Kochi is a
prefecture on the south side of the island of
Shikoku in the south of
Japan. It is known as the land of the
greenhouses. They are lit up strange colors at night.
Besides farming, it is known for Sakamoto Ryoma, Katsurahama beach, and katsuo, a kind of fish.
The capitol is Kochi City, population 300,000. Total prefecture population is about 800,000, mostly old people, and decreasing.
Nice places to visit are Muroto Misaki, a nice rocky coast point in the SE, Ashizuri Misaki, the beautiful SW corner, and Irino Hama, a non-concreted-over beach, a rarity in Japan, which has many surfers.
Kochi people are known for their independent-mindedness, with particularly rebellious men called Igosso. The dialect of Japanese spoken in the center and east is Tosa-ben, and the western parts speak Hata-ben. The area was formerly called Tosa.
Kochi is also the birthplace of Sakamoto Ryoma, a famous meiji politician, Hirosue Ryouko, a cute talent, and Yosakoi dancing, a type of dance done at a summer festival.