Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Kochi Ryoma Airport 高知龍馬空港

Kochi Ryoma Airport (KCZ), is located about 30 minutes away by bus from Kochi JR Station.

There are about 10 round trips per day, operated by ANA and JAL, commuting between Haneda Airport and Kochi Ryoma Airport. Duration of flight is approx 1 hr 20 mins - 1 hr 30 mins. At this point of time, Kochi Ryoma Airport only serves domestic flights from Tokyo, Osaka (Itami Airport 伊丹空港), Fuokuoka and Nagoya. For my trip, I took the evening flight from Kochi Ryoma Airport to Haneda Domestic Airport and transferred to the international route back to Singapore. 

Domestic terminals are typically much smaller in scale, equipped with a handful of restaurants and shops. Arrived at the airport earlier to make last minute purchase of locally made souvenirs (in fact, I bought a box full of goodies!) before checking in. Foreigners are entitled to duty free shopping for total purchase of more than 5,000 yen (before tax is included).

Do you know? Domestic airports are found all over Japan; and some of them have been given another name/re-named to include names of attractions or people that are unique to that particular area which the airport resides in. Just to list a few which I am aware of:

• Kochi Ryoma Airport is named after the legendary figure, Sakamoto Ryoma (坂本龍馬). Born in Kochi in 1836, he made great contributions to the rapid modernisation of Japan which marked the end of 700 years of feudal government.
• Tokushima Awa Odori Airport (徳島阿波おどり空港) is named after the well known traditional dance, Awa Odori, which is celebrated every year in the month of August.
• Kumamoto Airport in Kyushu is also known as Aso Kumamoto Airport (阿蘇くまもと空港). Kumamoto is where Mt Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan, is found. 
• Yonago Kitaro Airport (米子鬼太郎空港) in Chugoku is named after the famous character, Kitaro, from the manga series GeGeGe no Kitaro (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎). This airport is located near to Sakaiminato city, where Mizuki Shigeru, the creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro, grew up in. 
• Tottori Airport in Chugoku is also known as Tottori Sakyu Conan Airport (鳥取砂丘コナン空港). Tottori has the largest sand dunes in Japan and is where Gosho Aoyama, the creator of the famous manga series Detective Conan, was born.

How to get there? 

(1) Airport Limousine Bus 空港連絡バス
Bus frequency is excellent with a bus service operated every half hourly interval.
- At Kochi Eki Bus Terminal 高知駅バスターミナル, board the bus at platform 6. Bus also picks up passengers at Hasuike machi dori 蓮池町通 and Harimayabashi はりまや橋. Stayed at 7 Days Hotel during my trip and the nearest bus stop to board the airport limousine bus was at Hasuike machi dori 蓮池町通.
- Takes about 30 minutes by bus from Kochi JR Station and cost 720 yen.

Website (in Japanese): http://www.tosaden.co.jp/bus/airport.php

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Kochi Ryoma Airport 高知龍馬空港
〒783-0096 高知県南国市久枝乙58番地
http://www.kochiap.co.jp/en/

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Commemorative stamps:

 

 

 

 

Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Kochi Castle 高知城

Visited 23.11.2014 (Sun)
Number of castles visited to date: 4
Top 100 castles in Japan: #84

Original. Second castle visited during this trip. This was a last minute insertion and the last sightseeing spot visited before we headed for Kochi Airport to return home. Though we were almost on the verge of dragging our aching feet while climbing multiple flight of stairs to reach the castle keep/tenshukaku, the panoramic view seen from the highest point of the castle made everything worthwhile and concluded our holiday on a high note! As Kochi Castle is one of the twelve castles which has their original tenshukaku retained, it is a precious historical asset being painstakingly preserved by the locals for many future generations to appreciate.

Left: A two storey gate named Tsumemon 詰門 serves as corridor between Honmaru and Ninomaru. The invincible stone walls formed the base of Honmaru. 

Tsumemon and Ninomaru (the second citadel) seen from Tenshukaku. 

 Highlights / Background: 

- Construction of castle begun on Mt Otakasa 大高坂山 in 1601. Honmaru 本丸 (the main citadel) and the stone walls of Ninomaru 二ノ丸 (the second citadel) were completed by 1603. Mt Otakasa was renamed as Mt Kochi. In 1611, Sannomaru 三ノ丸 (the third citadel) completed construction and the castle was mostly completed by then.

View on the east side. Building with the red roof on the left is Kochi Literary Museum 高知県立文化館. The building which has a gable roof and residing behind Kochi Literary Museum is a church.

Look down and you will find Shachi (鯱), an ornament depicting a mystical animal which has the head of a tiger and body of a carp, attached onto the roof.

Spotted the mystical Shachi again!

- A large fire broke out in the castle town in 1727 and it destroyed most of the castle structure except for Otemon Gate 追手門. Reconstruction efforts kick started in 1729 and restoration of castle tower, watch towers and gates were completed in 1749.

View on the west side. Love the sight of overlapping mountainous ranges in the background.

Everyone want a piece of this picturesque scenery!

- In 1874, Kochi Castle was opened to public as a park. In 1934, Kochi Castle was designated as a National Treasure; and redesignated as Important Cultural Property in 1950.

- Kochi Castle celebrated momentous 400th anniversary in 2001.

Peeking through the opened window - a strong contrast exists between this historical landmark and surrounding modern structures.

Within the tenshukaku, there is a detailed miniature model portraying how Kochi Castle looked like in the past. Apart from being an excellent observatory, the tenshukaku also serves as a historical museum shedding light into the lives of people in the past. 

Tenshukaku has been in existence for close to 300 years after its rebuilt in 1749. Standing at 18.5 m tall, it is made up of three storey externally and six storey internally.

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Kochi Castle 高知城
〒780-0850 高知市丸ノ内一丁目２番１号
Operating hours: 0900 - 1700 hrs; last entry at 1630 hrs
Closed between 26 Dec to 1 Jan.
http://kochipark.jp/kochijyo/




How to get there? 

(1) By Tosaden / Tosa Electric Railway streetcar どさでん電車.
Board the streetcar at Kochi Ekimae 高知駅前 and alight at Harimayabashi はりまや橋. Ttransfer to another streetcar heading for Kagamigawa bashi 鏡川橋/Asakura 朝倉/Ino 伊野 and alight at Kochi-jo mae 高知城前

(2) By foot. It takes about 25 minutes to walk from Kochi JR Station.

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Commemorative stamps:

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Video: Kochi Castle was featured in Taiwan produced travelogue program.

Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Anpanman Museum アンパンマンミュージアム

Visited 23.11.2014

Anpanman hiding on the rooftop!

Familiarity. Made a last minute decision to visit this place on the last day in Shikoku. Anpanman Museum definitely did not emerged top in my list of attractions to visit, even so for my parents who have not come across Anpanman before. Throughout our stay in Shikoku, the images of this adorable character and his friends have infiltrated into our lives subtly. On this island, we rode on a series of Anpanman themed trains, shopped for Anpanman related merchandises and ate bread depicting the characters in this popular anime. Subconsciously, I felt like I have known this character enough over the last few days and wanted very much to visit Anpanman Museum, located right in the place where the creator of Anpanman, Takashi Yanase, grew up in. The thought eventually gave rise to this late insertion into my itinerary.

Not only a museum but a themepark! As soon as I exited from Tosa Yamada JR Station, it felt like I have breezed into a Anpanman themepark. Kami city information center, which stood right outside the train station, was surrounded by Anpanman and his companions. I was warmly welcomed by the staff from the information center and she eagerly demonstrated to me the features of this melodious Anpanman clock hung on the wall. Even the buses which run the route to Anpanman Museum, are colourfully wrapped with the cartoon characters. That is not the end. More Anpanman can be found in the interior such as ceiling and seats, to accompany all passengers on the joyous journey to the museum.

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Highlights

Priceless gift. Anpanman Museum is located in Kami city, tucked away in the countryside, surrounded by hills. On a personal note, I felt that the location of Anpanman Museum is what makes this attraction worthy a visit. In front of the museum is a large open field with playground facilities for kids to run around tirelessly and happily. This is truly a wonderful place for parents to spend quality time together with their children while coming closer to nature. Hearing the infectious laughter of children is doubtlessly a priceless gift to all parents. There are two statues of Anpanman and Giant Dadandan (constructed in a way that they were in a fight) standing right outside the main building. Pay attention to the top right hand corner of the building and you may find Anpanman waving at you from there!  

Giant Dadandan statue.

Anpanman is everywhere!

There is plentiful details at different corners of Anpanman museum for visitors to uncover: 

- The glass storage room displaying an exhaustive range of Anpanman character goods/merchandises introduced over the years.
- Stay tuned for the hide-and-seek tree near the entrance; a huge mechanical wall clock in which Anpanman characters will appear from the tree hourly.
- Named Anpanman World (アンパンマンワールド), a miniature model replicating the world where Anpanman and his companion existed in is showcased in the basement floor. Visitors get to "sneak" into Uncle Jam's bakery too, where you can find a variety of bread replicas (which are in fact the "heads" of many superheroes that appeared in the popular anime). 

Top right: Hide-and-seek tree; Bottom right: Anpanman's world.

- My favourite spot goes to Yanase Takashi Gallery is located on the fourth floor. Huge paintings of Anpanman and his companions in various themes, precious draft versions of drawings and comic strips were displayed in this art gallery. The pictures were beautifully drawn and it is hard not to express excitement while deciphering the meaning behind these drawings. I like this particular drawing which depicted Anpanman sacrificing a small portion of his head to a hungry and stranded rabbit. Despite photo taking is allowed in the museum, it is hard to capture shots of these pictures/drawings because of the reflection created by the glass frames. If you like any of the pictures/drawings, do head down to the shop located on the first floor as the art works are available in postcard forms for visitors to send back home! Apart from that, there are also exclusive merchandises released by the museum sold in the shop here. 

Beautiful paintings of Anpanman characters in Yanase Takashi Gallery; Top right: Bought a postcard featuring my favourite drawing from the museum shop.

- The ticket includes entrance to Poem and Märchen Gallery (詩とメルヘン絵本館) housed in a separate building on the opposite road. This exhibition hall displays all of Yanase Takashi's artworks which were previously published in Shitomeruhen (Poem and Märchen) magazine.
- Stone statues of Anpanman characters are put up in various spots in surrounding compound as well, making them wonderful photo taking spots for kids.
- To my surprise, there is no cafe/restaurant within the museum. The nearest cafeteria is found in Nirounosato (韮生の里), a local product and souvenir shop located a stone throw away from the museum.

Nirounosato (韮生の里), located just in front of Anpanman Museum.

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Anpanman Museum アンパンマンミュージアム
〒781-4212　高知県香美市香北町美良布1224-2
http://anpanman-museum.net/
Opening hrs: 0930 - 1700 hrs; 0900 - 1700 hrs (20 Sep - 31 Aug). Last entry at 1630 hrs.
Admission fee: 700 yen (adult); 500 yen (child)

How to get there?

By bus. From Tosa Yamada JR Station (土佐山田駅), take JR Bus Ototi Line (JRバス大栃線) and alight at bus stop in front of Anpanman Museum (アンパンマン). Bus fee = 620 yen.
Bus schedule: http://www.jr-shikoku.co.jp/bus/businfo/rosen_tosa/tosa-ototi.htm

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Video: Anpanman Museum was featured in Go Go Japan. 

Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Nichiyoubi shi (Sunday Market) 日曜市

Visited 23.11.2014 (Sun)

Pasar Pagi. Whenever I visit my grandmother in Gemencheh (a small town in Negri Sembilan, Malaysia) over a weekend, Pasar Pagi (means morning market) which are held on Sundays, is one place we will head down to after breakfast. I am always roused by the high energy levels of locals bustling throughout the entire stretch of road lined with makeshift stalls selling fresh produce, cooked food, etc. Even though we went home empty handed most of the time, participating in this routine morning activity brings me closer to the local culture/way of life. Therefore, I was intrigued to visit Kochi's version of morning market upon hearing about it. To meet this objective, I made plans to return back to Kochi city on a Saturday in order to visit the morning market on the following day.

Good morning Kochi! After our breakfast at 7 Days Hotel, we did a leisure stroll to Otesuji (追手筋) where Nichiyobi shi is held. A 1.3 km long road from Otesuji 1-chome to Otemon of Kochi Castle is cordoned off and about 430 stalls lined both sides of the road every Sunday. Felt like a child all over again; excited and fascinated by the huge variety of goods on sale; lots of crisp greens, neatly arranged juicy fruits, surprisingly fragrant preserved/dried goods, fresh fishes, colourful potted plants, daily necessities and list goes on. Along the way, high spirited stall owners would exchange greetings with patrons, shout out catchy slogans to promote the products that they were selling. Keep a lookout for snack stalls selling Kochi's very own aisukurin アイスクリン (not the same katakana for ice-cream アイスクリーム) which tastes closer to flavoured shaved ice, freshly fried imoten いも天 (sweet potatoes), piping hot steamed buns, freshly squeezed yuzu drinks and many many more. Stopped by the stalls every now and then, curious to see what was in store, with hands full of snacks even though I was still full from breakfast. There were also many occasions when we contemplated grabbing some vegetables/fruits back home because they all looked so fresh and good. Eventually my parents could not resist the temptation and lug back a big bag of sweet potatoes! Though it proved to be feat for us as we had to carry the bulky bag from the market to our next two attractions (Anpanman Museum and Kochi Castle) before returning to hotel to retrieve our luggage, my parents gave their proud thumbs up for the taste. If you are visiting Kochi city on a Sunday, you should not give this a miss!

Have to try fried sweet potatoes (imoten), a soul food for the locals here in Kochi.

Sakamoto Ryoma vs Anpanman!

Let's visit the markets everyday! 
In fact, there are equivalent makeshift markets but much smaller in scale held on other days at different locations in Kochi city.

- Tuesdays (火曜市): held along Kamimachi 4-chome to 5-chome (上町４丁目・５丁目).
Operating hours: 0600 hrs to 1 hour before sunset
How to get there? Take Tosaden streetcar and alight at Kamimachi 4 chome station (上町４丁目駅).
- Thursdays (木曜市): held in front of Kochi city Government Building (高知県庁前).
Operating hours: Sunrise to 1 hour before sunset
How to get there? Take Tosaden streetcar and alight at Kencho mae station (県庁前駅).
- Fridays (金曜市): held along Atagomachi 1-chome (愛宕町１丁目).
Operating hours: Sunrise to 1 hour before sunset
How to get there? Approx 15 mins walk from Kochi JR Station.
Website (in Japanese): http://www.city.kochi.kochi.jp/soshiki/40/gairoitigaid.html

- Saturdays: Organic Market (オーガニックマーケット), first started in 2008, is held at Ike Koen (池公園). Got to know about this market from the owner of Terzo Tempo.
Operating hours: 0800 - 1400 hrs on Saturdays
How to get there? At Kochi JR Station, board MY Yu Bus (MY遊バス) heading for Katsurahama and alight at Sumiyoshi ike mae (住吉池前).
Website (in Japanese): http://kochiom.web.fc2.com/info.html
MY Yu Bus: https://www.attaka.or.jp/kanko/kotsu_mybus.php

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Nichiyoubi shi (Sunday Market) 日曜市 
Operating hours: 0500 - 1800 hrs on Sundays
Market starts from Otesuji (追手筋) 1-chome and ends at Otemon (追手門) of Kochi Castle.
http://www.city.kochi.kochi.jp/soshiki/39/nichiyouichi.html

How to get there?

(1) By foot. 10 - 15 minutes walk from Kochi JR Station.
(2) By streetcar. Alight at Hasuikemachidori Station 蓮池町通駅; Otesuji 1-chome (追手筋) is less than 5 minutes walk away.

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Video. Fast forward to 2:20 for Go Go Japan's feature on Nichiyoubi shi.