室戸岬
There has been some discussion of late in the Western media on the possible rise of Trump-style populism in Japan, citing the success of the Sanseitō 参政党 political party in the latest elections for the upper house of the Diet 国会. Getting particular attention is the focus on the increasing numbers of foreigners in the country, due to overtourism and rising immigration numbers.
As you're no doubt aware, I recently spent several weeks exploring the island of Shikoku 四国, and all in all I was treated very well by those Japanese I interacted with while I was there. But a large part of that was probably due to my being able to communicate (somewhat) in Japanese, and with my familiarity with the country (the result of a dozen years living in Tōkyō 東京 and Mie-ken 三重県, and thirty-six years overall traveling to 46 of the 47 prefectures). Unfortunately, these days too many people who know too little about Japan and its culture (other than anime, manga and J-Pop) are being encouraged by too many equally ignorant influencers and Instragammers to jump on the Visit Japan bandwagon, and in the process are ruining the experience for the rest of us (i.e. me).
The writer of this article is arguably one of those guilty parties, having churned out endless posts on social media urging those with unrealistic impressions of the country to go to Japan to have an "authentic experience" discovering those "hidden gems" located "off the beaten path". Which is why the article is a surprisingly good exploration of the causes of "foreigner fatigue", even if he does avoid taking any responsibility for the current state of affairs. I'm sure his next post will revert back to the "if you want to add a little authenticity to your next Japan trip..." trope, but for now enjoy his sudden Robert De Niro-like awakening.
For me the fourteenth day of my trip didn't consist of a myriad of "amazing hidden gems that are all hiding in plain sight", but it was an enjoyable one spent exploring a new part of Japan that I hadn't experienced before, and doing it at my own pace behind the wheel of my rented Toyota Corolla. It began right with a delicious breakfast at the Haryugetu Guesthouse 波流月ゲストハウス, located in Nasa 那佐, an area in the town of Kaiyō 海陽 in Tokushima Prefecture 徳島県:
I took a walk after breakfast along the seawall behind the guesthouse:
Shiki, the oldest of the two children of the couple running the guesthouse, liked money so I gave her a 1 yuan bill:
Soon I was on the road again, heading south down the scenic Anan coast 阿南海岸. There weren't many places to stop on the left side of road to admire the views, however. At one point I found a parking space in front of a high sea wall - I looked over the wall to see a line of
tetrapods, a sight which unfortunately mars a lot of scenic coastal areas in Japan:
One spot that did have space for cars was Meotoiwa 夫婦岩, a pair of rocks joined together by a
shimenawa 注連縄 straw rope often seen in Shintō shrines. Except the path to the rocks was roped off, but I ignored it for a look anyway, an act which later on no doubt helped Shinseito at the polls:
One of the more interesting places I was permitted to visit was the
Muroto Schoolhouse Aquarium むろと廃校水族館. What was previously an elementary school that had been closed due to declining enrollment has since been repurposed as an educational acquarium and research facility. There are many examples of local sealife, like these slipper lobsters...:
...but the biggest draws are the sea turtles:
A school of flathead gray mullets eager to see a
gaijin visitor:
The most interesting part of the complex was the school's swimming pool. Once the location where students had their swimming lessons, the water now teems with sea turtles and sharks:
All across the country local governments are faced with difficult decisions over what to do with public properties that no longer serve their initial purposes, such as public schools in areas with declining populations. Repurposing as an aquarium is one idea that seems to be working:
The great monk lived in the Murodo Cave while he trained in the Shinmeikutsu Cave 神明窟 next door:
Across the road from the caves is "Kūkai's Bathing Pond" 行水の池:
Reaching Muroto-misaki 室戸岬 (one of Shikoku's two great capes jutting out into the Pacific Ocean) I took time out to have lunch at a small restaurant called Coco ココ - I ordered the garlic shrimp lunch set with an iced coffee. The owner was working by herself taking orders and preparing the meals, but still found time to chat with all the customers, including me:
Cape Muroto was a bit anticlimactic following the drive getting there, but there was a well laid-out walking course with signs explaining flowers seen along the paths:
This crab turned around and scurried off as I approached. Probably a Shinseito supporter:
The view from an observation hill located across the road and above a statue of a noted local samurai 侍:
Much more captivating was Temple 24
Hotsumisaki-ji 最御崎寺, located on a hilltop behind the cape. Lanterns featuring Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II (among other luminaries) lined the path from the parking lot to the temple complex:
This temple is considered one of the most important of the
pilgrimage as Kobo Daishi achieved enlightenment in Muroto:
Behind the temple stands the
Cape Muroto Lighthouse 室戸展望台, which holds the distinction of having the largest lens of any lighthouse in Japan with a diameter of 2.6 meters:
Less than twenty minutes after driving away from the temple I stopped at the
Roadside Station Kiramesse Muroto 駅の道キラメッセ室戸, where I treated myself to a gelato while enjoying the ocean scenery:
From there it was a further 90 minutes by car to the city of Kōchi 高知 and my next accommodations, the
Richmond Hotel リッチモンドホテル, "Kochi's top business hotel" according to
Lonely Planet. The view from my room wasn't much, but the hotel's location in the city's main Obiyamachi shopping arcade 帯屋町一丁目商店街 put me within walking distance of many restaurants and shops:
For dinner that first evening in the capital of Kōchi Prefecture 高知県 I somehow managed to finish the massive Ryoma Burger at
5019 Premium Factory, an experience so demanding that afterward I retired to the Richmond and spent the remainder of the evening doing laundry:
As noted at the beginning of this post I didn't stumble upon any amazing hidden gems that I just had to share on Instagram, and then follow up with Facebook posts and TikTok videos promising some amazing insider tips to make your Japan trip a social media-worthy one (and don't worry about offending any Japanese people - they just exist to provide a colorful backdrop to your photos and videos).
Instead, this post is yet another modest entry in a continuing series amateurishly produced by an unabashed (but far from starry-eyed) veteran Japanophile as he strives to visit all of the country's prefectures (and with my entry into Kochi only one still remains), while trying at all times not to resort to travel lit/influencer stereotypes about the country, its culture and its inhabitants.
Day 14 was roughly the halfway point in my latest travels. Hopefully I can keep your interest as I explored some of what Kochi had to offer...
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