{"id":34188,"date":"2015-12-05T14:48:57","date_gmt":"2015-12-05T13:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peregrinusmundi.com\/rendez-vous-avec-le-soleil-a-kochi\/"},"modified":"2020-07-06T10:21:03","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T08:21:03","slug":"sunny-days-in-kochi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peregrinusmundi.com\/en\/sunny-days-in-kochi\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunny days in K\u00f4chi"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Monday November 30, I leave Oboke and the Iya Valley around 10am. After a good hour of train I arrive in K\u00f4chi in the south of the island of Shikoku. The weather is wonderful. Being too early to have access to my room, I left my bag at the hotel luggage room and set off to explore the city. At first glance, K\u00f4chi looks a lot like Tokushima<\/strong> <\/a>(from an architectural point of view) but you can feel an atmosphere “more from the south” here. Located on the delta of the Kagami river (which means \u201cmirror\u201d, the water of the river being particularly pure), K\u00f4chi has seen the birth of a certain number of samurai and daimyo<\/em> who have entered history and whose we can see statues everywhere. The city is also the birthplace of Anpanman, a character created by Takashi Yanase in 1969 and whose animated television series continues to be hugely successful.<\/p>

“Anpanman’s head is a bun called anpan (\u30a2 \u30f3 \u30d1 \u30f3) filled with anko, a sweet red bean paste used as a base for traditional Japanese confectionery. The original character sacrificed himself to feed hungry people. All his companions likewise have an edible head associated with their name. \u201d –\u00a0Source: Wikipedia<\/p><\/blockquote>

Apparently the city must also have the rooster as its emblem, since I see small statues and drawings of roosters and chickens everywhere. There is even a sanctuary which seems to me to be dedicated to them with lots of roosters roaming free. I head for K\u00f4chi Castle: the Kochi-jo. It is one of the rare castles still having its original tenshu-kaku<\/em> (dungeon) and measuring 18.5 meters high. It was built in the early 17th century by Yamanouchi Katsutoyo during the Tokugawa reign. It was never attacked. The castle is absolutely magnificent. Many buildings surround a main building which overlooks K\u00f4chi on a small hill. The visit of the interior delights me because unlike the Hiwasa castle<\/strong><\/a>, the interior is still intact: traditional tatami rooms, wooden floors, sliding doors … Objects of the time are stored in small rooms: kimonos worn by the samurai of the time (notably that of Yamanouchi Katsutoyo), superb wood carvings, pottery and an old norimono<\/em> (Japanese palanquin). The ascent of the dungeon (using damn steep stairs) allows to observe different models and scenes of life at the time. On the top floor I have a view of the sun-drenched city. I stay upstairs for a long time enjoying the sun and the peaceful atmosphere.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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