Kochi City in Kochi Prefecture, Japan is an amazing city to visit and experience with many things to see and do. Kochi City was one of the cities that was bombed by the United States during World War II in 1945. The bombing destroyed almost half of the city and it took many years for the city to recover and rebuild. Kochi is situated on the southern edge of the island of Shikoku and is the second-most southern island in the Japanese archipelago. Kochi City bears a couple of similarities to Los Angeles, California with a chain of mountains north of the city and the ocean to the south of it. Below, we’ll look at a few things to do while in Kochi City, Japan.
Kochi Castle
Kochi Castle is the most-recognizable landmark in Kochi City and can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. Kochi Castle is a rarity in Japanese History as it’s one of the rare castles from Feudal Japan that still exists in its’ complete and original form. When you think of the earthquakes and typhoons that have hit Japan every few years, the fact that this Castle survived all of that is amazing unto itself. The Castle was built in 1600 during the Edo Period and has many displays and historical items to view inside with great hanami spots throughout.
Museum of History (Kochi Castle)
This is a museum located across the street from Kochi Castle that chronicles certain parts of Feudal Japan. It houses many historical documents and artwork and many other artifacts from the Tosa Kingdom.
Chikurinji Temple
This temple was built in 724 and it’s part of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. There’s a beautiful five-story pagoda with many Buddhist statues and artifacts located therein. A calming and peaceful atmosphere is to be had when walking around near the small pond and taking in the entirety of the temple.
Yokoyama Memorial Manga Museum
This fun museum honors the great Yokoyama Ryuichi who was a world-famous cartoonist. This museum showcases his great work on display and tells his story in pictures and facts. Yokoyama’s toy collection and replicas of his home bar and art studio are also on display in the museum.
Harimayabashi Bridge
This is a tiny bridge when you compare it to other bridges, but this tiny bridge has a colorful history behind it. According to local legend, a monk fell in love with a woman and their forbidden affair was exposed when he was purchasing a hairpin at Harimayabashi for the woman. They went into exile and songs were written about this tale with tourists today buying hairpins at this locale to commemorate the story.
Hirome Ichiba Market
When you see the smiling waving Maneki Neko cat above, you know you’re at the Hirome Ichiba Market. This market has over 60 shops which serves up food and drink to the masses. There’s a wide range of food and drink to be had here and it’s a great rest stop on your travels to the other great places on this list.
Katsurahama Beach
This picturesque beach is located south of Kochi City center and has stunning views of the Oceanside. The Sakamoto Ryoma Museum is located here along with the Tosa Dog Museum.
As you can see, there are quite a few things to do in Kochi City, visit one of these great places when you visit!
