Day trips by rail from Kochi City: Tosa Kure and Ino.
Get off the beaten path in Japan and explore Shikoku by train. Practicalities plus what to see, eat and experience, including traditional washi paper making & a fantastic food market with local specialities.
(originally published in 2017 - not updated)
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Tosa Kure and Ino.
Fresh air, sunshine, nature, good food and wonderful people. Tosa Kure and Ino are easily reached from Kochi city by train and make for a wonderful day trip. Alternatively, this area is a great base for to explore the surrounding off-path countryside with the help of a rental car or camper van.
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| Tosa Kure town map |
Getting to Tosa Kure (Nakatosa City) by train from Kochi City.
The train ride from Kochi to the small town of Tosa Kure (Nakatosa city) takes around 47 - 53 minutes by Limited Express train. First, we picked up some local Kochi ‘hat bread’ from the station bakery for breakfast. This UFO-shaped, cakey confection is soft in the middle and crispy around the outside. Delicious!
It was a beautiful day again, clear and bright. We wandered around the narrow streets of this hard-working fishing port, known for its pole and line caught tuna, and made our way to the harbour where the fishing boats were already moored or just arriving back.
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| Tosa Kure port |
Everywhere there were reminders of potential danger from natural disaster. Seeing the harbour, the boats, the layout, the warnings, evacuation towers and remembering the television news feed from the tsunami of 2011, I couldn’t help but turn my thoughts back in respectful contemplation to that event and the issues faced by the people here in keeping their economy, community & culture safe and well.
Kazekoubou - the legendary Shikoku strawberry cafe.
After walking around some of the narrow roads lined with fishermen’s houses, some with fish drying outside, we visited the Strawberry Cafe, Kazekoubou. I’ve realised that in almost every post I have banged on about cake. I have to say that we don’t tend to eat them at home. I rarely bake and must be one of the few people who doesn’t even watch the Great British Bake Off. However, the standard and availability of patisserie in Japan is stellar! On our first trip we didn’t notice all the cafes and bakeries. On our second, we couldn’t help tripping over them all the time - once you notice one, you’ll see them everywhere. I likened them to being like a breadcrumb trail in Tokyo - you can’t get lost if you follow the bakeries! This third time, we made the decision to integrate them. Such a chore! Anyhow....
The area is rich in agriculture and locally farmed strawberries were in season. This bakery makes and sells the most incredible cakes to take away or has a cafe upstairs that offers beautiful views across Tosa Bay. We decided on a coffee and cake set, which also included delicious roasted green tea before leaving. The staff were friendly and helpful and it was relaxing and comfortable - we had to tear ourselves away to go in search of the shrine and market.
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| Tosa Bay |
Stocking up on local yuzu produce.
On the way, we dropped into the local supermarket to stock up on some cold drinks (much cheaper than convenience stores or vending machines) and heat pads for my shoulder, which had decided to cause me some painful problems. I got sidetracked by the overwhelming range of local yuzu products but my confusion was fleeting due to the fantastic staff; I was aided by an amazingly helpful lady and a young man who was very keen to try out his English.
Kure Hachiman-gu Shrine.
The beautiful, waterside Kure Hachiman-gu shrine is dedicated to fishing and clearly depicts the importance of bonito to the area. After wandering around in the serene grounds for a short while we headed for the market.
Taisho-machi Market.
The Kure Taisho-machi Market is very small but what it lacks in size it gains in quality and atmosphere. It was quiet when we visited but interesting to see the catch of the day being prepped and local produce being sold. Aiming far too high with my language skills, I had an awkward conversation with a very nice gentleman about honey. I love honey and this was clearly special stuff but unfortunately, it’s not possible to bring it back to the UK due to Customs rules.
My attempt at an explanation of why I couldn’t purchase any didn’t go so well, but we did reach some sort of an understanding and moved on to an easier and more productive discussion about kenpi, a sweet potato stick snack traditional to the area. We sampled the different flavours and opted for the locally grown ginger.
Next, one of the chaps preparing fish came running out to see us with a booklet and map of the area. This, he said proudly, was for us about his town. We were very welcome there. He was busy and dashed off again but we were touched by the gesture and thankful for the information, which has already been put in a file ready for our next trip. It’s a vast area of natural beauty full of nature and there is much to see and do.
Lunch at the market cafeteria.
We decided to have lunch in the market cafeteria, for which we had seen many good reviews. Again, it was quiet but filling up quickly - apparently it can be difficult to get a seat on busier days. With so many options, and understanding that the dishes depend on the catch of the day, I asked for a recommendation.
The lady happily chatted through and explained a few options and after having enjoyed it at Kochi Hirome Ichiba, we decided on katsuo again, but this time as a donburi - katsuo sashimi on rice with nori seaweed and yam (accompanied by miso soup, pickles & green tea as usual). The food and atmosphere were outstanding. I think it cost around 1000 yen (around £7 at time of writing in 2017).
Ino Paper Museum & paper making workshop.
Getting to Ino.
En route back to Kochi, we hopped off the JR train at Ino to visit the paper museum. Ino is around 13 - 21 mins from Kochi city by the Ltd Express or local Dosan train but it is also the terminal station on the west-bound Gomen-Ino line of Tosaden Kotsu tram.
As it is also covered by the All Shikoku Rail Pass, taking the Tosaden Kotsu tram back to Kochi city (approx 45 minutes to Harimayabashi, Kochi city centre) via its more central route allowed us to get off at a stop nearer to our city centre hotel and eliminate the need to have to go all the way to the station and double back.
The washi paper museum and workshops.
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| Ino Paper Museum |
The paper museum gives an informative insight into the history and production of traditional Tosa Washi paper. Most info is in Japanese only but a very good English language leaflet is available at the ticket desk. The shop sells a wonderful array of paper, artwork and paper goods (including toilet paper, of course!) but the best bit for me was experiencing paper making first-hand.
For 400 yen, paid at the time of purchasing the entrance ticket, it is possible to make paper under the expert guidance of the resident artisan. Watching some other visitors finish off their turn, I became a bit concerned that I wouldn’t be able to manage the ‘shake shake shake!’ of the heavy-looking frame with my bad shoulder, but it wasn’t too heavy or strenuous at all. I'd highly recommend a visit if you happen to be in the area.
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| forming |
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| "shake,shake,shake!" |
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| unmolding |
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| drying |
My 8 postcard sized pieces of paper are safely stored ready for me to decorate with some calligraphy, once I've done some practice with the ink and brushes I bought at Daiso. However, there are stamps and supplies available at the museum if you feel a creative urge - John decided to channel his (before unknown) crafting ability to stamp one piece with a tuna, as a fitting reminder of the area!
