Kochi’s Tourism and Food Culture
Speaking of Marathon・・・・

ＫＯＣＨＩ！
The year-round mild climate
is perfect for marathon!
Delicious food!
Plenty of sightseeing！

Come to KOCHI !!

Ryoma Sakamoto, born in Tosa (present day Kochi)
is a loyalist in the last days of the Edo period. He
started a revolution against the Tokugawa
shogunate, and then changed Japanese politicalsystem.

The Charms of Kochi■Rich Nature, Great Food
Kochi, located in Southwest Japan and surrounded by rich forested mountains and a diversely
shaped coast line, is blessed by beautiful nature. The Shimanto River, Japan’s last pristine river,flows calmly along, and the Niyodo River, Japan’s clearest river, has mysteriously blue water.
The climate is mild throughout the year due to its warm ocean current and the most hours ofsunshine in Japan. The annual average temperature is 17.7℃ with over 2000 sunlight hours
per year. Seafood and produce harvests are amazingly rich. Kochi won the “Best Local Food inJapan” award five times in the last six years in a major Japanese travel magazine survey.

■Birthplace of Historical Hero & FestivalKochi is famous for many historic heroes that supported
Japan’s revolution at the end of the Shogun period whichbegan 400 years ago. Also it is well known as the birthplaceof Yosakoi, one of the most famous Japanese dance festivals.

■Local Appeal
Kochi Castle, located in the capital city, is one of the three best
Castle nightscapes in Japan. Parts of Kochi castle have remained
the same since the Shogun era, almost 400 years ago. A beloved open-air market has been held
continuously every Sunday for 300 years on the avenue at the foot of the castle. The Kochi
streetcar system has a 100-year history and is still used today.
Kochi has both a tropical atmosphere and unique historical/cultural assets that no major cities
can offer.

Transit to Kochi■By Airplane■By Rail

It takes about an hour by airplane from
Kochi to Tokyo (Haneda), making Kochi anideal location. You can begin your training
promptly without the stress of long travel.
Domestic Flight Access
Kochi Ryoma Airport

Tokyo (Haneda)
Osaka (Itami)
Fukuoka (Fukuoka)
Nagoya(Nagoya Komaki)

1 hr 20 min
45 minShinkansen (Bullet Train) takes you toOkayama from any major city. Local rail line willbring you to Kochi from Okayama. On the way,
you will enjoy the wonderful view such as theSeto Ohashi Bridge, beautiful Yoshino river, andOboke & Koboke with their variety of strange
natural rock formations.
Rail AccessOkayamaTokyo

1hr 15 min

3 hr 15 min

Osaka (Shin Osaka)

1 hr45 min

Fukuoka (Hakata)1hr 40 min

Hiroshima

40 minOkayama
Local Rail Line Access
KochiOkayama

2 hr 30 min

OsakaOkayama

KOCHI

KOCHI

Kochi Station

Recommended Tourism （Central Kochi ）Landscape / Scenic SpotsHistory■Kochi Castle■Katsurahama Beach（Kochi City）(Kochi City)

Arc-shaped white beach facing the Pacific
Ocean, located south of Kochi City. You
may enjoy the majestic view of wild waves
coming continuously from the Pacific. Thereare Museum, Aquarium, and Memorial Hallaround this area. The vicinity ofKatsurahama has been developed as
Kochi’s Leisure Zone. You can find thestatue of Ryoma Sakamoto who supported
Japan’s revolution at the end of the Shogun
period.

Kochi City produced many historical heroes
who supported Japan’s revolution at the endof Shogun Era. Ryoma Sakamoto is one ofthem. The city on both sides of the Kagami
River is still very quiet, although highbuildings and new roads are built. It is thecenter city of southern Shikoku Island. Kochi
Castle was built in 1601, and also Harimaya
Bridge which is known by the Tale of tragic
love and the Yosakoi Song.

■Mouth of Niyodo River■ Kochi Municipal Ryoma’s Birthplace(Tosa City）

Mouth of Niyodo River is an essential surfing
spot for people with advanced skills in Kochi.
It has the best quality, strongest, and biggest
scale wave in Kochi. Flow of Niyodo River atthe entrance to the ocean make a big sanddunes, and beautiful waves. The pipeshaped wave called ‘The Tube’ is a surfer’sdream.

Memorial Museum(Kochi City)
Kochi is located in the southern regionof Japan on Shikoku Island, and is wellknown as the birthplace of Ryoma
Sakamoto. This museum introduces
Ryoma and his birthplace Kamimachi,
how he overcame great difficulties
during the transitional period of Japan,and explains why he left to go into a newand changing world. Ryoma’s Birthplace
Memorial Museum was built for thepurpose of community development andto promote Kochi’s history, tourism, andculture.

Recommended Tourism （Central Kochi ）Museum / Other■ Makino Botanical Garden■ Harimaya Bridge（Kochi City）(Kochi City)

It was opened in Godaisan, Kochi City in 1958
to honor the achievements of Kochi botanist Dr.
Tomitarou Makino. About 3000 kinds ofseasonal plants, including ones grown inSouthwest Japan and ones in connection withDr. Makino, can be observed. In greenhousejust like a jungle, there are rare tropical plants,
and also there is a exhibition which introduces
Dr. Makino’s achievements and appeal. Aftertaking a walk in the botanical garden, you canenjoy relax ing at restaurant or cafe surroundedby green. Also check out the shop with original
goods which you cannot get at anywhere else!

The Harimaya Bridge is known as thelocation of the famous love story of Junshin &Ouma as well as being the part of lyrics ofYosakoi Song. There were 2 businesses on
the each side of moat at the Edo era. One
was called Harima-ya and the other wascalled Hitsu-ya. They built a private bridge
across the moat. That is said to be the originof the bridge named ‘Harimaya Bridge’. Later,bridge has been rebuilt several times, andwater of the moat has been landfilled. Now, it
is organized as ‘Harimaya Park.’■ Kochi Yosakoi Info Exchange Center■ Sunday Market(Kochi City)(Kochi City)

It introduces the past, present, and future appealof Yosakoi. The Exchange Center introduces
history and the appeal of the ‘Yosakoi Festival’
which began in 1954. The center is designed tolook like a music truck, an essential part of thefestival. Inside is composed of 2 main areas.
One is the history and knowledge area called‘Yosakoi Circle’, and the other is the evolution
and experience area called ‘Yosakoi Square’.

Sunday market is held every Sunday alongOte-suji which is a1km-long street extending
east from Kochi Castle. It has been open
every week for 300 years. About 500 street
vendors are gathered, and vegetables,flowers, plants, food, and commodity goods
are available for purchase. Visitors enjoy theatmosphere.

Cultural Food of Tosa (Kochi Local Food)【Salt Seared Bonito 】
Usually seared bonito is eaten with Citrus
flavored soy sauce. But, if you would like toenjoy Bonito’s freshness, it is best to eat withsalt. Originally, fisherman ate Bonito in this way.
With only salt, the flavor of the fish cannot be
disguised, so the fish must be very fresh!. The
wonderful taste of salt seared bonito cannot be
expressed in words. Please try it for yourself!

Kochi Gourmet Lesson:
The Centerpiece of Kochi Tourism is dynamic and gorgeous
delicious food - Tosa Local Food !!
■Food in Kochi
Kochi, with its mild weather and rich natural surroundings, has plenty of food from
Ocean, Rivers, and Mountains!
It is well known in Japan as the prefecture with delicious food. The platter food,delicate and healthy dishes, and fresh processed food are widely known.

【Hat-Shaped Bread】
Cute local bread of Kochi! Around 1955, it has
been devised and started selling by the local
bread factory, Nagano Asahido. Now, it is sold allover Japan. It is hat shaped bread, and the brimpart is made with crispy sponge cake dough.
Most bakeries in Kochi sell this hat-shaped
bread nowadays, and many varieties of flavorare available.

■ “Sawachi” – Platter Cuisine full of Delicious Food of Kochi
Sawachi is Kochi’s traditional local food.
It is an essential dish on the table where people are gathered.
Seasonal delicious food like Sashimi, Sushi, Deepfried products, cooked products, fruits and so on are
piled on the platter.
Whether they drink alcohol or not, people can enjoy thefood together.

■ Kochi Sake (Japanese Liquor)【Imo Kenpi】
It is a rustic snack of deep-fried shredded
sweet potato which is sprinkled with sugar. It
is one of Kochi’s representative gift foods.
Besides regular sugar flavor, there are richvarieties such as nori, black sesame, salt,and so on. It is popular among all ages.

Image of Sawachi

Kochi people love drinking so much that Kochi is called “Sake Land”. There are 18
sake breweries and each brewery makes a uniquely favored sake.
The characteristic of Kochi’s Sake is its dry and smooth taste in the throat. Ease ofdrinking with any kinds of food gives it a high reputation【Nabeyaki Ramen】
In Susaki city, about 40 restaurants offer thisRamen. Recently, there are also unusual
kinds such as Kimchee or Cold ramen.

■ Drinking bouts in Kochi
In Kochi, banquet is called “Okyaku” meaning “Customers”
or “Visitors”. Not to mention festival or celebration,
people in Kochi take any excuse to sit around Sawachi,
drink together, and deepen their friendships.
Henpai (someone gives a cup of sake to someone,then the person returns the cup after pouring full ofsake to the same person after drinking)Kenpai (Pouring sake into someone’s empty cup to showrespect)
Hashiken (Game using chopsticks)
This unique banquet culture was born in Kochi.

【Ice CreaN】
Not ice creaM!
Very popular
sherbet in Kochi.

【Inaka Sushi】
Country-style sushi rollwhich smellsof Yuzu citrus
vinegar. Mountainproduce like Bamboo
shoots, Myoga, Konnyaku,
and Shitake Mushrooms
are rolled with sushi riceand seaweed.

Cultural Food of Tosa (Kochi Local Food)
Ｓｅａｆｏｏｄ【Bonito Tataki】
First Season：March ～ April
Second Season: October【Dried Bonito】【Sweetfish & Trout】
Season：Sweetfish: Jun～October
Trout: March～November【River Shrimp】
Season: June～September
Main Area：
Shimanto City, Tosa City

【Sun Dried Sardine Fry】

【Riverweed(from Shimanto river)】
Season: December～MarchLand Products【Fruit Tomato】
Season: February～May【Tosa Buntan - Pomelo】
Season:October～December （Greenhouse）
January～April (Open Culture）【Konatsu – Citrus】
Season： Late March～Late June

【Tosa Akaushi Beef】
Season: All Year Around【Shimanto Springwater】
Season: All Year Around【100% Yuzu Vinegar】