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Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Kochi (Shikoku)
高知
Give Kochi city two nights: one for the castle, Hirome Market and Sunday Market, one for Godaisan and Katsurahama. Skip it if you have no car and no interest in the Pacific coast.
Kochi is the capital of Kochi prefecture on Shikoku's south coast, reached by the JR Dosan line from Okayama or by air from Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. The city is small, walkable in the centre and tram-served, with an original castle keep, a market hall that fills every night, and a coast at Katsurahama 40 minutes out. Most travellers use it as a two-night base before pushing west to the Shimanto river, Cape Ashizuri or the Iya Valley.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 高知
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Sep (rainy season, then typhoon season); 9–12 Aug if you want a quiet city
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥7,000–11,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥11,000–18,000 excl. bed · High ¥18,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥400–700 |
| Katsuo no tataki set meal | ¥1,200–2,500 |
| Beer: draught at Hirome Market / can at a konbini | ¥500–700 / ¥250–350 |
| Tram ride downtown | ¥200 |
| Kochi Castle keep entry | ¥400 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥2,000–4,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KCZ · Kochi Ryoma Airport
- Flights from Tokyo Haneda, Osaka Itami, Nagoya Komaki and Fukuoka; buses to Kochi station take 35–45 min, ¥700
Typical fares
- KCZ airport → Kochi Station, bus
- ¥700, 35–45 min
- Tram, downtown ride
- ¥200
- My-Yu Bus day pass
- ¥1,000
Get around
Trams run from Kochi station south into the centre and east–west along Route 32; a downtown ride is ¥200. The My-Yu Bus from the north side of the station reaches Godaisan and Katsurahama, with a day pass at ¥1,000. Streets are wide and traffic light by Japanese standards, so bicycles work well; watch for cyclists riding against traffic.
See and do
Known for
- Kochi Castle, one of the few original keeps
- Katsuo no tataki (seared bonito)
- Hirome Market and the Sunday Market
- Sakamoto Ryoma sites
- Yosakoi Matsuri, 9–12 August
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Katsurahama and Godaisan | My-Yu Bus from Kochi station north side, stops at Chikurin-ji, Makino Botanical Garden and the lookout, then Katsurahama | About 40–60 min |
| Nankoku | JR Dosan line or a short drive south-east of the city | About 20–30 min |
| Aki | JR Dosan line east along the coast | About 40–50 min |
| Kami | JR Dosan line north, then bus or taxi to Ryugado Cave | About 1–1.5 h |
| Cape Ashizuri | JR to Nakamura or Tosashimizu, then bus; a car is much faster | 3–4 h |
| Shimanto City | JR Dosan line to Kubokawa or Nakamura, then local buses | 2–3 h |
Sleep
- Kochi Station area
- Arrival point for JR, airport bus and the My-Yu sightseeing bus; chain business hotels, easiest with bags.
- Harimayabashi and the arcade
- Central tram stop, covered shopping arcade and Hirome Market on foot; best for eating and drinking.
- Around Kochi Castle
- Quieter, walkable to the castle and Obiyamachi arcade; a few minutes further from the station.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| This one, please | これをくださいkore o kudasai |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- Katsurahama is a viewing beach: swimming is prohibited.
- Kochi Castle keep hours are 09:00–17:00 and the grounds are free; the keep ticket is ¥400.
- The Sunday Market runs every Sunday, rain or shine, along the street near the castle.
- Yosakoi Matsuri (9–12 Aug) fills every hotel in the city: book months ahead or avoid those dates.
- Small restaurants and bars may be cash-only; carry yen.
Kochi is a calm, low-crime city. The real risks are summer heat and humidity, typhoons in season, cyclists on the wrong side of the road, and bars with no posted prices: ask the total before you sit.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kochi (Shikoku) yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Kochi Castle, one of the few original keeps
- Katsuo no tataki (seared bonito)
- Hirome Market and the Sunday Market
- Sakamoto Ryoma sites
- Yosakoi Matsuri, 9–12 August
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Kochi City official site: www.city.kochi.kochi.jp/
- Kochi prefecture tourism (welcome-kochi): welcome-kochi.jp/
- Tosaden My-Yu Bus: www.tosaden.co.jp/multilingual/en/bus/route/route.html
- Wikivoyage: Kochi (Shikoku), revision 5274478 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5274478
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Kochi (Shikoku)高知
ここまでお願いします
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Kochi; most countries keep embassies in Tokyo and consulates in Osaka. The US has a consulate in Osaka (check the address).
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kochi-shikoku). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.