During our journey in Japan, we chose to discover more countryside places. One of the smallest islands of Japan is Shikoku. It is also one of the most authentic and least known islands.

Most of the population is quite old, and the island is mainly made of mountains, small villages, and farmers. Shikoku is famous for the 88-temple pilgrimage, which goes all around the island.

The main city : Matsuyama

To go to Shikoku, we started in Hiroshima, where you can take a ferry to Matsuyama. Matsuyama is the biggest city on the island. We visited its castle, which is one of the few original castles in Japan, with a beautiful view over the city.

You can also find in Matsuyama the oldest onsen in Japan. The food on the island is really good and very cheap everywhere. I highly recommend this restaurant located close to the castle.

Traditional villages of Uchiko and Ozu

After visiting the main city of Shikoku we started our road trip renting a car to the traditional villages of Uchiko and Ozu. We can visited both in one day.

It’s about 1 hour driving. We first stopped at Uchiko. This little charming village is really typical from the oldest Japan. We tried a traditional restaurant sitting on the floor eating Soba. The main street has handcraft shops, wooden houses and you can visite the Kamihaga Residence.

Kamihaga Residence is a traditional merchant house from the Edo period. It shows how rich families lived in the past, with beautiful wooden rooms, gardens, and storehouses. Visiting it feels like stepping back in time into old Japanese life.

After 20 minutes driving, we arrived to Ozu village. This second village is quite similar to the first one with a castle. The river that crosses the city adds a calm atmosphere, and walking there feels like traveling back to old Japan.

We visited Garyu Sanso a traditional Japanese villa built by a rich merchant in the mountains near Ozu. It is made of wood and looks very simple, but also very elegant. The house is built to follow the shape of the rocks and trees around it, and it has a beautiful view over the river. It feels very calm and close to nature.

Crossing the Shikoku island to Kochi

After the visit of the two villages we stayed in the little city of Seiyo. Our next step was the city of Kochi the second biggest city on the island after Matsuyama. We had about 3 hours driving.

On the road you have many stops that you can do : Uwajima castle, Donosako Rice Terraces, the little town of Yusuhara, Shikoku Karst, Nakatsukeikoku river or Niyodo River.

To go to the gorge, I recommend the Nakatsu path. You can park here.
The river here is famous to be very clear and blue. You have a really beautiful waterfall and the end of the path.

Kochi : Between Ocean and Mountains

Kochi is a lively city on the south coast of Shikoku. It is surrounded by mountains and open to the Pacific Ocean, which gives it a strong natural feeling. The city is famous for Kochi Castle, one of the few original castles in Japan, located in the city center. It’s a really a must see, the atmosphere is peaceful with a beautiful view of the city.

Kochi also has a very friendly atmosphere. You can walk in covered markets, small streets, and along the river. Food is very important here, especially katsuo no tataki (seared bonito tuna), a local specialty. We tried the bonito tuna in Hirome Market. We wanted to see the sea, to do that, you can go the Katsurahama beach.

The mix of sea, mountains, history, and simple daily life makes Kochi a great stop during a trip in Shikoku. No need to spend a lot of time here, 2 days are enough.

Somewhere is the middle of Shikoku

To finish our road trip we relaxed in the middle of the island (Higashimiyoshi town) with almost nothing around.

From Kochi we crossed the valley stopping at Ōboke Gorge. You can also add many stops one the way : Nagoro “Scarecrow” Village or Iya Valley Vine Bridge, but be carefull with the curvy roads.

We visited the Takaya Shrine about 500 meters climbing but the view worst it !

We finished our roadtrip leaving our car to Matsuyama, but one step is missing : Imabari to Onimichi…