Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [512]
Habotan (872-1330; 2-21 Sakai-machi; 11am-11pm) Red lanterns mark out this locals’ izakaya. There’s a large counter as you enter, and booths and tables further back. The menu, plastered over the walls, is in Japanese, but the food is under glass on the counter, so you can always point. Sashimi moriawase (a selection of sashimi) is ¥1050. Local booze includes Tosa-tsuru sake and Dabada Hiburi, a shōchū (distilled grain liquor) made from chestnuts. It’s opposite Chūō Kōen, near several banks.
Amontillado Pub (875-0899; 1-1-17 Obiyamachi; 5pm-1am) This Irish bar has a dartboard, and pints of Guinness for ¥900. It occasionally hosts live Irish music; the rest of the time you’ll have to put up with the Cranberries.
Boston Cafe Bar (875-7730; 1-7-9 Ōte-suji; 5.30pm-2am, to after 2am Sat & Sun) This cosy Japanese take on the American neighbourhood bar has baseball on the TV and friendly young staff behind the bar. A draught beer is ¥600, while a bacon pizza is ¥700.
Getting There & Away
Kōchi’s Ryōma airport, 10km east of the city, is accessible by bus (¥700, 35 minutes) from the station. There are flights to/from Tokyo (¥31,500, one hour and 20 minutes, eight daily), Nagoya (¥25,800, one hour, two daily), Osaka (¥17,500, 45 minutes, six daily) and Fukuoka (¥23,700, 45 minutes, three daily).
Kōchi is on the JR Dosan line, and is connected to Takamatsu (tokkyū ¥4760, two hours and 10 minutes) via Awa Ikeda (tokkyū ¥2730, one hour and nine minutes), a jumping-off point for the Iya Valley in Tokushima-ken. Trains also run west to Kubokawa (tokkyū ¥2560, one hour), where you can change for Nakamura (for the Shimanto-gawa) and Uwajima on the west coast.
Getting Around
Kōchi’s colourful tram service (¥190 per trip) has been running since 1904. There are two lines: the north–south line from the station intersects with the east–west tram route at the Harimaya-bashi junction. Pay when you get off, and ask for a norikae-ken (transfer ticket) if you have to change lines.
The My-Yū circular bus (see Godaisan, Click here) runs to Godaisan and Katsurahama from Kōchi station.
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KŌCHI TO ASHIZURI-MISAKI
The quiet stretch of coast between Kōchi and Ashizuri-misaki offers a number of interesting diversions. Tosa-wan (Tosa Bay) was once a major whaling centre; today, whale-watching is increasingly popular along the coast. There are kayaking opportunities along the Shimanto-gawa, one of the last free-flowing rivers in Japan, and an exquisite beach at Ōki-hama. At the cape itself, there’s some rugged scenery and Temple 38 on the Shikoku pilgrim trail.
The train line from Kōchi parts at Wakai. The JR Yodo line heads northwest through the mountains to Uwajima in Ehime-ken, while the private Tosa-Kuroshio line heads around to Nakamura and ends at Sukumo. There is also a bus service to Ashizuri-misaki from Nakamura station (¥1930, one hour and 40 minutes, nine daily). You can continue around the cape to Sukumo and Uwajima by bus or thumb (for more on hitching, Click here).
Between spring and mid-September, whale-watching trips are offered at several places along the coast. In the town of Kuroshio-machi not far from Nakamura, Ōgata Whale Watching (0880-43-1058; fax 0880-43-1527; http://sunabi.com/kujira, in Japanese; per person ¥5000) runs three four-hour trips daily between late April and October, leaving at 8am, 10am and 1pm. You’ll need to reserve in advance, since the company uses three different ports. Tosa Irino and Tosa Kamikawaguchi are the closest stations to Kuroshio-machi on the Tosa-Kuroshio railway line.
The region’s best accommodation option is superbly situated Shimanto-gawa Youth Hostel (; 0880-54-1352; www16.plala.or.jp/shimanto-yh, in Japanese; nonmembers per person with 2 meals ¥5980; ). Accommodation