nature 

If you go north on Prefectural Road 16 from Kochi City toward Tosayama for about 24 km, you will find "Mt. Kuishi" (elevation 1176 m), which was designated as the first natural recreation forest by the Forestry Agency in 1968. The attraction of Mt. Kuishi is that even beginners can easily climb the mountain and enjoy the authentic mountain scenery.
General climbers park their cars in the parking lot of "Youth House" and aim for the summit with an altitude difference of 330m.
There are two climbing routes. The northbound course with a good view goes up the 2800m mountain trail in 75 minutes. The southbound course, where you can experience the abundant nature, takes 2 hours to climb a 3700m mountain trail. The route I recommend is to go up on the northbound course and down on the southbound course.
"Mt. Kuishi" is the closest citizen's mountain recess to Kochi city where children and seniors can enjoy hiking.

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Niyodo Blue "Niyodo Blue" is like a catch phrase that expresses the beauty of the Niyodo River. The Niyodo River, which runs almost in the center of Kochi Prefecture, has been selected eight times in the past 10 years as the "river with the best water quality" announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
The Niyodo River is thought to maintain a highly transparent river because of its steep terrain, fast flow, impurities that are difficult to stay, and the relatively low water temperature that makes it difficult for algae to grow.
By mixing the colors of the sun and the sky, the Niyodo River changes to various "Niyodo Blue" colors depending on the season and location. In the Niyodo River basin, there are many valleys and spots where you can experience "Niyodo Blue" represented by "Nikobuchi", "Yasui Valley", and "Nakatsu Gorge", which attracts many people.

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Shikoku Karst, which straddles Kochi and Ehime prefectures, is popular as one of the three major karsts in Japan.
In particular, Prefectural Road 383, which crosses the karst plateau at an altitude of 1000m to 1500m from east to west, is called the "Tenku no Michi" (25km east to west) where you can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view, and is a drive touring course that represents Shikoku.
In addition, Shikoku Karst at night is also recommended as a spot for observing the starry sky because the Milky Way can be clearly seen with the naked eye.
In recent years, the renovation work of "Tengu-so", which is the only place to stay in the Tengu plateau in the east of Shikoku Karst, has been carried out, and it was reopened as "Tenguso Village TENGU" in July 2021.
The entrance is on the Kochi prefecture side, but the boundary between Kochi prefecture and Ehime prefecture is drawn inside the building and in the parking lot. You can have a mysterious experience.

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When asked "What is the most transparent sea in Japan?", Japanese people will definitely answer "Okinawa sea". In particular, the transparency of seawater on the remote islands of Okinawa is one of the highest in the world.
Of course, the seas of the remote islands of Tokyo and Kagoshima are as beautiful as the seas of Okinawa.
In fact, there is a beautiful sea at the western end of Kochi prefecture that is as beautiful as the sea of Okinawa. It is an island called "Kashiwajima", and the transparency of seawater is up to 40m, with an average of 20m.
Another reason for Kashiwajima's popularity is the wide variety of fish. There are 1000 kinds of fish out of 3500 kinds of fish that live in Japan on Kashiwajima.
For these two reasons, Kashiwajima has become one of the leading diving spots in Japan. Why don't you enjoy swimming in Kashiwa Island, where you can see the ship floating in the air in the hot summer?

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"Cape Ashizuri" is the southernmost scenic spot in Kochi prefecture, which is designated as Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park.
In "Michelin Green Guide Japan", "Cape Ashizuri" and "View from Cape Ashizuri" are all evaluated as two stars ★★.
On September 25, 2021, the "Tosashimizu Geopark" concept including Cape Ashizuri was certified as the 44th Japanese Geopark in Japan.
Every February, the camellia japonica blooming at Cape Ashizuri is in full bloom, and the 2,000m-long promenade is covered with camellia, making it look as if you are passing through a tunnel of camellia.
Why don't you spend your time slowly while feeling the sunlight through the trees and the gentle breeze?
In addition, there are two observatories with a field of view of 270 degrees on the cape, and the horizon looking away looks like an arch, and you can feel that the earth is round.

 

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On September 18, 2011, Muroto UNESCO Global Geopark was certified as a member of the Global Geopark Network for the first time in Kochi Prefecture.
Geoparks are places where you can experience nature and history, life culture and food culture, and learn about the relationship between nature and yourself. The theme of Muroto UNESCO Global Geopark is "How the inhabitants have lived wisely on the peninsula that continues to rise from the sea."
The large rocks and trees scattered along the coast that I got tired of when I was a kid have been transformed into educational and training resources as well as global tourism resources since September 18, 2011.
Now, when you walk around Cape Muroto while looking at the brochure printed with the UNESCO Global Geopark design, the rocks, trees, vegetables, seafish and inhabitants you see look wonderfully beautiful and valuable.

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Kochi Prefecture faces the Pacific Ocean, so there are beaches everywhere.
Above all, in Toyo Town, which is the easternmost point of Kochi Prefecture, there is a beautiful sandy beach called Shirahama Beach, which is one of the shallowest in Shikoku.
The seawater is transparent, and shallow water with a depth of about 50 cm continues from the shore to about 50 meters offshore.
In the summer (July and August), a seaside house (street stall) is set up and is crowded with many sea bathers. In addition, there is a "Shirahama campsite" in a corner of the Shirahama coast, where you can enjoy camping right next to the sea.
Shirahama Beach is a sandy beach where the sound of the waves and the wind are comfortable, so you can spend a calm and relaxing time even in seasons other than summer.
The coastal road from Cape Muroto to Shirahama, Toyo-cho, where the beauty of the coast of "Muroto Anan Coast National Monument" continues, is my favorite drive course.

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