Living in Kochi Q&A: Let’s make use of a promotional event! ~You can enjoy cheap activities and lodgings in Kochi~

   Did you know that a variety of money-saving promotional events are available for you to help revitalize Kochi through tourism?

   In this issue, we will introduce a promotional event in Ochi Town. There is no doubt that this is the perfect opportunity to try out activities or stay overnight in the Ochi Town area.
   Rich in beautiful nature, Ochi Town is the perfect place for hiking mountains or playing by the riverside.

Who can sign up for this promotion?
• Those who reside in Kochi Prefecture
• Those who are able to share their experiences with hashtags on social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Points to Note

• The promotional event ends on March 31, 2021 (with some summer-only activities)

• Discounts cannot be used by the same person twice for the same activity

• You will need a reservation to enjoy the accomodations and activities.

Make sure to mention “kyanpēn wo tsukaimasu” on the phone or on the website, when making your reservation.

Here are some examples of things to do!

Snow Peak’s Rafting Tour at Niyodo River Camping Field in Ochi

*Experience rafting here!

Snow Peak’s Kawano Rest Stop in Ochi

* From here, you can view lodges designed by the world-famous architect Kengo Kuma and enjoy the changes in scenery across the seasons.

Neko no Omoi

A guest house in Ochi

*Pet cats at this guest house!

   If there is more you want to know, please contact the Ochi-cho Tourist Association or KIA.

【Ochi-cho Tourist Association】

1736-7 Ochi Ko, Ochi-cho, Takaoka-gun

Tel: 0889-26-1004

E-mail: info@ochi-kankou.jp

Let’s make a “Ryoma Passport” and travel around Kochi!

   The Ryoma Passport is an item which gets you special perks simply by showing it at various tourist facilities, hot springs, road stations, and restaurants serving local dishes. Might as well use it if you’re
living in Kochi! You’ll be surprised at how many places there are near to you where you can use it. In this issue, KIA staff and CIRs will show you some of the ways to use the Ryoma Passport.

 

The flag

How to get a Ryoma Passport
1. First, get the pamphlet for the Ryoma Passport at various places like the Kochi Station Tourist Information Center, and cut out the registration postcard on the back. (We also have the pamphlets at KIA.)
2. Collect three kinds of stamps on the postcard at applicable facilities. For example, ①Enter the main keep of Kochi Castle→②Spend at least 500yen on food or goods at Hirome Market→③Visit The Museum of Art, Kochi. You will already have three stamps this way.
3. Next, if you go to the Kochi Travel Plaza in front of JR Kochi Station, you can exchange the postcard for a “Blue Passport” on the same day.
＊ You can also mail the registration form. Once you collect the necessary stamps for the “Blue Passport”, you can trade it in for a “Red Passport”. There are five levels (Blue→Red→Bronze→Silver→Gold).

Kappa Backpackers

The Yodo-line runs right next to the guesthouse

 

Shimanto River, the last clear stream in Japan, only a minute away!
   About 8 minutes walking distance from Tokawa Station on the Yodo Line, Shimanto-Cho’s first ever guesthouse preopened in July. The property, a former abandoned house which the owner rented out, is currently being renovated with major layout changes and new interior design. It is located next to the Yodo Line railroad, which is only a one minute walk from Shimanto River! Time seems to go by slower in this area, which is surrounded by mountains and the river. This time, a CIR and KIA staff member stayed at the guesthouse and gathered information.

Sprawling mountains are only a short walk
away

Harimayabashi Guesthouse

Uonotana shopping arcade
A historical arcade from the Edo period

 

2 minutes walking from popular tourist destination “Harimayabashi”! A guesthouse in a great location

Socializing area
There were travelers from Indonesia,
Japan, and France when we visited

   Located adjacent to Harimayabashi shopping arcade is Uonotana shopping arcade, where Harimayabashi Guesthouse stands. People from Japan and all around the world have gathered here ever since it opened in August 2015. The building is a renovated kamaboko shop, and has a Japanese modern design which creates a comfortable atmosphere. Meeting fellow lodgers by chance and having a great conversation with them could become a memorable part of your travels.

 

 

 

Katsuo Guesthouse

The exterior resembles the sea

This guesthouse serves as an embassy for Kochi!

The owner, Maki Maeda. Discuss your travel
plans and any other questions with her.

   Maki Maeda is the owner of Katsuo Guesthouse. After working for 9 years in editing for a local information magazine, her dream was to start her own business, and so she refurbished her grandfather’s house, and opened the guesthouse in 2012. Maeda thought up the concept for the design of the whole house, down to the minute detail in each bedroom, bathroom and toilet room. For example, if you look carefully at the interior of the toilet room door which depicts the Shimanto River, you can see “Chinkabashi” (low water crossings with no rails or parapets so they are not washed away by floods) hidden in the design. In fact, people have been inspired to move to the prefecture as a result of staying at this guesthouse, which encapsulates “Kochi”.

Lots of information about Kochi is available
when you arrive at the guesthouse.

Looking for SNS Reporters!

Promote Shikoku tourist information to the world by using the hashtag #LOVESHIKOKU
[Apply by: May23 (Mon.) ]

Award of Contribution Excellence A travel voucher will be awarded for the highest total number of Likes, Comments and Shares.

#LOVE SHIKOKU SNS Reporters Application Form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WEmB-w-xDVZJlznvxcYwpnLOEIVjVuiwABVdVNPBhKY/viewform

Kochi's Official Tourism Information Website Opens

    “VISIT KOCHI JAPAN,” an official website introducing information on tourism in Kochi Prefecture, is open now (Sep. 7). Of all regions on Shikoku Island situated in southwestern Japan, Kochi is the largest prefecture abundant in the blessings of nature.

 

   The website provides useful information to people who are considering traveling to Kochi and those currently visiting the prefecture.

 

   View more...

   http://visitkochijapan.com/

  

Visit Rural Areas involved in Nippon Green Tourism

Shimanto 3 days (15-17 October (Wed.-Fri.) 2014, 3 days/2 nights)

 

   This Monitoring tour is a program in which you will visit the rural areas involved in Green (Agritourism or rural) Tourism, experience the actual lifestyles in these areas such as production activities and food culture, and interact with the local people. An English-speaking guide will accompany you on the tour and help with the exchange.

 

Accepted Applicants: 10

Meet: 15 October (Wed.) at 9:30 at Kochi Ryoma Airport (or at 10:00 at JR Kochi station)

End: 17 October (Fri.) at 16:00 at Kochi Ryoma Airport (or at 15:30 at JR Kochi station)

Tour Organizer: Taiheiyo Travel (Kochi Prefecture)

 

For further information, please see the attached file.

The Prefectural Government Hospitality Division

  On May 11th (Saturday), the movie “Kencho Omotenashi-ka (The Prefectural Government Hospitality Division)” will be released! It is based on the actual Hospitality Division in the Kochi Prefectural Government, and features many of the prefecture’s sightseeing spots, such as the Niyodo River and Cape Muroto.
   Everyone is eagerly awaiting this movie, which was made thanks to the cooperation of all of Kochi Prefecture! With that in mind, we would like to take some time to talk about the work of both the real and fictional Hospitality Division.

Here’s the real Hospitality Division

   Since the novel “Kencho Omotenashi-ka” is being made into a movie, we have decided to interview the deputy director of the Hospitality Division, Machi Yukimune.

MY-yuu-Bus

   “MY-yuu-Bus” is a tourist bus operating between JR Kochi station and Mt. Godaisan and Katsurahama. You can use this service to visit the Makino Botanical Gardens, the Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum, and Katsurahama. The daypass also gets you discounts at some hotels and museums, etc. 

 

Tombo (Dragonfly) Nature Park

   For dragonfly fans, the Tombo Nature Park must be paradise, with 74 species of dragonflies on display throughout the year. The park boasts flowers for every season, and has a beautiful pond. The Shimanto River Gakuyukan, on the same site, exhibits creatures living in and around the river.

Aquariums in Kochi

   If you want to know about marine life in Kochi, please visit the Ashizuri Kaiyōkan in Tosashimizu City, which houses about 150 species of marine creatures that are native to Kochi.

Summer Retreat in Kochi ④－Tengu Kogen

Let’s get out of the scorching town and up to the highland resort in the sky!

Summer Retreat in Kochi ③－Ryuga Caves

Ryuga-dō (Ryuga Caves) is a natural work of art that has been created over 175 million years. When you visit the limestone cave, it takes you to an unknown world. You might feel as if another space has spread over the cave.  

Summer Retreat in Kochi ②－Nakatsu Gorge

It was a muggy day. Along with my family, we went to Yu-no-mori hot spring in Niyodogawa Town, about an hour’s ride from Ino Interchange. Its open-air bath made of maki timber from Niyodogawa was infused with the smell of wood.

Kochi SGG Club

Kochi Castle

Kochi SGG (Systematized Goodwill Guide) Club is a voluntary organization with a mission to promote international friendship through free guide services offered to foreigners.

Sightseeing Renewal

The end of the hit NHK TV series Ryomaden also marked the end of the “Deaihaku” pavilion near the south entrance of Kochi Station. This pavilion, together with three other satellite pavilions attracted over 920 thousand visitors last year! Kochi is not letting the fine wooden construction go to waste and is currently renovating the pavilion to make a comeback on July 9 with new displays and new name “Ryoma Furusato Haku.” The main attraction will be a life-sized replica of Ryoma Sakamoto’s house used in the filming of Ryomaden. Souvenir shop and travel information center “Tosa Terrace” next door has already opened again since February 5. Have a look some time!