Kochi Offers a Welcome Break from Japan’s Largest Cities

Day 24, 2024 Majestic Japan

Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024; Kochi, Japan

Bragging rights to the largest cities by population in the world can depend on just how you define a city (city proper, urban area, metropolitan area, etc.) Regardless, Tokyo is likely to top the list, with an estimated 37 million people in its metropolitan area, which includes Yokohama. Osaka isn’t too far behind, at No. 11 and with 19 million people.

These cities are on Honshu, Japan’s largest island with 80 percent of its population. Our first Japanese ports were on Hokkaido, the second largest island but much less densely populated.

Today we visited Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands, and specifically the port of Kochi.

With just 322,000 people, it is certainly a city, but much more manageable. From here, trips into the rugged countryside are popular. In 2018, I took just such an excursion, exploring a river valley and making paper.

I remembered driving by the beautiful Kochi Castle near the end of my tour and hoped to come back to visit it someday. Today was the day.

When I left the ship in late morning, there was no line for the complimentary shuttle that delivered us to a bus terminal in town. From there, the walk to the castle was about a mile – mostly through what is called a shopping street. It is closed to traffic and covered. Many of the shops were closed, it being Wednesday which apparently isn’t a shopping day, but there was plenty to catch my attention. My sisters bought second-hand kimonos in Japan last spring, but I didn’t see any in a resale shop that grabbed my interest.

After I emerged from the covered shopping street, the castle loomed high on a hill overhead. I remember from six years ago that fellow passengers commented about the long walk up the hill, followed by more climbing inside the castle.

I took the easy route, and decided the best view was right in front of me, with the distant castle framed by trees. In fact, a sign near my feet declared it a photo spot. Shade covered a stone bench, making it a good place to sit and paint. Fellow passengers on their way down from the castle frequently stopped to chat.

Unlike the Osaka Castle, which was rebuilt more than once (most recently in 1995), the Kochi Castle is one of only 12 in Japan that retains its original keep and palace. It was built between 1601 and 1611, although it has undergone some restorations over the centuries.

On the way back to meet the shuttle bus, I almost missed the Harimaya-bashi Bridge, made famous in Japan by a romantic song about the ill-fated lover of a 19^th-century monk. It is very short, and only its bright red color caught my attention. It and the nearby narrow park make for a good place to stop and rest, or contemplate.

The Westerdam staff has made great strides since June in improving our port information. Cruise and Travel Director Karlijn records her port talks, which include information about everything from weather to popular sites in each port. Most important to me are the details about where the ship will dock and how to easily get to popular destinations. I frequently watch the recorded talks on my stateroom television while dressing for dinner.

In most ports we have complementary shuttle service to a central point in town, just as we did today in Kochi. We also receive a basic map of each port, with critical information about boarding times and emergency contact numbers for the port agents. In fact, each map has directions in Japanese for returning to the pier, which is handy as many taxi drivers do not speak English. In the cruise terminals, local representatives often provide us with more detailed maps and ideas for exploring the city.

I find the Google Translate app on my phone to be an essential tool. Earlier I wanted to replenish an over-the-counter medicine, and by taking a photo of the Japanese translation of the medication name, I found it in a shop with the help of a clerk who didn’t speak English. Between that and the map app, it’s easy to get around.