Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [508]
Trains run as far south as Kannoura. There are also buses from Mugi to Kannoura (¥770, 45 minutes, 14 per day), stopping at Kaifu and Shishikui on the way. Seven buses a day run from Kannoura to Muroto-misaki, via Ikumi (¥1390, 40 minutes). Buses run as far as Aki (; ¥2880, two hours), where you can transfer to a train to Kōchi. For the last 40km to the cape, the road hugs the coast, hemmed in by mountains on one side and the sea on the other.
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KŌCHI-KEN
The largest of Shikoku’s four prefectures, Kōchi-ken spans the entire Pacific coastline between the two capes of Muroto-misaki and Ashizuri-misaki. Cut off from the rest of Japan by the mountains and sea, the province of Tosa was traditionally regarded as one of the wildest and remotest places in the country.
Although the trip through Tosa makes up more than a third of the pilgrimage, only 16 of the 88 Temples are located in the province. In fact, it’s 84km from the last temple in Tokushima-ken at Hiwasa before you get to the first temple in Kōchi-ken at Muroto-misaki. The longest distance between temples is also in Kōchi: a crippling 87km from Temple 37 (Iwamoto-ji) in Kubokawa to Temple 38 (Kongōfuku-ji) at Ashizuri-misaki. Since there are few places this remote in all of Japan, many pilgrims tend to breathe a sigh of relief once they put Kōchi behind them.
Kōchi-ken is a good place for outdoor types. Whale-watching, rafting, hiking and camping are all options here. Kōchi-ken brims with scenic spots, especially along the Shimanto-gawa, one of the last undammed rivers in Japan.
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TOKUSHIMA TO KŌCHI
Muroto-misaki
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Famous as one of the wildest spots anywhere in the country, and as the doorway to the land of the dead, Muroto-misaki is one of the two great capes that jut out into the Pacific from the southern coast. To pilgrims, it is the place where Kōbō Daishi achieved enlightenment. On a calm day, the Pacific is like a millpond; in bad weather the cape is pounded by huge waves and buffeted by the wind. Visitors can explore Kōbō Daishi’s bathing hole among the rock pools, and the Shinmeikutsu cave () where he once meditated.
A huge white statue of the saint stares out to sea just north of the cape. Temple 24, Hotsumisaki-ji (; also known as Higashi-dera) was founded by Kōbō Daishi in the early 9th century. It’s at the top of a steep hill directly above the point. Next to the temple, accommodation is available at shukubō temple lodgings (23-0024; per person with/without meals ¥5775/3885), a modern building with spotless tatami rooms.
Seven buses a day run west from the cape to Nahari or Aki (; ¥1300, 1½ hours), where you can change to the JR line for a train to Kōchi (one hour). Trains between Aki to Kochi take anywhere between 45 minutes and 1½ hours, depending on connections at Gomen (tickets cost between ¥1150 and ¥1460). There are also buses up the east coast to Kannoura and Mugi in Tokushima-ken.
Ryūga-dō
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Accessible by bus from Tosa-Yamada station on the Dosan line is the limestone cave Ryūga-dō (53-2144; www.ryugadou.or.jp, in Japanese; admission ¥1000; 8.30am-5pm, to 4.30pm Dec-Feb). Designated as a national natural monument, the cave has some interesting stalactites and stalagmites, and traces of prehistoric habitation. The route gets quite steep in places. About 1km of the 4km cave is toured in the standard