Yosakoi Matsuri

Kochi Castle is one of the few original white castles in Japan. Uniquely among Japanese castles, it is the only one in which both the main keep and palace buildings have survived. Access to the castle grounds is free, and the entrance fee to enter the castle is well worthwhile. The views from the castle are spectacular.

Art by Japanese and foreign artists, including Marc Chagall. Noh plays are held in the museum hall.

The shrine's origins are unknown but it was mentioned in both the Kojiki and Nihon-shoki, the first written records of Japanese history.

It was built as a temple-shrine by Kobo Daishi, encompassing nearby Tosa Shrine, but the temple structures were all torn down in 1868 when the Meiji government ordered Buddhism and Buddhist iconography to be removed from Shinto sites. The temple wasn't rebuilt until 1929. It was not among the 88 temples of the Shikoku Pilgrimage until 1990. Anraku-ji also claimed to be the 30th temple until it was made the okunoin of Zenrakuji, allowing Zenrakuji to be given the official title.

The 2-floor museum features information and artifacts from Sakamoto Ryoma, his family, and Kochi city during the days when he lived here.

A bridge made famous by a story that took place here; a young monk had a secret affair with a woman but one day he was seen by the bridge buying a hairpin which was a telltale sign that he had a lover. Because monks were not allowed to be romantically involved with anyone, he and the woman fled together before he could be punished. The Yosakoi song, played by each dancing group in the famous Yosakoi Festival (see "Do" section), is about this event and directly names the bridge in the lyrics. The bridge is very small so it's probably only worth visiting if the story interests you.