Kochi City’s castle and Hirome Market, the Shimanto River and the Pacific capes of Muroto and Ashizuri.
Kochi faces the Pacific and has a relaxed, outgoing character. The city is about 2.5 hours from Okayama by the Nanpu limited express.
JapaLens editorial guide · Read in about 5 minutesKochi Castle has an original keep and main palace. Hirome Market is a lively food hall where you share tables and order katsuo no tataki seared over straw. A Sunday market runs along Otesuji street.
Katsurahama beach, with a statue of Sakamoto Ryoma, is a bus ride away.
Read this area guide →Called Japan’s last clear stream, the Shimanto has chinkabashi bridges without railings, designed to stay under water in floods. Canoe and boat trips run in the warmer months.
Rent a bike or car in Shimanto City (Nakamura); buses are limited.
Read this area guide →Cape Muroto is a UNESCO Global Geopark with wave-cut rocks; Cape Ashizuri has a lighthouse on high cliffs. Both have temples on the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage.
Both capes are far from the city; plan a long day or a night.
Read this area guide →An editorial route idea, not a timed tour. Adjust it for weather, opening days and your walking pace.
Kochi Castle in the morning (Sunday market on Sundays).
Katsuo no tataki at Hirome Market.
Bus to Katsurahama beach.
Izakaya dinner in the city.
Try katsuo no tataki, sawachi platters, yuzu, and Kochi’s sake culture.
Stay in Kochi City near Harimayabashi; the capes and the Shimanto have small inns and minshuku.
JR Nanpu limited expresses run from Okayama. Trams run in Kochi City; outer areas need a car or long bus rides.
