Kochi

Kochi is a castle city on the Pacific coast of Shikoku, capital of a prefecture of deep gorges and fishing harbors that stays off most itineraries. That isolation bred a proud local culture: this is the home of Sakamoto Ryoma, the samurai reformer, and of Japan's liveliest street markets.

Kochi Castle keeps one of Japan's twelve original keeps at the city's center, and the Sunday street market has run for some three hundred years, filling a long avenue with produce and craft stalls. Katsurahama Beach curves below a statue of Ryoma gazing out at the Pacific.

Order katsuo no tataki, bonito seared over burning straw, the prefecture's signature dish. In August the Yosakoi Festival dances through the streets for days, and Ryugado Cave burrows into the hills outside town. Trains and flights connect Kochi with the main islands; two nights suits its pace.