Kochi's Shimanto River and Katsurahama Beach: Shikoku's Wild Side

The Shimanto is often called Japan's last clear stream because it has no major dams along its main course, unusual for a river of its size in Japan. Its chinkabashi, low bridges without railings designed to submerge harmlessly during floods, are the classic photo. Canoeing and river cruises are popular, and the surrounding countryside is genuinely rural.

It's remote — there's no dense train network out here, so a rental car makes the trip far easier than trying to piece it together by bus.

Katsurahama is a scenic rocky beach best known for the view rather than swimming — currents make it unsafe for that. It's also home to a large statue and museum dedicated to Ryoma Sakamoto, the Kochi-born reformist credited with helping end the Edo-period shogunate, a genuine local hero here.

Kochi sits apart from the rest of Shikoku's tourist circuit and takes real effort to reach. If you make it, try katsuo no tataki (seared bonito) at Hirome Market in Kochi City — it's the prefecture's signature dish and easy to find.