Places Japanese locals want to go now

By J Passport

13/04/2023

"今、日本人が行きたいスポット"

Direct translated to "places Japanese wants to go now". This is a popular term used by Japanese to search about places to go in Japan.

In J Passport, we picked up the local places that Japanese want to visit in 2023, starting with Kochi, southwest of Japan, the largest prefecture rich in natural blessings, including clear waters, beautiful ocean views, and waterfalls.

Explore top 3 places in Kochi prefecture that Japanese wants to go in 2023:

1. Roadside Station along Shimanto River

- Known for its local food and river activities -

The Shimanto river starts from the mountains and flows all the way to the sea. It is one of the cleanest river in Japan, thriving with abundance of river fishes.

Image from https://www.instagram.com/toowashimanto/

Along Shimanto river, locals stop by the Roadside station Shimanto-Towa to enjoy local food such as Seared Bonito, scenery and fun activities such as zip-lines, fishing.

Famous food - Grilled Unagi, Seared Bonito

Try Shimanto Unagi Kabayaki

Fresh unagi grilled and thoroughly coated with sauce for four times to give it a savoury flavour.

The Shimanto river is known for its cleanest and clearest water, it thrives an abundance of natural river eels (unagi).

Plump and tender, locally produced feed to raise them ensures that the eel is of the highest quality, so they don't taste muddy and no unpleasant odors at all compared to farmed unagi.

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Try Seared Bonito

It is characterized especially fatty, exceptionally delicious taste and is one of the traditional cuisine from the blessings of the clean water in Kochi prefecture.

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2. Niyodo River

- Known for its beautiful blue hue and cleanest water -

Hike along the river, you'll come across a small, mystical waterfall that pours straight down. Known for its blue hues, the water is so clear that you can see the bottom of the river!

The best time to see the "Niyodo blue" color of the water is around noon when the sun is directly overhead.

Famous food - Caviar

Try Frozen Aged Caviar

Its sturgeon eggs farmed in the Niyodo River and has a rich, creamy flavour. In the cleanest water, it grows 1.5 times faster than sturgeon from other prefectures, and its eggs taste like rich milk.

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3. Kashiwa Island

- An island with full ocean view and outdoor activities -

Our final destination is Kashiwa Island, which is connected to the main Kochi island by a bridge.

It's known for its beautiful ocean, where you can see fishes swimming and boats seemingly floating in the water.

More sweet delights from Kochi prefecture!

Try Soft Chocolate Jersey Milk Cream Roll Cake

Jersey milk from the happiest cows in Japan. Enjoy the incredible thick cream made from Jersey milk from Yukigamine Farm in Kochi Prefecture.

Raw chocolate that melts in your mouth, with soft and moist chiffon-like sponge and jersey milk cream is amazing.

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Try Traditional Handmade Warabimochi

From a local Izakaya restaurant in Kochi, handmade with 100% warabi powder, no preservatives. It is a traditional Japanese sweets with exploding popularity amongst locals. It is a chewy and soft traditional Japanese sweet that can only be understood once you try it!

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