Leisurely Pleasures and Beautiful Food in Kochi on Japan's Shikoku Island

I had ventured out of my comfort zone to explore the heartbeat of Japanese culture in a quieter settling. Kochi is the capital of Kochi Prefecture, a largely agricultural area. Farms and orchards predominate here, producing high-quality fruits and vegetables. And, because of the many rivers and long coastline, the region also produces a bounty of fresh seafood.

Hypnotized by the view on the observation deck, I was in no hurry to leave. The day was sunny and a cool breeze was coming off the water. Down below, the city seemed to be moving in slow motion. River traffic inched along on the twin rivers, Kagami and Kokubu. Overhead, airplanes passed by lazily on their way to Kochi Ryoma Airport.

In this quiet state, I noticed a detail I might have missed if I had been rushing from destination to destination.

Godaisan Observation Deck, Kochi, lovers padlocks

Brass padlocks were secured on chains that stretched from the observation telescopes to the concrete wall. Like lovers on Paris’ Ponte des Arts bridge, couples come here to celebrate their everlasting love by securing locks and throwing away the keys. What a beautiful gesture with a beautiful view.

A Shimanto River lunch time cruise and the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage

Two hours west of Kochi by car, I joined a group for a lunch time cruise on the Nattoku Houseboat Cruising Service. We climbed onto the small houseboat and settled into a space lined with picture windows facing the water. We tucked our legs comfortably underneath a long low table and the boat pushed away from the dock.

Shimanto River, a Nattoku Houseboat

Popular for kayaking, canoeing, rafting and sailing, that day, we had the Shimanto River to ourselves. We looked out the windows to enjoy the view of rolling hills and thick stands of bamboo dotted with delicate flowering plants.

On the cruise, the website said we would be served a “lunch bag,” which I assumed meant a sandwich and a piece of fruit. I was happily surprised by a meal so much better than that.

Lunch arrived in an elegant and very Japanese black lacquered bento box. If you have never been served a bento box, they are a delightful way to eat a meal. The box is subdivided into large and small sections. Usually there is rice, a salad, fresh fruit and a protein. The fun of a bento box is the variety of textures, flavors and colors collected together in one meal.

Shimanto River, a bento box lunch

The bento box on the river cruise was designed to highlight the local food products, with a selection of Kochi’s bounty.

A savory-sweet square of Kabocha squash was next to a fat slice of braised daikon. Fresh water eel filets were painted with thickened, sweetened soy sauce (nitsume). There were brightly colored pickled vegetables and a delicately layered, pale yellow sweet egg omelet (tamago). Steamed rice was compacted into three “logs” flecked with black sesame seeds. The main dish was a perfectly grilled, salted sweetfish (ayu). The whole fish was skewered on a wooden stick and cooked over hot charcoal. Every bite was delicious. My favorite was a cluster of tiny, crispy-fried, translucent, sweet tasting river shrimp (kawa ebi).

The bento box was visually stunning. The contrast of flavors was matched by a contrast of colors. The meal was definitely a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.

Our next stop was the Chikurinji Temple (also spelled Chikurin-ji). Traveling by car, we passed through Kochi heading east. Chikurinji is # 31 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage (the Pilgrimage Trail). Eighty-eight temples were built all over the island to celebrate Kūka (also known as Kōbō Daishi), the revered Buddhist monk and scholar who died in 835. To attain a state of serenity, pilgrims commit to visit each of the temples. Dressed in white they can be seen walking on the roads leading to the temples.

Steep stone steps leading up Mt. Godai-san to Chikurinji Temple

The popular temples are different in design and appropriate to their settings. Some are located in small park-like enclaves in the middle of cities, while others are large estates in the mountains.

To enter Chikurinji, our car turned off the asphalt road onto a gravel driveway. We climbed steep stone steps leading up Mt. Godai-san. Thickly planted moss covered trees lined the walkway, their overhanging branches shutting out the sunlight. The darkness enveloped us until we reached the top.

We walked out into sunlight to see a towering 5-story pagoda and another large building that housed a statue of Manjusri, a representation of Buddha’s wisdom in human form. Smaller sanctuary spaces bordered a formal Japanese garden with flowers and flowering trees. I made a mental note that when I returned, I would come a few weeks later in early spring to enjoy the explosion of color when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

Many temples have large, imposing statues, giant golden Buddhas or elaborately carved gods. At Chikurinji, besides the Manjusri, lining the walkways there were also smaller statues about two feet tall. Their weathered stone faces showed the effects of centuries of rain and wind.

Statues at Chikurinji Temple, Kochi Prefecture

Curiously, the statues were dressed with red wool skull caps, bibs and capes. Dressing the statues that way seemed comical. But our guide explained that the intention was definitely not humorous. The statues and their clothing were placed there by grieving parents to commemorate the death of a child.

I quickly appreciated my mistake and recognized that these colorful statues were mournful sentinels in a garden of contemplation, so valuable to parents who have suffered such a great loss.

Kochi Castle

A castle, a Japanese-Italian restaurant in a mall and an izakaya food court

Towering over the downtown, Kochi Castle was originally completed in 1611 and rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1748. If you are a fan of Japanese samurai films like those by Akira Kurosawa, whose Hidden Fortress inspired George Lucas when he created Star Wars, you are familiar with the architecture of Kochi Castle.

Designed to dominate the surrounding landscape, Japanese castles from this period are beautiful and formidable. At the time of its construction, the castle was a state-of-the-art defensive weapon.

The first line of defense was the castle’s high outer stone walls, massive wooden main gate and wide moat. If attackers somehow breached the outer perimeter, they faced more obstacles. To reach the buildings on top of the hill, the attackers’ only way to advance was to climb sharply angled, narrow pathways. Slowed to a crawl, they were easy targets for the archers raining down arrows from firing positions protected behind narrow windows. If the enemy soldiers managed to enter the keep, where the family lived, they would have to charge up a steep wooden staircase with narrow stairs. Once again the attackers would be slowed in their advance, making them easy to beat back with arrows, pikes and swords.

But the castle was built not only for defense but as the beautifully crafted, private home of a powerful family. The Yamanouchi clan lived and raised their families inside the castle. To visualize that time for visitors, three dimensional dioramas show how life was lived in the 17^th century. An important part of that life was a deeply felt love of nature which is preserved to this day in carefully tended grounds that include Japanese cedar, pine and camphor trees. Time your visit for the spring to enjoy the gorgeous flowering of the plum (ume) and cherry trees.

One of the fierce imaginary fish-like creatures (shachi) on the rooftop of of Kochi Castle, Kochi

When you visit, notice the meticulous details of the buildings’ architecture. Be sure to take special notice of the shachi, imaginary fish-like creatures that grimace threateningly from the corners of the roofs.

Food culture is very important in Kochi

Throughout the year there are food festivals celebrating local products as different as newly harvested rice, sweetfish, young sardines (dorome), bonito and sake. Weekly farmers markets are an opportunity to meet farmers and local craftspeople and see their wares up close.

The food opportunities in Kochi are varied, with good quality cafes, izakaya bars, udon and sushi restaurants. Sake breweries offer tours and tastings. I particularly enjoyed resort dining Se Relaxer, a Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant on the second floor of an atrium mall.

Se Relaxer Chef Takumi Yamamoto

All of chef Takumi Yamamoto’s inventive dishes were made with ingredients from Kochi. He started the meal with a plate of bruschetta and a refreshing salad of leafy greens, garden vegetables and strawberries. He prepared a carpaccio of Girella Punctata Gray, a local fish. Yamamoto’s steamed sliced pork, cabbage, kabocha, enoki and shimeji mushrooms, carrots, leeks and sweet potatoes served with local salt and yuzu vinegar was addictive. Even though we were happily full, Yamamoto insisted we try his arugula salad tossed with slices of sous vide, charred beef shank and paper thin lotus root crisps. His mastery of marrying contrasting textures and flavors created a memorable dish.

As part of my all-too-brief trip, I visited a popular food court close to Kochi Castle. From the outside, Hirome Marketplace (Hirome Ichiba) was an undistinguished building. A brightly colored Maneki-neko or beckoning cat with an upraised paw over the entrance invited everyone to come inside.

I pushed through thick plastic sheeting that substituted for a door. It only took a few seconds to understand why locals regarded Hirome as one of Kochi’s most fun destinations. The air was filled with the aroma of simmering braises, food sizzling on grills and fish frying in hot oil.

If you have been to an izakaya, a Japanese eating and drinking bar, imagine one as large as a German beer hall. The dining areas were filled with people laughing, talking, drinking and eating. The nosy, happy atmosphere was so much fun.
The space was arranged into hallways and large open halls where diners shared benches at long wooden tables. All around the eating areas, vendors cooked freshly prepared food and served ice cold beverages. Hirome also had stalls that sold fresh and dried seafood, packaged foods, flowers, clothing and even shoes, but the reason to be here was to eat and drink.

Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant, Kochi

When you visit, a word of advice. It is easy to fill up on the first taste treat you encounter. But pace yourself. There are so many choices. Walk around the stalls. See what looks good before deciding what to order.

When I visited, I saw rice balls wrapped in beef cooking on blazingly hot charcoal grills. Another vendor sold the little crispy shrimp (kawa ebi) I loved from the river cruise. If I had wanted fish, it was available tempura style, grilled, fried or raw in sashimi.

But that was the tip of the iceberg.

There was donburi (seasoned rice topped with vegetables, meats or seafood), different styles of udon, Japanese curry and thinly sliced, fried sweet potatoes (imo-kempi). At the bars, people bought beer, sake and shochu (Japanese vodka). At one station, I stood with a group and watched a chef prepare one of Kochi’s signature dishes, seared raw bonito. I had never seen the technique before. A fat piece of prime bonito was placed over a bundle of rice straw that was set ablaze. The explosion of flame charred the outside of the fish. The chef sliced thin pieces and offered them as samples. Delicious!

Hirome Marketplace

All that and so much more to do in Kochi

Kochi is a richly diverse destination. Besides exploring the food culture and enjoying nature, there are active adventures that range from canoeing trips, canyoning, rafting, camping, hiking paragliding, whale watching, snorkeling, diving, surfing and sea kayaking. The area is also well-known for its natural hot springs, spas, botanical gardens, beaches, museums, dance troops, art galleries and, of course, the Pilgrimage Temples.

After visiting some destinations, you feel that you have “done that.” There’s no need to come back. During this trip I realized I had only scratched the surface of what there was to see and do. My little taste of Shikoku Island and Kochi made me hungry for more.

If you go:

Observation Deck, Mt. Godai-san, Kochi

Nattoku Shimanto River Houseboat Cruising Service on Route 441, 846-1 Tadenokawa, Shimanto-shi, Kochi-ken 787-1229, +81-880-38-2918, for schedules and reservations please go to https://www.yakatabune-nattoku.com/index_translation.html

Chikurinji Temple, 3577 Godai-san, Kochi-shi, Kochi, +81 88-882-3085

Kochi Castle, 1-2-1 Marunouchi, Kochi-shi, +81 88-824-5701

resort dining Se Relaxer, Kei 3 F, 2-1 Obiyacho Kochishi, +81 88-854-8480, on the 2^nd floor overlooking the mall, chef Takumi Yamamoto

Hirome Marketplace (Hirome Ichiba), 2-3-1 Obiyamachi, Kochi, Kochi Prefecture