I’ll always remember the primary time I visited Kochi. It was a type of excellent winter days—a deep blue sky with out a cloud in it, and simply delicate sufficient to the place you wonder if your jacket is critical. However after all, the second the solar begins sinking towards that clear, February horizon, you realize it’s.
The sago palms fringing Kochi Fort had been misleading, too—how can it ever even be winter in someplace so unique? And but this a reminiscence now, an almost-decade outdated one at that, so let’s not bathroom ourselves down in particulars.
Certainly, my round-up of issues to do in Kochi is stuffed with these. Definitely sufficient of them that by the point you end studying this put up, you’ll have 1 / 4 of your journey to Shikoku deliberate.
The place to Keep in Kochi
I’ll get into issues to do in Kochi for only a second, however for now let’s discuss the place you need to keep. To begin, I’ll give the disclaimer that Kochi lodging leaves one thing to be desired, even by the requirements of Shikoku (and secondary locations in Japan typically). Though the town’s sights (and extra broadly, its authenticity) counteract this, you need to jettison any pretense of going to sleep or waking up in luxurious, you probably have one.
In relation to particular Kochi lodges, I’m of two minds. One is extra utilitarian: Kochi Pacific Lodge in all probability hasn’t been thought-about “good” since across the time I used to be born, however its location simply two minutes by foot from JR Kochi Station greater than makes up for its 80s ambiance. Jyoseikan ryokan, in the meantime, is extra objectively opulent (and serves its personal award-winning bonito tataki), though you’ll positively pay for having a semblance of luxuriousness right here.
Easy methods to Spend Your Time in Kochi
Ascend Kochi Fort’s maintain
I’ve already written right here about my love for Kochi Fort, which could simply be my favourite of Japan’s 12 remaining unique castles, if not objectively the perfect. Along with the superbly manicured and spacious grounds, what’s pretty about Kochi-jo is the view you take pleasure in from the tenshu, or maintain. It’s surprisingly uncrowded, definitely in comparison with Japan’s extra widespread castles.
Take a peek from the Shikoku Pilgrimage
Talking of viewpoints, one other of my favourite issues to do in Kochi, Japan is to absorb a panorama of the town from Kochi Prefectural Botanical Backyard. A secondary profit of constructing the trek (metaphorically talking) right here is the chance to go to Chikurin-ji, the thirty first temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. (It ought to go with out saying, however your “trek” received’t be metaphorical should you arrive right here through this well-known 88-temple path.)
Tear into Katsuo-no-tataki
Whether or not or not you truly trek throughout your time in Kochi, you’re certain to work up an urge for food. Probably the greatest methods to satiate your self is to eat Kochi’s most well-known dish: Katsuo-no-tataki. The idea is so simple as the flavour is scrumptious. Cooks take uncooked filets of bonito (skipjack tuna) and calmly sear the skin, leaving the within cool and pink, a cooking type often called “tataki.” Eating places all through the town provide this dish, most notably ones inside the market I’m about to explain.
Discover one in every of Japan’s finest markets
Now, Kochi is hard as a result of the Kochi Sunday Market (as its identify suggests) is simply open as soon as per week. If you happen to can’t be within the metropolis on a Sunday to see the market, which is the biggest one in Japan, there’s nonetheless excellent news. Specifically, Hirome Market (which is open on daily basis) has dozens of wonderful meals stalls, together with many who serve the aforementioned katsuo-no-tataki. Certainly, irrespective of which of those markets you go to, Kochi is a foodie paradise.
Head out into nature
If you happen to’re searching for day journeys from Kochi, most individuals head south to seaside Susaki, a well-liked place for sea kayaking. Vacationers preferring a extra conventional form of vessel (and who don’t have their hearts set on being on the ocean) can as an alternative head inland to the Shimanto River. Boat over crystalline waters that distinction strikingly with lush bamboo forests on different aspect. One other vacation spot for lovely waters is Nikobuchi, the unbelievable waterfall pictured above.
How Lengthy Ought to You Spend in Kochi?
The easy reply to what number of days in Kochi you need to spend is so long as you may afford to dedicate to it. With this being mentioned, I’m a practical individual. If you happen to’re coming to Kochi in any respect, it both means: A) Your journey to Japan is so lengthy (one month or extra) that you simply aren’t notably involved about the way you finances your days or B) You’re merely exploring Shikoku on this journey, and are roughly dividing your time in every of the island’s main cities equally.
Extra objectively, I might say there are sufficient issues to do in Kochi (the town heart, that is), to simply justify 1-2 nights; you may add one other evening (or two) should you plan to move inland to the Shimanto River, or all the way down to the coast to kayak. On account of its comparatively distant location, and the gradual trains in Shikoku, I in all probability wouldn’t suggest visiting Kochi as a day journey from Tokushima or Matsuyama, until you’ve gotten completely no different selection.
Different FAQ About Visiting Kochi, Japan
Is Kochi, Japan value visiting?
Kochi, Japan is totally value visiting, whether or not for Kochi Fort (which is essentially the most intact of Japan’s 12 unique castles) or for katsuo no tataki, a seared skipjack tuna that’s mainly solely accessible right here (though you might discover it elsewhere in Japan).
What’s Kochi, Japan identified for?
Kochi, Japan is understood firstly for Kochi Fort, a Seventeenth-century construction that’s the most intact of the 12 “unique” castles that stay in Japan. When you end right here, stroll to close by Hirome Market, the place you may style scrumptious katsuo no tataki seared tuna.
How can I’m going to Kochi, Japan?
Kochi, Japan is accessible a number of methods. From Tokyo, the most suitable choice is to fly nonstop from Haneda Airport to Kochi-Ryoma Airport (KCZ). If you happen to’re in Osaka or Kyoto, in the meantime, you may journey two methods. A freeway bus travels from JR Osaka Station to Kochi (through Naruto and Tokushima) a number of occasions per day. In any other case, you may experience the Shinkansen to Okayama, after which take a Restricted Categorical prepare all the way in which to JR Kochi Station.
The Backside Line
No matter which issues to do in Kochi most enchantment to you, this underrated metropolis deserves a spot in your Shikoku itinerary. Ascend the maintain of Kochi Fort, go to a temple of the Shikoku pilgrimage or just uncover Kochi by way of its native delicacies. Most significantly, consider Kochi (the town, this) not solely as a vacation spot in and of itself, however as a necessary a part of the connective tissue of Shikoku island itself—right here, I’m considering extra of the broader Kochi prefecture. Talking of which, if you wish to guarantee your journey to Shikoku is one for the report books, be sure you fee a customized Japan itinerary!