Kochi is Shikoku’s most spirited city — the home prefecture of Ryoma Sakamoto (1836–1867), the samurai revolutionary who helped broker the alliance that ended the Tokugawa shogunate, and whose face appears on seemingly every surface in the prefecture. Kochi faces the Pacific Ocean on Shikoku’s south coast, giving it a subtropical climate, heavy rainfall, and a food culture dominated by the ocean’s bonito.
Kochi Castle
Kochi Castle is one of Japan’s 12 surviving original castle keeps and one of only four where both the main keep and the secondary keep (ninomaru) gate survive intact. The castle sits on a low hill in the city center, surrounded by cherry trees. The interior is preserved as a functional Edo-period administration building — the original wooden floors, document storage rooms, and private chambers of the Yamauchi clan lords are all accessible. The view from the top floor over Kochi’s flat coastal basin is surprisingly good despite the castle’s modest height.
Sunday Market (Nichiyo Ichi)
Kochi’s Sunday Market (Nichiyo Ichi) is Japan’s longest-running street market — operating every Sunday along a 1.3km stretch of Otesuji Avenue for over 300 years. The 600+ stalls sell fresh vegetables, Kochi’s extraordinary local produce (yuzu citrus, myoga ginger, giant taro, local greens), tools, antiques, and prepared foods. Unlike tourist-oriented markets elsewhere, Kochi’s Sunday market is a genuine weekly institution of the city’s agricultural hinterland. The best produce is gone by 10:00; arrive early.
Katsuo no Tataki & Food Culture
Kochi’s defining food is katsuo no tataki — lightly seared bonito (skipjack tuna) in thick slices, served with chopped spring onion, garlic, ginger, and ponzu. The technique: fresh bonito is seared only on the surface over a straw fire (wara-yaki), leaving the interior raw; the smoky char from the burning rice straw penetrates the surface. Kochi’s version is notably thicker-cut and more aggressively garlic-flavored than the national restaurant norm. The Hirome Market (a covered food hall near the castle) is the essential evening destination — a communal eating space of 60+ stalls where groups share long tables, order from different vendors, and stay for hours. Kochi sake (doburoku and clear style) is particularly food-friendly; the prefecture has a strong drinking culture.
- Kochi is 2.5 hours from Okayama on the Shimanto Express, or 2 hours from Matsuyama by express bus.
- Ryoma Sakamoto Museum (Katsurahama coastal park) tells the story of his role in the Meiji Restoration with unusual fairness to complexity.
- The Shimanto River (Japan’s last free-flowing major river, with no dams) is one hour west — excellent kayaking and cycling along an unusually pristine river landscape.