Let's enjoy the combination of Kochi Castle, many beautiful flowers of Makino Botanical Garden, various plants which Dr. Makino found and named, the garden patio dining and meditation & shakyo writing at Chikurinji Temple.
At your hotel or the place of your convenience
I can offer you a lot of interesting stories about the castle, the lord, stone walls and so on. Kochi Castle is one of the only 12 castle towers in Japan which have kept the original shape since Edo period. You can feel the history of the real castle.
You can enjoy a lunch at the patio of Makino Botanical Garden. Then we will stroll through the garden. There are various plants and flowers peculiar to Kochi. Especially, the plants and flowers which Dr. Makino found and named are unique and cute. In the garden there are a lot of flowers and plants Dr. Makino, world-famous botanist, found and named. And you can enjoy the lunch including local specialty at the patio surrounded by many plants inside the botanical garden. As I know Makino Botanical Garden very well as a local person, I can tell you the leaves and flowers you can touch and smell. Of course, you are not allowed to touch endangered plants. You can feel relaxed by touching and smelling natural plants.
You can experience the meditation and shakyo writing at Chikurinji temple. A monk will guide you in the main hall of the temple. Let's enjoy the meditation and shakyo writing at Chikurinji temple. You can use a chair during shakyo and sit cross-legged on a comfortable cushion during meditation.
See you off at the place of your convenience.
At your hotel or the place of your convenience
Kochi Castle is one of the only 12 castle towers in Japan which have kept the original shape since Edo period. You can feel the history of the real castle. In the garden there are a lot of flowers and plants Dr. Makino, world-famous botanist, found and named. And you can enjoy the lunch including local specialty at the patio surrounded by many plants inside the botanical garden. As I know Makino Botanical Garden very well as a local person, I can tell you the leaves and flowers you can touch and smell. Of course, you are not allowed to touch endangered plants. You can feel relaxed by touching and smelling natural plants. Let's enjoy the meditation and shakyo writing at Chikurinji temple. You can use a chair during shakyo and sit cross-legged on a comfortable cushion during meditation.
guide fee
The followings are paid in cash on the day of the tour.
transportation fee: a taxi about 6000 yen for a return trip --recommended
entrance fee (you and the guide): Kochi Castle 420 yen per person
Makino Botanical Garden 730 yen per person
lunch (you and the guide) : about 1300 yen per person
Meditation & shakyo writing( you ): 3000 yen per person
I can guide you in any place of Kochi prefecture if you pay my transportation fee.
In Kochi city the public transportation system is not well-developed, so it is better to use a private taxi.
Please wear suitable shoes for walking, because you will go up and down inside the castle, the botanical garden and the temple.
In Kochi, there are many places where you can’t use your credit cards, for example, some ticket windows or shops, so please exchange your dollars for Japanese yen before coming to Kochi.
Travel insurance is not included in our tours. I would recommend you take out your own travel insurance just in case of any unexpected accident, loss, or damaging others' property. You can find the counter of a few insurance companies at the airport when you arrive.
I’m sorry to say that there will be a high possibility that Chikurinji Temple will not hold the meditation and shakyo writing activities in 2023, because it will celebrate the 1250th anniversary of the birth of Kouboudaishi, who is the high monk of Buddhism. That means that it will hold various events and celebrations for the monk while they will stop holding the meditation and shakyo writing activities for visitors.
Yes, we can . As long as time allows.
Kosuke was an excellent guide and I wouldn't hesitate to book another tour with him. He's someone who really loves to guide and it shows. Hopefully we'll be back and he can show us around some new places. We enjoyed Kochi Castle, an amazing lunch, the botanical garden (even though it was fall and not in full bloom, it was still beautiful) and the Chikurinji Temple where the teens got to ring a bell and pray at a Buddhist shrine. Kosuke was an excellent resource for learning the differences between Buddhist and Shinto. Thank you so much, Kosuke! From the oranges to the beautiful papers, you really spoiled us by going above and beyond, and we'd love to tour with you again.
Thank you so much for your wonderful, thoughtful and warm review! You are the youngest group that I have ever guided before. You are very active, for example, all members walked faster than I. So, I think that if I were ten years younger, I could have taken your family to more places. However, I am relieved to know that you enjoyed the tour in Kochi. And thank you very much for listening to my explanations about the sightseeing spots eagerly. I respect the elder daughter, because she has learned Japanese language and cultures with enthusiasm. And I really enjoyed talking with her in Japanese. Please continue to learn them! The younger daughter is very kind, because she was worried about me when I coughed so much. Thank you! If your family will visit Kochi again in the future, I want your husband to drink other local sakes. And I have to apologize to you, because I couldn’t find a wonderful rice bowl for you. I will get more information about it until you visit my hometown again. Then, I will be able to tell you where to find delicious rice bow. Therefore, please be sure to visit my hometown, Kochi, again in the future. Thank you again and have wonderful Christmas holidays!
We had so much fun with Kosuke as he shared the heart of his home town with us. We took our time wandering through the Sunday Market, at more than 300 years old the oldest in Japan. Kosuke helped us interact with the stall owners and negotiated a lot of free tastes of their products. He particularly concentrated on the foods that we native and unique to Kochi so that we could begin to appreciate the sources of the local cuisine. He had also done some investigation ahead of time and found a vendor of high-quality chefs’ knives for me. We toured Kochi castle, learned an enormous amount and laughed a lot. Kosuke has a ready sense of humour and uses his imagination to keep things fresh and interesting. Maybe most enjoyable was having lunch in the food court at Hirome Market. There were all sorts of foods on sale - different tastes and textures. Some featured things we’d seen at the Sunday Market, others were from the sea. But it’s the food court itself that Kosuke wanted us to experience. It’s noisy and boisterous, full of people talking and laughing - exactly the sort of thing you don’t see anywhere else in Japan. As Kosuke said, “This is the real Kochi City”. We’d do it again with him in a heartbeat.
Thank you so much for the nicest and prompt review! During the second day of the tour I really enjoyed talking, laughing and eating with you. It is your curiosity to know anything about Japan that motivated me to guide you happily. First, I worried about the noisy food court, but I’m so relieved to know that you enjoyed eating some local foods. And I was really surprised to know that you were a professional chef and you have much more knowledge about cutting knives than I do. I should have studied more about cutting knives, so I’m sorry for that. Anyway, have a wonderful journey in Japan! And I wish you will return to Canada safely. And, I want to add one more comment. I really enjoyed your very witty jokes. Thanks! And take care!
It is difficult to imagine a better guide than Kosuke. My wife’s grandfather came from a very small town outside Kochi City. In making this booking, we asked Kosuke to take us to this town so we could form an impression of the place where her grandfather grew up. Kosuke did so much more. Beforehand, he found the temple my wife’s grandfather attended. He contacted the priest and the priest confirmed , through old temple records, that this was indeed the family temple. Kosuke was also able to find the family tomb and ancestral house. Kosuke arranged for us to meet with the priest to discuss the family and life in the village. Our visit was so much richer than we had imagined all because of the work Kosuke had done. It brought a large, missing portion of the family history back to life and gave us a direct connection to our ancestor. My wife feels that Kosuke and the priest were able to give her her history and her place in Japan.
Thank you so much for the nicest and prompt review! I’m very happy to know that you could have a direct connection to your ancestors after finishing this tour and your wife could have her history and place in Japan. I will never forget the scene where your wife and you earnestly listened to what the priest talked about your ancestors. It is your eagerness to know your roots that brought you to the real area where your ancestors had lived. I have respected your earnest attitude. When you want to feel the existence of your ancestors’ homeland, please touch the rosary which the priest gave to you. And I will never forget that I enjoyed walking with you in Sunday Market while talking, laughing and eating on the street together. Finally your homeland, Kochi of Japan, is always ready to accept you whenever you want to visit Kochi again. Have a wonderful journey in Japan! And I wish you will return to Canada safely. And, I want to add one more comment. I really enjoyed your very witty jokes. Thanks! And take care!
Great communications. The ship was delayed 5 hours due to technical issues, but Kobayashi-san adjusted his tour. We still got to do the things we wanted to do. Very highly recommended!
Thank you so much for the nicest and prompt review! I really enjoyed talking with six guests of your group. And I’m very happy that you enjoyed eating “Katsuo-no-tataki”, grilled bonito in the bustling market called “Hirome Ichiba”. Next time you visit my town, I want you to eat other delicious local foods in that market. And in the botanical garden, I’m happy to see you taking photos and smelling flowers. Did you feel relaxed and refreshed in the garden? I hope so. Have a wonderful journey in Japan! And please return to US safely! I will never forget our happy memories while I watch the photo of you. Thanks again!