Muroto UNESCO Global Geopark

Muroto UNESCO Global Geopark covers the whole of Muroto City, the triangle of land at the southeastern tip of Shikoku in Kochi Prefecture. Its theme is how people have lived on land that is still being pushed up out of the sea by the movement of the Philippine Sea Plate. It joined the Global Geoparks Network on September 18, 2011.

There is no single entrance or ticket. The geopark is a spread of coastal walks and rock formations, plus raised terraces, temples and old towns along the coast. The starting point is the Muroto Global Geopark Center near Cape Muroto.

Muroto Global Geopark Center

The center is the place to plan your route. It has exhibits on how the Muroto land formed and how local people adapted to it, a short film in its Geo Theater and an information counter where staff suggest sites and routes. It also has a cafe and shop selling local products.

What to see in Muroto Geopark

Cape Muroto

Cape Muroto is the point of the triangle, where the Pacific breaks over a rocky shore. A coastal path runs past tidepools and subtropical plants. Above the cape stand the Muroto Misaki Lighthouse and Hotsumisaki-ji, Temple 24 of the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage.

Mikurodo Cave

Mikurodo is the sea cave where, by tradition, the young monk Kukai (Kobo Daishi) trained and reached enlightenment. The land has risen since his time, so the view of sea and sky from the cave mouth is no longer the one he would have seen. Check at the Geopark Center whether the caves can be entered, since access has been limited by falling rock.

Striped rock layers on the Gyoto coast

North of the cape, the Shinmura walking trail on the Gyoto and Kuromi coast passes tilted, striped layers of sandstone and mudstone. They formed on the deep sea floor and were scraped up onto land as the ocean plate slid under Japan. The coast also shows signs of past earthquakes.

Marine terraces

Flat, raised terraces line the west side of the peninsula, at Nishiyama and Nakayama. Each step was once a shoreline lifted by earthquakes, and rounded beach pebbles turn up in fields more than 100 meters above the sea. Farmers use the terraces to grow sweet potatoes, citrus and watermelon.

Kiragawa

The old town of Kiragawa on the west coast grew rich shipping high-quality charcoal in the Edo period. Its streets keep merchant houses, storehouses and the stone walls locals call ishiguro.

How to get to Muroto Geopark

• From Kochi: take the Tosa Kuroshio Railway Gomen-Nahari Line from Kochi or Gomen to Nahari, then a Kochi Tobu Kotsu bus to Muroto. Get off at the Muroto Sekai Geopark Center stop.

• From Tokushima: take the JR Mugi Line to Awa-Kainan, then the DMV road-rail vehicle or a bus to Kannoura, and a Kochi Tobu Kotsu bus on to Muroto.

• From Osaka: Tokushima Bus runs a direct highway bus to Muroto once a day each way.

The sites are far apart and buses are infrequent, so a rental car makes a full day much easier. The geopark's access page has current timetables and service notices, including temporary changes to the DMV.

Local guides lead tours of several sites, and the Geopark Center can point you to them. For other ideas on the island, read about Shikoku's main sights.