Shikoku 3-Day Itinerary: Day Three

Read Day 1 here - Uzu no michi, Mount Bizan
Read Day 2 here - Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge
Read Day 3 here - Kochi Castle, Ritsurin Garden

We got into Kochi (??) in the evening last night but the morning of day three, we noticed that the temperature was warmer than Tokushima which was not that far more north. We didn't have much time today as it would be a long journey back to our town so we did not get to explore Kochi as well as we would like.

Kochi Castle

We took the tram from Kochi Station to go to Kochi Castle (200 yen). The tram went to Harimaya Bridge, then we had to hop off and transfer to another tram which took us to Kochi Castle. The castle opened at 9am and we were there about 10 minutes before so it was quiet and relaxing. Entrance to the castle cost 420 yen and there were some displays inside. At the top of a few flights of stairs was a panoramic view of Kochi city. This is the fourth Japanese castle I have been to after the ones in Himeji, Nagoya and Matsuyama. Unfortunately I would have to rank Kochi Castle as number four.

Displays inside Kochi Castle

Model of Kochi Castle

Panoramic view from Kochi Castle

Instead of taking the tram back, we walked back under the arcades (covered shopping streets). We passed by Hirume Market (?????) which had an assortment of food goods. I found a kinken shop (??????) nearby which is a discount ticket shop and bought my train ticket from Kochi Station to Takamatsu Station (3050 yen).

Taking the 11:13am train to Takamatsu Station (??), we arrived at 1:32pm. We hopped onto another train (210 yen) that departed at 1:40pm for Ritsurinkoen kita-guchi Station (???????). This latter train only comes every half an hour. The ride to Ritsurin Koen/Garden was only 5 minutes and it was another few minutes walk to the north entrance of the garden. Entrance fee was 420 yen each.

Koi at Ritsurin Garden

Tranquility at Ritsurin Garden

Boat ride at Ritsurin Garden

The garden was beautifully trimmed and the abundance of koi fish in the water brought colour to the otherwise largely green garden. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and made the green glitter. I really experienced what the Japanese call komorebi (????) here. It's a great place to slow down your footsteps and collect your thoughts.

Walking back to Takamatsu Station took about 40 minutes and there was a long shopping arcade on the way. Again I bought my train ticket from Takamatsu Station to Okayama Station (??) at a discount shop and it cost 1320 yen. We took the 3:40pm train to Okayama Station and the journey was about an hour.

Okayama Castle

We took a tram from Okayama Station to Shiroshita stop (100 yen) which was only a few stops away. From Shiroshita, it was about a 10 minute walk to Okayama Castle. We saw it from the outside because it was closed by the time we were there.

That is the end of our Shikoku trip and we even managed to fit one sightseeing spot from Okayama in the end. From Okayama you can take the Shinkansen or train to wherever is next on your Japan journey.

Read Day 1 here - Uzu no michi, Mount Bizan
Read Day 2 here - Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge
Read Day 3 here - Kochi Castle, Ritsurin Garden

Shikoku 3-Day Itinerary: Day One

Read Day 1 here - Uzu no michi, Mount Bizan
Read Day 2 here - Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge
Read Day 3 here - Kochi Castle, Ritsurin Garden

We were able to explore three prefectures in Shikoku (??) over three days. Shikoku is one of the four main islands of Japan. Departing from Sannomiya Station in Kobe, we took a bus to Naruto koenguchi (?????) where the whirlpools are. We took Shinki Bus which took 78 minutes and cost 2280 yen one way for advance purchase at the conbini.

Naruto Bridge

The bus dropped us off by 10:15am and a lady at the tourist booth told us that the next tidal change was at 11:30am. Since we had more than an hour to wait, we opted for the promotion which was 900 yen for entrance to the museum and Uzu no michi. The museum was small but informative about the whirlpools and famous bridges in Japan and around the world.

Interactive parts of the museum

Uzu no michi (???) was a walkway under the Naruto Bridge and had glass flooring so tourists can see the whirlpool in action below. I was mesmerized as the water swirled stronger and stronger as it approached 11:30am. The colour was a bright blue mixed with navy and pictures did not do it justice. I have heard that some people were disappointed by the Naruto Whirlpools but I think that it is just important to check the high and low tide times of each day to see them at their height of action.

Uzu no michi

Whirlpools forming under my feet

Uzu no michi

A short walk away from the bridge, down a flight of stairs behind the museum was the bus stop for heading to Tokushima (??). The ride took a little over an hour and cost 710 yen one way.

After dropping our things off at our hotel in Tokushima, we headed to Mount Bizan (??) with the intention of riding the ropeway up to see the sunset and night view (1200 yen round trip). However, there happened to be an anime festival that weekend and the queue for the ropeway was at least 1.5 hours long because there was an event on Mount Bizan.

On the hike up Mount Bizan

View of Tokushima City from Mount Bizan

Instead of waiting, we opted to hike up the mountain. It took about 45 minutes and most of the trail were rocks or tree roots. Only the beginning and end of the trail had proper stairs. I actually preferred the rocky trail because it was less tiring than stairs.

Sunset from Mount Bizan

The view at the top was great! We could see far out into the city and the sunset were gorgeous shades of crimson and orange descending behind the shadowy mountains. The queue going down the mountain was pretty long as well so we began our hike down before nightfall since it was not lit. We did not get to see the the night view but the beautiful sunset made up for it.

Read Day 1 here - Uzu no michi, Mount Bizan
Read Day 2 here - Iya Valley, Oboke Gorge
Read Day 3 here - Kochi Castle, Ritsurin Garden