Going along a coast road beside beautiful blue sea and sky, I reached Katsurahama. At Tosa token center here in Katsurahama park, we can see Tosa fighting dogs. Do you know Tosa-Inu? Read on...
As more time passed, the more beautiful nature appeared but at the same time there were a lot of winding road and I was hoping to arrive there soon. Just then a lovely sign announcing Read on...
A tiny village and its fruit
"Are we there yet?" We are driving deep in the mountain. There are no konbini (convenience store), gas stations, no buildings of any kind, but only Read on...
The sun is dazzling as the temperature soars above thirty degrees Celcius. The day is too hot, but Obiyamachi is full of energy because it's Sunday the scene of the Sunday street Read on...
Sweat is running on my face under the glaring sun one day in the middle of July. My friend and I have walked around Sunday Market all morning, and we're now sitting in a comfortable Read on...
Everyone is enjoyting this festival with the various street stalls and the beautiful and awful pictures. They are just Ekin! They are here and there illuminated by candle light. They are Read on...
When I was a little child and caught a cold, my mother would make ginger tea for me explaining why it was so good for me. "Of course it's good for you," she would say, "It makes you warm Read on...
The forgotten heritage of Umajimura
When we arrive at this village, the rain welcomes us. Umaji-village is surrounded by a lot of mountains, and the weather changes easily. So we run Read on...
The way to Umaji village from Kochi University takes us two and half hours. After one and half hours have past, we start lowering the car windows even though is summer, now in middle of Read on...
Art of the Kayakuya: Fireworks
Every August, at 7:00 pm on the eve of the Yosakoi festival, people wearing traditional yukata and waving uchiwa fans crowd the banks of Kagami-river and line Tenjin-bridge. They Read on...
Arriving in Umaji village, we can breathe the clean air. This village is surrounded by trees, we find the sign of Umaji village. We feel our souls healed and we have been here before Read on...
Kochi is at the height of summer. The sun is shining very strongly. I am on a motor bike on my way to Ochi town. It takes more than one hour to get there from Kochi city. It is Read on...
If you come to 鏡野 (Kagamino) park in 土佐山田 (Tosayamda) town on a Saturday or Sunday middle of October, you’ll find many people there. What are they doing? It seems to be a Read on...
“It’s delicious! It’s great!” I hear many loud voices behind the door. There is a party with nearly 15 people. I’m late with a hungry stomach after a busy day at my part-time Read on...
Kochi : Japans’ haven for drinkers
It is a wet and humid night in Kochi city and many regulars enter the Okinawan bar where I work. They sit at the counter with a karaoke mic in one hand and an Awamori - on the rocks or Read on...
Ushioe: The Bridge Nobody Knows
When you cross the bridge, you will smell the ocean. The color of the bridge is difficult to tell.... It is not red. Brown is also wrong. Of course it is not yellow. It almost seems to Read on...
A car went through the lane, and a flag came into view. A shop was surrounded by private houses. I opened the door, the shop was jammed with big flags. Wherever I looked, there were big Read on...
It’s five in the afternoon in the kitchens of Kochi “obiyamachi arcade”, and lots of women come and go, totting shopping bags with both hands. Delicious smell of croquettes from the Read on...
Alternative Lifestyles in Kahoku
One shiny Sunday morning at a market in Tosayamada,Katsutoshi Tsuzuki, 66 year-old-man is selling his bread to the local people as he always has. The market is held from about 8:00a.m to Read on...
Kure: tiny fishing town with a long history
One hour from the city centre of Kochi, two Pachinko stores are either sides of the road and an old-looking sign of “welcome to Kure” looms over head. The day we visited, it was Read on...
It was a heavy rainy day when I visited the sake factory in my home town of Kure. I went to that store after, I don’t know, several years, and it had not changed at all. It’s an Read on...
The sound of dripping water can be heard in a small room and a man who wears casual clothes and an old woman who wears an apron are working to make special paper. They rinse out materials Read on...
Going along a coast road beside beautiful blue sea and sky, I reached Katsurahama. At Tosa token center here in Katsurahama park, we can see Tosa fighting dogs. Do you know Tosa-Inu? Read on...
The site is divided into roughly two sections: one, a collection of features about the the social and cultural life of Kochi (highlighted above); the other, a field guide to the Natural History of Kochi Prefecture. All entries are original work by students at Kochi National University.