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| Matsurahama Beach in Kochi, Japan |
Kochi
After pulling out of Nagoya on March 21, 2024, the MS Riviera sailed south again along Japan's Pacific coast. As it made its way that evening, the ride smoothed out and Mrs. G was very content. She continues to love cruising but as you know does not like a rolling sea. On the morning of the 22nd, the passengers woke up tied to the pier in Kochi, Japan.
Kochi is located on Shikoku Island which is much smaller than the main island of Honshu. It is the capital of the prefecture (province) and has just over 300,000 inhabitants. The main industries here are things like shipbuilding, IT, electronics, seafood and spices. It is a very mountainous area and pedestrians here need strong legs to get from A to B. Because of its position, Kochi is prone to damage from cyclones which are first felt in this picturesque place, before moving on to the rest of Japan.
Our two intrepid travellers joined a group that that began a tour by exploring the very beautiful, Katsurahama Beach, not far from the cruise ship terminal. A very nice paved path led along the top of the beach back-shore. It was a significantly steep beach profile from the path down to the intertidal area. Notwithstanding the slope, there was a nice sandy area at top of the intertidal zone, where Gym was sure local beach bums laid down their beach towels in the summer time. Also along the path, were a couple of important public art works, a playground, food and drink kiosks and a Shinto Shrine or two. One of the significant public art pieces is a statue of Ryoma Sakamoto. Sakamoto born in Kochi into a low level samurai family. He was a Master Swordsman trained in Edo (Tokyo). He was not happy with the Tokugawa shogunate that fostered a feudal state. Unfortunately, that got him killed at age of 31. However, his sacrifice may have helped bring about the end of the shogunate. In any event he is a hero in Kochi.
The tour then made its way over to Kochi Castle and this time you could climb to the top of the keep, for a wonderful view of the city. Gym was not enthusiastic at the beginning so his dear wife abandoned him and charged ahead up the battlements to break a record for her tourist age group. After almost giving up, Gym decided to take it one stair at a time and with only four levels to go, he passed his fetching bride on the way down giving him that final incentive to reach the summit.
The Kochi Castle was built on a high point in the city between 1600 and 1611. It escaped being torn down during the Meiji Restoration when Japan was undergoing industrialization and miraculously, escaped being damaged in WW2, by American B-29 bombers. It survives as one of only 12 castles in Japan, with its original keep. One notices though that in the lower approaches, the stone stairs are well worn and up on the the high floors of the keep, the wooden stairs are worn slick with the passage of so many shoeless feet over the centuries.
Mrs. G and her tired husband descended to the parking lot together and took a "short cut" through the neighbourhood on the way back. They negotiated a few back alleys behind the first row of battlements on the hill. There was not one piece of litter in any alleyway and you could eat off any of the parking stalls behind the apartments.
Kochi Cherry Blossom Report
Unfortunately, the score is 0-3 since the start of the cruise but there was one tree in back of the castle that
may have been just starting to bloom. MS Rivera headed south again that night and the intrepid duo hoped for more blossoms as the cruise continued.
Pics updated on April 6, 2024
Katsurahama Beach
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| Tour crossed the Urado Bridge to get to Matsurahama Beach |
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| Another pick of the beach and the great path that runs to that rocky point in the distance |
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| A monument to Yoshi Omachi, a poet born in Kochi and educated at what is now the University of Tokyo |
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| On top of the rocky point at the end of the path |
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| Looking out on the Pacific Ocean |
Kochi Castle
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| The massive main gate to Kochi Castle |
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| You begin by climbing numerous sets of stairs to get to the inner gate leading to the castle's keep |
This is the guardhouse leading to the courtyard of
the keep. When you reach the main door to the keep
you need to remove the shoes and climb the
remaining stories in your socks.
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| On each level their are artifacts and dioramas to check out. |
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| Once you finally get to the top you are rewarded with a fanfic view of Kochi. |
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| another angle from the top |
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