Top Things to do in Kochi
The 10 Best Things to do in Kochi, Shikoku
Discover the best top things to do in Kochi, Japan including Godaisan Park, Chikurinji Temple, Sunday Market, The Kochi Prefectural Makino Botanical Garden, Kochi Castle, Ryoma Sakamoto Bronze Statue, Katsura Hama, The Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum, Kochi Tourist Information Center Tosa Terrace, Tosaden Kotsu - Rail System.
Restaurants in Kochi
1. Godaisan Park
2. Chikurinji Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 199 reviews
Reviewed By DShinder1
This experience was hard to put into words. We were in Japan from America for two weeks of business and managed to squeak in some sight-seeing. About half that time was in Kochi, which was enchanting, to say the least. Our host surprised us with an arrangement of the temple monks giving us a private and personalized traditional prayer ceremony in the temple. They even allowed us to have it filmed. The experience was so ... I really don't have the words ... personal, I suppose, that we have yet to post the video. We travel the world and have never had an experience like this that brought us so close to another culture. My advice is simple: Go there. Do it. You will never forget it. We are looking forward to returning to experience Chikurinji Temple again soon! Dan Shinder CEO Drum Talk TV
3. Sunday Market
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 348 reviews
Reviewed By BZimm08 - Iwakuni, Japan
The Kochi Sunday Market is a must if in the area. I altered my plans for a trip just to make sure I would be in Kochi on a Sunday. Prior to going, I read that the market has been going on for hundreds of years. It starts near the castle on a single road that stretches over a kilometer. I started early here, around 7:30 am and spent a couple hours here walking up and down looking at everything the vendors had to offer. For the most part the market was full of fresh produce. But there were other vendors here selling goods like knives, antiques, plants, etc. There were a few food vendors here as well, I tried the tempura sweet potatoes and went back for seconds, they were great! Markets, are a great way to immerse yourself in local cultures and the Kochi Market should not be missed.
4. The Kochi Prefectural Makino Botanical Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 250 reviews
Reviewed By CapeTownCapetown
The Makino Botanical gardens are built on the slopes of Godaisan - a small mountain East of Kochi's downtown. We were a group of 4 people and sadly only had one day in Kochi so we tool a taxi from our cruise ship directly to Makino to save time The gardens were built to honour the Kochi botanist Dr Tomitaro Makino, who was regarded as the father of Japanese botany At the reception entrance you can pick up maps of the grounds, we were very lucky to be there for the first flush of the cherry blossoms. Visitors are encouraged to walk on the grass and in amongst the trees which made for a really special experience. The conservatory was absolutely beautiful with a stunning collection of orchids well worth a visit and right next to the hillside temple of Chikurin-ji temple so you can visit both places in one journey
5. Kochi Castle
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,164 reviews
Constructed in the 1600s, this castle was originally named Otakasaka after the hill on which it resides. Built to defend the city below, the structure was partially damaged by a fire in the early 1700s but never faced a formal attack.
Reviewed By E608NLgregm - Toronto, Canada
The review “Day Trip to Kochi/Kochi Castle from Cruise Port in Kochi” posted by donavan94563 on Trip Advisor on July 31, 2016 was excellent. It layout a great itinerary with lots of background information for a “Do It Yourself” ¾ day shore excursion while your cruise ship is docked in Kochi City. We followed Donavan’s suggestions when we went there during our August 2018 cruise on the Diamond Princess and had a wonderful time. I just want to update his review with some of our own experience and to include a map of the area to help you with your orientation. First, there was no free shuttle from the port to the city. Diamond Princess charged U$10 per person for the shuttle. Our Princess shuttle drop-off was in Dentetsutaminarubiru Mae Station which is almost directly across from the Kochi Yosakoi Information Exchange Cente. From there, it was about a 20-minute walk to the Kochi Castle. After we got off the shuttle, we crossed the street to visit Harimaya Bridge. It is not a big bridge, but has a couple of love stories associated with it. The Harimaya Bridge appears in “Yosakoi-bushi,” a traditional folk song in Kochi Prefecture. The lyrics partly read: “I saw a monk buy a hairpin near the Harimaya Bridge in Kochi of Tosa…” It was a love story between Junshin, a priest of the Chikurin-ji temple on Godaisan (Mt. Godai) in the eastern part of Kochi City, and Ouma, daughter of a tinker, set in an area around the Harimaya Bridge. The second story was a 2009 film “The Harimaya Bridge” made by American filmmaker Aeron Woolfolk. It was a story about an American man who traveled to rural Japan after his estranged son died there in a traffic accident. While there, he discovered some secrets his son left behind. It was a film about racism, forbidden love and forgiveness. Just around the corner of the Harimaya Bridge was the entrance to the covered Obiyamachi Ichibangai Shopping Street帯屋町 and the Hirome Ichica market ひろめ市場. The shopping street is wide, clean and pleasant with many stores on both sides. One of the stores that we enjoyed shopping in Japan was the Daiso 1,000 yen store. Unlike Canadian and US Dollar Stores, the merchandise in Daiso are of quite good quality. Unless otherwise marked, all items are 1,000 yens. I especially like its cosmetic bags which I use to store my various electrical and camera stuff (chargers, adapters, batteries, flash memory sticks, memory cards, etc.) and packing cubes and shore bags (in the top floor) . These cubes or bags are great for packing, organizing and storing clothes in your suitcase while you travel. The zipper quality is not the greatest; but at 1,000 yen for a small cube and 1,800 yen for a medium one, they were great bargains. Hirome Market was an interesting food court with more than 60 stalls selling a wide variety of local food, including seafood and wagyu beef. One thing not to be missed is the Katsuo tataki,明神丸, or skip jack cod loin seared with straw fire. The market gets busy during lunch. We had lunch there, but finding an empty table was quite a challenge. Just across the street on the other exit of Hirome Market is the Kochi Castle. Before crossing the street, we found a number of hardware stores selling nail clippers, kitchen shears and knives. Japan is renowned for its high quality steel. The nail clippers were our prized souvenirs. Kochi sits on the broad alluvial plain facing Urado Bay. This city in Shikoku takes its name from the great feudal castle that sits at its very heart. Completed in 1611, Kochi Castle was the seat of Yamauchi Kazutoyo 山内一豊, a noted warrior who supported Tokugawa Ieyasu 德川家康 in his successful quest to become Shogun. Tosa Province and Kochi Castle were Yamauchi's reward for faithful service. There is an historical irony here: 250 years later, a Kochi native son - a former low-ranked samurai and now ronin named Sakamoto Ryoma坂本 龍馬 - played a pivotal role in bringing the Tokugawa Shogunate to an end and restoring the Emperor of Japan to political prominence. The prize once awarded for faithful service became a hotbed of support for the Meiji Restoration. Admission to Kochi Castle was free, unless you want to climb the Castle Tower (420 yen). There were a couple of beautiful statues – one of Yamauchi Kazutoyo on his famed warhorse, and another one of the war horse and his wife Chiyo 千代. Chiyo has long been considered as the ideal samurai wife. According to legend, she made her kimono out of a quilted patchwork of bits of old cloth and save pennies to buy her husband, Yamauchi, a magnificent horse on which he rode to many victories. Their love story was quite unusual among samurais. Yamauchi never took another wife or concubine even though Chiyo only gave him a daughter. Near Chiyo’s statue is a tablet by Yamauchi commemorating her death. We visited the Kochi Yosakoi Information Exchange Center as our last stop before returning to ship. Yosakoi Festival in Kochi is one of Japan’s 10 largest festivals held each year from August 9 to 12 (and we just missed it). There was a “Yosakoi Theater” which ran films on the 60-year history of the Yosakoi Festival. In the “Yosakoi Taiken (experience) Corner,” visitors can experience the “Seicho Yosakoi Naruko Odori” dance while holding traditional “naruko” bird clappers, or put on festival costumes and take commemorative pictures. Free admission and nice clean toilets in the center.
6. Ryoma Sakamoto Bronze Statue
7. Katsura Hama
8. The Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 262 reviews
Kochi Prefecture Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum Born in Tosa, Ryoma Sakamoto (1835 - 1867) was active at the end of the Edo period, when Japan was striving to become a modern nation. Although he fell before achieving his goals, there is no doubt that his efforts to realize the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance and the Taisei-hokan (formal restoration of political authority to the Emperor) brought about the birth of a new Japan. This museum is involved in the research of Ryoma Sakamoto and the Meiji Restoration, as well as the gathering, preservation, and display of related documents and materials. Through special exhibits and educational projects, we hope to help people learn more about and become familiar with Ryoma Sakamoto.
9. Kochi Tourist Information Center Tosa Terrace
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 155 reviews
Tosa Terrace not only has sightseeing pamphlets - it also has a business center and provides accommodation information. The building is also a good venue to relax as there are cedar, hinokia cypress, and Tosa shikui plants inside.
10. Tosaden Kotsu - Rail System
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 301 reviews
The opening of the streetcar of TOSADEN TRAFFIC is MAY2,1904. By four small streetcar of 27 capacity,a driver of the gold button- style boarded it and appeared in the town of Kochi breezily. In the open streetcar,We have the oldest history now in Japan. Please enjoy the trip by the streetcar.
Reviewed By grumpee-58 - Brisbane, Australia
Rail line goes north,south,east & west within Kochi City. With a 1 day pass you can hop off & on where you like, tickets can be purchased on board the train for 500 yen per adult.The ticket also entitles you to discounts & benefits at some of the tourist attractions along the train routes. Just get yourself a map and work out what you want to see, it is fairly easy to navigate the routes.
