Kochi: Kochi Castle & Shinko — Guide Kay
October, 2025
This is a private guided tour report by Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.), a network of 1,000+ government-licensed, English-speaking local guides across all 47 prefectures of Japan. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- 09:00 Depart from Shinko
- 09:30 Kochi Castle
- 11:00 Lunch at Hirome Market
- 11:40 Drugstore
- 12:00 Karakuri Clock and Harimaya Bridge
- 12:30 Daimaru Department Store
- 13:00 Mt. Hitsuzan
- 13:30 Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine
- 14:00 Ice cream at Katsurahama
- 14:40 Taxi
- 15:00 Arrive at Shinko
Tour Itinerary in Detail
From there the group visited Kochi Castle at 09:30, Drugstore at 11:40, Karakuri Clock and Harimaya Bridge at 12:00, Daimaru Department Store at 12:30, Mt. Hitsuzan at 13:00, Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine at 13:30, Ice cream at Katsurahama at 14:00, Taxi at 14:40 and Shinko at 15:00.
Are Kochi Castle and Katsurahama Beach Doable with Limited Walking? A Licensed Guide's Private Tour Report
The guests were a group visiting from Oceania. I had been informed beforehand that they preferred not to walk much, but they had many places they wanted to see, so we decided to simply give it a try and started the tour.
At our first stop, Kochi Castle, one of the guests chose not to climb any of the steps and waited below. The other guest also found walking difficult, but curiosity won out, and they made it all the way up Castle Mountain and climbed to the second floor of the castle keep, which was very satisfying. However, having been kept waiting for 80 minutes, the guest below became quite displeased, and there was a slightly awkward atmosphere for a while.
At the suggestion of the taxi driver, for the guest who could not go up to the castle keep, we drove up to the summit parking area of Mount Hitsuzan so they could look out over the city.
Also, since it looked like we would arrive at Katsurahama Beach early, we stopped by Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine, where they were able to photograph the statue commemorating Chosokabe Motochika's first battle.
Click here for more details: Kochi Shore Excursion: Customized Car Tour, Licensed Guide
Hi! I’m Kay.
It’s my pleasure to be your guide.
I was born and raised in Kochi city, and I worked for Kochi City Hall for nearly 30 years, so I think I know a lot about Kochi.
Firstly, I can guide you to the Kochi castle. Most castles you can find in Japan have been rebuilt after fires, wars, or natural disasters. However, Kochi Castle is one of the very few castles that still have the whole structure of its original tower and the mail palace from the Edo period (1603–1868). This makes it especially valuable for understanding Japan’s history and traditional architecture. You’ll like it!
Other major tourist sites are adventurous Ryugado limestone cave, Makino botanical garden, Chikurinji temple with historical stonesteps, Zenjibuji temple with the spectacular panoramic view, paper-making activity, Oboke gorge, Nakatsu gorge, Niyodo river with a historical bridge and so on.
If you like sake, you can visit sake brewery, and if you are interested in walking local streets, you can stroll my neighborhood.
Kochi is a small city, but it’s very popular among tourists for its beautiful nature and good food. I took my kids to rivers and mountains when they were little. If you are interested in those places, please ask me. And I know many good restaurants, too.
I’m looking forward to enjoying them together with you!
Jul 7, 2026
A_J
Viator review: Port Pick-Up: Kochi Tour with Licensed Guide and Vehicle
Excellent tour with Kay
Had an amazing time with our…
Jul 7, 2026
A_J
Viator review: Port Pick-Up: Kochi Tour with Licensed Guide and Vehicle
Excellent tour with Kay
Had an amazing time with our guide Kay in Kochi. She was very proactive and contacted me several weeks before to plan the itinerary for the day and also to help with our dietary requirements ( we are vegetarian). She involved us in the plan of the day at every step. She met us as we got off our cruise ship with a very nice vehicle and friendly driver. She was very knowledgeable about the local area and Japan in general and gave us lots of interesting information and could answer all of our questions. She took us to the Sunday market and helped us try some local vegetarian delicacies. The weather that day was very poor, with heavy rain but she readjusted our tour so that we were sheltered from the worst of it with a visit to the castle museum. The castle was a real highlight. We also went to the botanical garden and Shinto shrine which were also fantastic. Thank you very much Kay for being and excellent guide. We loved our day with you.
Jun 1, 2026
romankU9693SM
Tripadvisor review: Port Pick-Up: Kochi Tour with Licensed Guide and Vehicle
Our trip to Kochi
Kay was a wonderful guide, very…
Jun 1, 2026
romankU9693SM
Tripadvisor review: Port Pick-Up: Kochi Tour with Licensed Guide and Vehicle
Our trip to Kochi
Kay was a wonderful guide, very informative and knowledgeable. We had a great time on
our tour of Kochi.
May 28, 2026
nancykotr
Viator review: Port Pick-Up: Kochi Tour with Licensed Guide and Vehicle
Kay was a wonderful…
Kay was a wonderful guide. We…
May 28, 2026
nancykotr
Viator review: Port Pick-Up: Kochi Tour with Licensed Guide and Vehicle
Kay was a wonderful…
Kay was a wonderful guide. We visited the beautiful botanical gardens and Kochi castle. She climbed the steep stairs with us to the top of the castle.
She helped us navigate ordering food at the food stalls.
We truly enjoyed our day with her!
Apr 22, 2026
Jörg R
Tripadvisor review: Port Pick-Up: Kochi Tour with Licensed Guide and Vehicle
Ein toller Ausflug in Kochi
Pünktliche Abholung, kurze Transferzeiten…
Apr 22, 2026
Jörg R
Tripadvisor review: Port Pick-Up: Kochi Tour with Licensed Guide and Vehicle
Ein toller Ausflug in Kochi
Pünktliche Abholung, kurze Transferzeiten zu den Sehenswürdigkeiten und gute Erklärungen
in perfektem Englisch.
高知での素晴らしい小旅行でした。
時間どおりのピックアップ、観光地までの移動時間も短く、完璧な英語での分かりやすい説明でした