Spectacular mountain trip (Kochi → Ehime)3 days/2 nights

Hirome Market is a commercial facility located next to Kochi Castle. It is also a place for locals and visitors alike to fill their stomachs with not only Kochi"s local cuisine, but also more international flavors. The inside of the nostalgia-inspiring market building is packed with approximately 65 street stall-style restaurants, busy fresh fish and meat shops, unique knickknack shops, and clothing boutiques.
With tables throughout, customers can get takeout from different restaurants and casually enjoy a variety of foods. Although you may notice people drinking during the day in the market, this too is a sight typical of Kochi, a place where the locals are known to like drinking.

A bar area called "Hirome Bar" opened in the market during 2016, as well. Whether Italian, Spanish, or French, the food options here are made to pair well with alcohol. Feel free to walk around with a drink in one hand.
Hirome Market is also a great place to buy Kochi souvenirs and find information on tourist attractions, so it"s worth a visit for anyone traveling to the prefecture.
Hirome Market could be called "Kochi"s Kitchen," but that name comes from Shigeaki Hirome Fukao, chief retainer to the feudal lord of Tosa (present-day Kochi) at the end of the Edo era (1603 - 1868). A renowned minister who had served under four successive lords, Shigeaki Hirome Fukao was well loved by the people of Kochi City. Even after time went by and Hirome"s home was no more, the area was still known by locals as the "Hirome Mansion." Later, the area became home to the "Hirome Market," driven by locals" desires to revitalize the region as well as Kochi"s food culture.

Fifteen structures at Kochi Castle, including its tower and the Otemon main gate, have been designated by the national government as important cultural properties. The castle was originally built in 1603 on the order of Yamauchi Katsutoyo, lord of the Tosa domain, but was burned down in a massive fire in 1727. The current castle tower was rebuilt in 1749.
Kochi Castle is Japan’s only castle where all the structures constituting its main building have been preserved. Since the castle’s structures are compactly situated, you can see its most important parts in a short period of time. Its tower is one of the 12 castle keeps that are still preserved in Japan. Kochi Castle is known as a popular photo spot because it is Japan’s only castle where you can capture both its Otemon and its tower in a single shot.

Kochi Castle, which is considered one of the top 100 castles in Japan, is situated on a hill in a park. The castle tower offers a breathtaking view of Kochi City. The San-no-maru area of Kochi Castle boasts 223 cherry trees, which are presently in full bloom, making it one of the finest cherry blossom viewing spots in the prefecture.

This restaurant has a wonderful view of the blue sky and the ocean.

Watch the sunset with a spectacular view.

The beautiful blue color of the water, known as "Niyodo blue," is very mysterious.
Depending on the angle and sunlight intensity, the color of the water changes and is truly a spectacular sight.

Reopened for renewal in July 2021.
The restaurant offers a variety of dishes made with the freshest local ingredients.
*Please call or check our website for business days.

The library was built by Kengo Kuma. You can experience the aesthetic beauty of the architecture using timber produced in Yusuhara.

Many stores line the arcade connecting Dogo Onsen Station and Dogo Onsen Main Building(Honkan). Why not look for souvenirs?

This bakery has a lovely and cute exterior. Find a new favorite among the wide variety of breads.

The bitterness of the matcha green tea is matched by the sweetness of the cream and koshi-an (sweet bean paste) inside this exquisite sweet.

The colorful "omusubidama", lucky charms for love, are a recommended item for girls trip.

The museum is surrounded by beautiful gardens and has a café dining area

You can enjoy Matsuyama's tai-meshi, which is cooked in a clay pot.

Matsuyama Castle, in the style of the Momoyama period, is one of Japan’s few original surviving castles. Its 21 buildings are listed as Important Cultural Properties, and the castle is regarded as one of the three best ‘Renritsu-shiki Hirayama-jiro’ (Renritsu-shiki: an architectural style where the top castle tower is in the centre with smaller towers on either side; Hirayama-jiro: a castle built on a hill on a plain). The towers are all connected to defend the main castle building. The castle is a well-known symbol of Matsuyama and is written about in the prologue of the novel, “Clouds Above the Hill” by Ryotaro Shiba. It has been and will be guarding the city of Matsuyama for centuries!