Name | Hakata Salt Omishima Plant |
|---|---|
| Address | 32 Utena, Omishima-cho, Imabari City |
| Hours / Closed | Tours 9:00–16:00 (reception until 15:30) / Closed Wednesdays (except public holidays), August 13–17, autumn festival, December 28–January 7 |
| Phone | 0897-82-0660 (9:00–16:00) |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
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Nihon Shokken Kyuden Plant and World Food Culture Museum, Imabari: 90-minute guided tour
Nihon Shokken’s Kyuden Plant is a seasoning factory modelled on the Belvedere Palace in Vienna, about 15 minutes by taxi from JR Imabari Station. A guided tour of about 90 minutes (a 1.2 km route) covers the plant, the World Food Culture Museum, the company history hall and the product showroom.
Adults pay ¥1,000 and elementary to high school students ¥500, and you book from 2 months ahead until 15:00 the day before. You pick a date in the booking calendar (in October 2026, Tuesdays to Fridays), with tours starting at 10:00 and 14:00. Arrive 15 minutes early (9:45 or 13:45); the time cannot be changed. Pay at the desk; credit cards are not accepted. The group’s representative books directly on the Kyuden Plant booking page (Japanese).
For safety, the company asks that children younger than elementary school age do not join. Photos are not allowed in the plant or the buildings, and the tour is in Japanese only, with no interpreter. There are no tastings or meals, and you cannot bring in lunch or snacks. The Banco Shop on the first floor sells the company’s products at about 20% below retail price.
On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays the garden is free to visit without booking, 9:00–16:00 (no plant tour). The car park has 22 spaces for cars and 5 for large buses.
| Tours | 10:00 and 14:00 on calendar days |
|---|
| Name | Nihon Shokken Kyuden Plant |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-3 Tomita-shinko 1-chome, Imabari City |
| Phone | 0898-47-2281 (weekdays 9:30–12:00 and 13:00–16:00) |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
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Nihon Shokken Schönbrunn Palace Plant, Imabari: 60 minutes, ¥500
The Schönbrunn Palace Plant is Nihon Shokken’s second palace-style plant, modelled on Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna and about 10 minutes by taxi from JR Imabari Station. It makes liquid seasoning blends and retort food, and the tour takes about 60 minutes.
The tour costs ¥500 for adults and for elementary to high school students alike, and it is by booking only. Children younger than elementary school age are free but must come with an adult. The booking page lists tours every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 10:00–11:00 and 14:00–15:00, for up to 12 people each, bookable up to 2 months ahead; check your date there. Check-in opens 20 minutes before, and arriving 15 minutes early is the guide. The fee is cash only. A wheelchair user needs one helper, and wheelchairs are not lent. Tours sold by travel agencies are not accepted.
The tour is in Japanese only, and photos are not allowed in the plant.
| Tours | Tue, Thu, Fri 10:00–11:00, 14:00–15:00 |
|---|
| Name | Nihon Shokken Schönbrunn Palace Plant |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-1 Creative Hills, Imabari City |
| Phone | 0898-77-1811 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
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Besshi Ame Honpo, Niihama: groups of 10 or more, with tastings
Besshi Ame Honpo takes visitors at its confectionery factory in Niihama City. Its company timeline says it has welcomed factory visitors since 1991, with about 8,000 people a year.
The tour is free, but it is for groups of 10 or more, booked by phone at least 1 week ahead. The company checks its production schedule and tells you whether your date and time work. Tastings are provided.
The shop on site sells the curry bread “Karitto Curry”, sweets, souvenirs and dagashi (old-style penny sweets). There is parking at both the north and south entrances, with room for up to 6 buses.
| Name | Besshi Ame Honpo |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-6-5 Go, Niihama City |
| Phone | 0897-45-1080 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
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Hatada Dekitate Okashikan, Toon: chestnut tart line, no booking
Dekitate Okashikan is Hatada’s largest shop, where you can watch the chestnut tart (栗タルト) line through glass and see workers roll the tarts by hand. A renovation made the viewing space three times larger.
Viewing is free with no booking, any time in shop hours, 9:00–19:00. The tarts are made only on set days, so check the factory tour calendar on the official site; the schedule can change without notice.
Inside are a fresh “Dora-ichi” corner, a workshop for freshly baked baumkuchen, a souvenir corner, a rest area with more than 30 seats and free drinks, and free Ishizuchi spring water. It is a tax-free shop for foreign visitors. There is parking.
| Hours | 9:00–19:00 |
|---|
| Name | Hatada Dekitate Okashikan |
|---|---|
| Address | 1008-1 Ushibuchi, Toon City |
| Phone | 089-964-5000 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
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Sources (checked October 21, 2026)
5 pages we checked
- Hakata Salt: factory tour, salt-making class, FAQ
- Nihon Shokken: factory tours, Kyuden Plant booking page
- Besshi Ame Honpo: about us and timeline (checked October 6, 2026; the site could not be opened on October 21)
- Hatada: Dekitate Okashikan
- Towel Museum: towel factory tour
