Being from Seattle, we are very proud of our Pike Place Market. I’ve spent lot of time volunteering there and I’m always happy to tell people it’s not just a tourist attraction or a place to shop, but every single penny given to Rachel or Billie the famous market piggy banks, goes to support a food bank, a senior centre, preschool and ultimately our Seattle community. Knowing how much our Pike Place Market means to Seattle makes me search out markets in other cities when I travel to see what the pulse is like in those cities too. If you are traveling to Japan, you may already have Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka on your list of places you want to visit, but I would also encourage you to travel a bit farther south to a lesser known place that means a lot to me called Kochi on the Island of Shikoku in Japan. In Kochi there is a market called Nichiyo-ichi Market that has been going on for over 300 hundred years and there are lots of other very unique things to see in that area as well.
Getting to Kochi on the island of Shikoku in Japan
There are a few ways to get to Kochi. One is a night train that you can ride with your Japan Rail Pass and it is called the Sunrise Seto. My husband and I rode this train from Tokyo to Takamatsu on Shikoku before we had kids and it was definitely an adventure-I think this would be a difficult way to travel to Kochi with kids because it’s a communal space with bunks that aren’t very well defined. People actually want to sleep in this area and kids probably will not. With kids we usually tend to make Okayama our starting point and it is easy to take shorter trains to Kochi from there. Kochi also has an airport if you want to fly directly –JAL and ANA usually offer discounted domestic airfare for foreigners in Japan. One day our dream is to rent an apartment in this area and a car so that we can drive around all of Shikoku Island and stay for a long time.
Where to stay in Kochi
We have stayed in two hotels with kids on our trips to Kochi Japan: the Nishitetsu Inn and most recently the Hotel Nikko Kochi Asahi Royale. We booked both of these through Expedia and were able to book rates with breakfast included. The Hotel Nikko Kochi Asahi Royale has an incredible breakfast and stunning views from the breakfast room. I appreciated how everything was labeled in English and local specialties were highlighted as well. I even noticed gluten-free options at this breakfast buffet. Our room at the Hotel Nikko Kochi Asahi Royale was spacious with three beds in it, but these beds are smaller than double beds in the United States and typical of the types of beds you see in hotels in Japan. Nevertheless we were happy with our room and we had a comfortable stay.
Nichiyo-Ichi Market in Kochi
Make sure that you are in Kochi on a Sunday if you want to see the Nichiyo-Ichi Market. This name literally translates to “Sunday Market” in Japanese. This Nichiyo-Ichi Market has been going on in Kochi since around the 17th century and it is almost a kilometer long. There are lots of interesting foods here that you won’t see in other areas of Japan. Yuzu, a popular citrus fruit is also produced in this region so you will see lots of Yuzu flavored things.
Learn to Weave in Kochi using a traditional Japanese Loom
My relatives whisked us away to a bunch of really cool activities around Kochi and one really interesting one was in a mountain house in an area called Ino where we learned a Japanese traditional style of weaving. This was such an awesome activity because it is the same type of weaving that you will see at the Toyota Museum in Nagoya and the kids really enjoyed learning this craft.
Ryugado Cave Kochi
If you love to explore caves, the Ryugado Cave area is a really interesting one. We have done some cave exploration before in Canada and New Zealand and this one was not as dark or scary as the other caves we’ve been to. There are a few low places that if you are tall like my husband you will have to duck to get through but there are a lot of interesting rock formations to see. Apparently you can also do this cave in total darkness or as part of an adventure tour. I get a little claustrophobic in dark spaces and I found this one okay as we got moving along.
Kochi Castle
Kochi Castle is one of only 12 remaining castles in Japan and it was first built in 1601. We were here when the plum blossoms started blooming and it’s a really beautiful place to take pictures. You can also find “ice crean” or Kochi Ice Cream here and this is a Kochi treat that tastes like ice cream but it’s more like a sherbet.
Hirome Ichiba or Hirome Market
Hirome Market is one of my favorite markets to visit in Japan and we try to eat here every time we visit Kochi. You can watch as vendors make katsuo tataki, a type of grilled fish that is popular in this part of Japan and you can sample lots of other delicious local treats. Everyone eats on big tables like a food court in a typical American Mall or trendy Food Hall but it feels like it’s been like this for centuries. This is also a great place to look for souvenirs.
Ashizuri Underwater Observation Tower
We have never been to the Ashizuri Underwater Observation Tower because I didn’t know it existed until I wrote this post and now it’s on my list for the next time we visit Kochi. I think this would be such a cool place to see in real life and I can’t imagine how it would feel to go underwater inside a tower and see fish and turtles in the wild.
Anpanman Museum in Kami City on Shikoku
You might get lucky and ride the Anpanman Train to Kochi from Okayama or you might see the stairs with colorful Anpanman characters at the Kochi Train Station. There are many Anpanman Children’s Museums all around Japan but the creator was born on Shikoku and there is a museum about 40 minutes away from Kochi that you can visit if you love Anpanman and want to learn about Yanase Takashi.
On other trips to Kochi, we have been to the Paper factory, and the Botanical Gardens and of course, we’ve visited at the homes and restaurants of family and friends. Maybe it’s because of family that this area is so special for me, but I think if you go you might also find it a little more off-the-beaten path than other parts of Japan and it’s an area with a lot of really unique and beautiful things you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)