Kochi

The castle named after the city, Kochi castle, is over 400 years old and still intact with original tower and construction. As I walked towards it on the rainy morning, I got a glimpse of it from a far distance, and it looks majestic.

I reached at 8:30am while the castle is open to visitors at 9am. Walking the grounds and around the fortress, I could admire its location and the view.

The castle is well preserved. Like the ryokans I visited, the castle also requires all visitors to remove their shoes outside. The castle had an exhibit of the weaponry, clothing, and tearooms. The entrance had a fantastic 3-D art piece showing the lord of the castle and his wife.

Next, I decided to go to Kataurhama beach on the My-Yu bus, which takes an hour and is part of the route on an all-day bus pass, sold at a half price of ¥500 to foreign visitors.

Like the road to Hana in Maui, the road to Katsurahama is also very beautiful with dense green trees on either side of the road, featuring beautiful views of cities, mountains, forests and tunnels.

The beach entrance is heavily wooded and the visitor is greeted by many modern looking restaurants.

The Sakamoto Ryoma statue and Museum are also here, commemorating the samurai who in 1830s was influential in ending the Tokugawa Shogunate and restoring the power of the Edo imperial rule. He was a big proponent of democracy, and learned from US and British systems of governance. The museum dedicated to him is grand and reflects the respect bestowed on him.

The beach was picturesque and serene. It was a little bit subdued because of the rainy, drizzly day. Looking at the map, I was at the Philippine sea and about 600 miles from Okinawa.

After hiking around for a couple of hours and a quick bite, I decided to go back to Kochi station and travel out of Shikoku, to a new city named Kurashiki, the Venice of Japan.