The Kochi Beat » Outdoors

The summer is here, time to camp it up!

Kochi Beat — Thu, 12 May 2011 06:03:54 +0000

Chilly mornings are a distant memory, the mould is back and air conditioners are being prepped. Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to get out into the countryside and dip your stressed-out humid bodies into the river or sea, and stay in a tent under the stars.

Today we will introduce one of the best, cheapest and most relaxing campsites on the Shimanto river…

Mishima Camp ground.

Directions

Take the 56 or expressway west out of Kochi and keep going till you get to Kubokawa

Then turn right onto route 381 in Kubokawa.

You will now follow the Shimanto river into the hills for about 30km.

Go past Taisho-cho and just before you get to Showa-cho you will see said river-island and a little sign to the campsite.

Take a very sharp left turn just before a tunnel, and then go over a ‘chinka’ bashi (one of those submergable bridges)

Then follow the signs

Here’s a map

The reason this campsite is so highly recommended by us is that…

You are free to camp wherever you like – there are no strict zones. Just rock up and choose your spot.
You have to pay the princely sum of 300 yen per person to camp there.
You have your own private little patch of river to play in.

This place really is wonderful. Hopefully see you there on one of these sunny weekends!

Leave a comment down below if you’ve got anything to contribute to this post.

Make getting new posts like this one, and other news about events, art, music, places to see, and things to do in Kochi as easy as getting an e-mail from a friend. Subscribe for our free weekly newsletter:

The Akiba Matsuri

Kochi Beat — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 09:50:05 +0000

This is one of Kochi’s most traditional and fascinating festivals. Go and experience the processing, pole-throwing, mock-fighting and dancing all happening in the snow in the heights of Niyodogawa.

The day starts at 9am and you (plus hundreds of other spectators) follow the procession through some of Kochi’s finest rural, mountainous landscapes. There is plenty to look at, and a few stalls with the usual festival food. The climax of the day comes at about lunchtime, when you finally make it to Akiba jinja, where there are some pretty acrobatic performances, involving huge poles being launched into the air by people wearing strange masks.

There is a deep traditional reason for it all. We just don’t know what it is. Looks great though.

It is a fairly long drive, but well worth it. Get there early if you want to park anywhere close to the main event!

More photos and information here.

Place: Niyodogawa mura
Date: February 11.
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm

[display_single_location id=10]

Running to the Kochi Beat: KUTV Marathon

Kochi Beat — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:06:14 +0000

KUTV Healthy Marathon

March 13th (Sun)

8am – when you finish

Cost 3000 yen

Distance: a mere 14km!

Time for a de-tox and an intense training regime! The first of many fun-runs / races is coming up in March. It is a pretty easy one and I really recomment it! I’ll be running this year again, and if you need any furhter info, feel free to mail me on…

tomurichardson AT gmail DOT com

This is a great run to get you back in shape after too much new year mochi and sake. The course is a gentle one and there is no cut-off time. This means you really can treat it just as a fun-run. The starting point is Haruno Sports park, and the course takes you down to the seafront and around haruno is a lovely little circuit.

About 2000 people take part and the atmosphere is great.

Applications must be in by February 10th and all information is on this website (in Japanese)

http://www.kutv.co.jp/m2011/

Here is the internet application link Get your Japanese speaking superfriend to help fill it out. You have to sign up for the website runnet first. It’s a bit of a pain (!)

http://runnet.jp/runtes/raceDetail/top/m24063.html

Alternatively go straight to the KUTV building, get an application form and fill it out there and then. (That is usually what I do!)

http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?utm_campaign=ja&utm_medium=ha&utm_source=ja-ha-apla-jp-google-gm

It costs 3000 yen, but it’s definitly worth it: You even get a a bento and apple thrown in!

Happy running, healthy friends.

Panorama: City view with a cafe

Kochi Beat — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 02:55:46 +0000

If you’ve never been up to Godaisan, there is an old observatory that apparently used to have a cog train going up to it. After the train stopped and was removed, the building was left in a fairly unkept state, but people continued to freely go up for a look out over the city.

With the addition of Panorama on the second floor in the observatory building, you can now enjoy the excellent view of the bay and the city in a relaxing cafe setting. Go in, have the soup curry with saffron rice (my favorite), and then pop up on the deck to get an excellent view of the city–returning back to the cafe to enjoy a nice cup of coffee and maybe some ice cream.

The cafe is very large, and the atmosphere is extremely laid back–it’s all self serve. I also love the eclectic decor and art scattered around the interior, although there is one piece that is highly disturbing. You will have to go look for it yourself because I couldn’t look at it long enough to take a picture…

There are only a few choices on the menu, but they all seem to be pretty solid. Definitely a great place to go when you’ve got a few hours to kick back, even stopping on your way down the mountain to visit Chikurenji or the new tropical green house at Makino Botanical Gardens.

If you’ve never been up there to see the city from above, I really recommend this place! Check out this night time panoramic shot to see what you’ve been missing.

The Details:
高知市吸江210-1
（五台山展望台2階）
Tel. 088－861－3036
Weekdays　10：00～17：00
Weekends and Holidays 10：00～21：00

View Larger Map

Make getting new posts like this one, and other news about events, art, music, places to see, and things to do in Kochi as easy as getting an e-mail from a friend. Subscribe for our free weekly newsletter:

Slide into 2011: Winter Sports (nearly) On Your Doorstep

Dashi Shimada — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 04:29:29 +0000

A guide to three of Shikoku’s best slopes
Dashi Shimada

Sol-FA Oda ski field (Ehime)

This is the best Ski field in Shikoku
I recommend this one if you are keen on winter sports!
Longest run 1200m
It is enjoyable from beginners to experts.
It has some sweets kickers, rail and box items for free style runs. And there’s a Kid’s park and food court at the bottom of the slopes.
You need stud less(snow tires) tyres or chains on your car for snow on the road, there is no public transportation to get there.

Directions

It takes about 3 hours from Kochi to SOL-FA ODA
Take national route(NR) 33 from Kochi city
After one and half hours, passing though Hidaka-town, Ochi-town, Niyodogawa-town you reach to Ehime prefecture you still need to keep going on NR33 for more 30 minuets. Turn left at the traffic lights onto NR380 at Ochiai. From this place you might need chains. After a while you will go through a tunnel and some sharp turns then you will reach to small town called Oda. Turn left at the local convenience store Apple. Now you are on the prefecture road(PR) 52. After 5minuits, there is a shrine on the left. Turn right at that corner. Drive up sharp corners for about 20 minutes and you will get there. (There are many steep drops by the road so if you don’t feel comfortable about snow conditios, put on chains beforehand for your safety.)

Cost

Parking 1000yen
Day ticket 4000yen
Rental board or Skis 3500yen, Outfit 3500yen
Accommodation 3800yen for just staying the night,
6300yen inc breakfast and dinner.
parking fee applies, Photos
Call for reservation TEL 0892-52-3232

Details

TEL 0892-52-3232
web http://www.sol-fa.com/index.html
Map: ＳＯＬ－ＦＡ
You can check the current road conditions here

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Ikawa ski field (Tokushima)

Ikawa has two lifts and five main courses. They are easy and fun to run.
Longest run 840m,
Kids park, food court.

There is not much going on for extreme boarders. But beginners and intermediates can enjoy the mountain shape and work on their skills. You can see Seto inland sea when the weather is nice. It tends to be packed with people on the weekend. You have to drive up kind of steep and narrow mountain road to get there. Don’t forget to bring chains for your car. Avoid to get too close to the edge of the narrow mountain road when it is snowy.

Directions

It takes about 2.5 hours from Kochi city.
From Kochi, get on the highway toward to Tokushima city. Get off the at Ikegawa-Ikeda IC. After you pay your toll, turn right at the first traffic light. Now Yoshino river is on your left hand side. After 4.5km driving, you will find Tsuji station on your left hand side. Still stick on the same road for 300m from the station. Turn right toward to prefecture road 140 then soon you will pass through a tunnel. You are 20km away from the ski field at this point. Just follow the Japanese sign for Ikawa ski field like this”井川スキー場” on this country-side road. You might need chains for the mountain road.

Cost

One day ticket 8:30-16:30 3500yen
Night ticket 17:30-22:00 2000yen
Rental boards 3500yen、Outfit 2500yen
Accommodation 12000yen for 4 person Log style lodge. No meal inc
800yen plus per person. 500yen discount from day pass for users. Photos
Call for reservation TEL0883-78-3003

Details

TEL 0883-78-3003
web http://www.ikawaski.jp/index.html
Map: Ikawa
You can check snow condition here(JP)

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Kuma ski field (Ehime)

This is one of busy ski fields in Shikoku, but it is the easiest field to access in Shikoku.
Good for beginners for both winter sports and driving in snow.
Three courses, kids park, beginner slope.
Longest run 600m.
The lift is quite fast and it can carry up many people in a short time.
It tends to get spotted icy parts and get busy on weekends.
Cafe is nice and warm.

Directions

Total destination takes 2hours from Kochi City
Take national route 33 toward to Ehime from Kochi after about 2 hours you will pass kuma-kogen-town just before Misaka pass. 4km from Kuma-kogen-town, half-way up the Misaka pass, you will see the sign of the ski field”久万スキーランド”　on your right hand side. Turn right up there into the mountain. After 10 minuets you will be there. If you can’t go up the mountain road due to the snow conditions, just hitch or call 0892-21-0100 for someone to pick you up.

Cost

Entry 1000yen
Time pass 2h 2500yen, 4h 3000yen, 8h 4000
Rental broads 3000yen
Accommodation n/a
Photos and snow conditions here
Course guide here

Details

TEL 0892-21-0100
MAP Kuma