With the reopening of Japan in October of 2022 I was called by JNTO Japanese National Tourism organization for an assignment between the end of February and the start of March 2023 focused on nature and to document a less known part of Japan.

My full itinerary started on the day after the arrival leaving Tokyo with a flight to island of Shikoku and in particular to discover and document Kochi and it’s Prefecture a less known and visited area of Japan.

Kochi is the capital and largest city of Kochi Prefecture located on the island of Shikoku on Japan’s Pacific coast where the landscape and climate it feels like in the Mediterranean.

First impressions of Kochi

Arrived in Kochi around lunch time as I like to do when I’m visiting a new country I like to taste and discover the local culture and food so after as short tram ride and walk I visited the Hirome market not far from Kochi Castle. The market is composed of 65 stalls to enjoy an array of local and international cuisine but it’s well known for their Katsuo No Tataki probably Kochi’s most famous food. Katsuo no tataki is a deliciously strong dish of skipjack tuna grilled over a straw flame.

Chikurin-ji temple is temple number 31 of the Shikoku 88 Temple pilgrimage and one of the loveliest temples I have seen during my time in Japan. Is easily accessible by public transport in about 20 minutes traffic permitting and same for Kochi city all the main attractions can be visited by foot or using the public transportation.

Kochi City

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