International Travel by Air
Tickets Online
Getting international flights is a relatively easy affair. Unlike domestic flights, international tickets may be purchased months in advance, which is recommended if you plan to fly during peak seasons such as school breaks (spring, summer, winter), or Golden Week. Flights to Asia can actually be cheaper than flying domestically! You can book flights online or through your local travel agency.
While most international flights will route you through Kansai or Narita, Matsuyama airport DOES service direct flights to Shanghai, China and Seoul, Korea. These flights only leave on selected days and fill up quickly so plan accordingly.
All major airlines have English websites, so booking tickets online is extremely simple. Below is a list of airlines, focusing on those that fly to other parts of Asia.
ANA International
http://www.ana.co.jp/asw/index.jsp?type=ie
JAL International
Asiana Airlines
http://us.flyasiana.com/Global/US/en/index
Thai Airways
Korean Air
China Airlines
http://www.china-airlines.com/en/index.htm
China Eastern Airlines
http://www.flychinaeastern.com/
Direct flights between Matsuyama and Shanghai. Flights depart and return only on Mondays and Fridays.
Budget airline: Peach
Flights from Osaka to Seoul (Incheon), Busan, Hong Kong, Taipei (Taoyuan) and Kaohsiung.
Budget airline: Jetstar
Flights from Osaka and Narita to Australia, and from Osaka to Taipei, Singapore and Manila.
Tour Agencies
Some Ehimites prefer to get their international tickets through a Japanese travel agency that specializes in discount airfares.
No. 1 Travel
Going through No. 1 Travel is probably the easiest way to get tickets. The company is based out of Osaka but conducts all of their communications by email. Their email staff can all speak/write English. Simply contact them with your inquiry and they will get you in touch with a dedicated English agent who will take care of everything for you. The great thing is once you've made this contact, you can use them for any other future arrangements! To pay for your ticket, you'll be asked to Furikomi payment to them.
H.I.S.
If you prefer to get your tickets in person, you can go to H.I.S. instead. Like No. 1 Travel, they specialize in discount airfare tickets. They might have offices in other cities, but the one I know of is near Matsuyama Shieki. The staff don't really speak English but gestures, drawing, and pointing to calendars generally works.