- 2021.09.23
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When you are in Kochi, you are family
From spontaneous invitations to enjoy a drink together at Hirome Market to grandmas along the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage pressing snacks and fruit into your hands, one of the comments we often hear from visitors to Kochi is just how friendly people in our prefecture are!
This the-more-the-merrier attitude and kindness to visitors is a big part of the "Kochi-ke" mentality. "Ke" means "family," so when you are in Kochi, you are automatically part of the family! Welcoming all comers is a long tradition, a combination of Kochi's history of trade ports and being part of the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, where offering assistance and snacks to pilgrims is a normal part of daily life for locals.
We hope that soon people can safely return to traveling, and come meet the many restaurant owners, guides, market vendors and just regular passerby who miss chatting and welcoming international members of the "ke" to Kochi... and perhaps share a glass or two of local sake together!
Find out about Kochi's open culture of celebration here: https://visitkochijapan.com/en/highlights/okyaku
This the-more-the-merrier attitude and kindness to visitors is a big part of the "Kochi-ke" mentality. "Ke" means "family," so when you are in Kochi, you are automatically part of the family! Welcoming all comers is a long tradition, a combination of Kochi's history of trade ports and being part of the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, where offering assistance and snacks to pilgrims is a normal part of daily life for locals.
We hope that soon people can safely return to traveling, and come meet the many restaurant owners, guides, market vendors and just regular passerby who miss chatting and welcoming international members of the "ke" to Kochi... and perhaps share a glass or two of local sake together!
Find out about Kochi's open culture of celebration here: https://visitkochijapan.com/en/highlights/okyaku
