2026 Tsuno Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in March)

Real traveler experiences and travel guides for Tsuno in March, 2026

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Stretching along the ridge that forms the border between Kochi and Ehime Prefectures, the Shikoku Karst offers breathtaking views from its highlands, which range from 1,000 to 1,500 meters above sea level. The prefectural road 383, also known as the Shikoku Karst Park Line, runs through this karst plateau, making it an ideal route for driving and touring. As one of Japan's three major karsts, the Shikoku Karst is the highest in elevation among them. Visitors can enjoy the majestic highland scenery and rare alpine plants unique to this area. The driving route through the Shikoku Karst is also nicknamed the "Road in the Sky." With endless blue skies above and mountain ridges stretching far into the distance, it feels as if you're driving or riding through the heavens. The exhilarating experience of riding a motorcycle through the wind is truly unmatched, offering an unforgettable moment of joy. Of course, driving a car along this route is equally delightful and promises a refreshing journey!

#0YenTravel2025Autumn Starry Village TENGU is a glamping and accommodation facility with spectacular views located at an altitude of approximately 1,400 meters on the Tengu Plateau in the Shikoku Karst (on the border between Kochi and Ehime prefectures). Located on a "heavenly plateau" far from city lights, it offers pastures and grazing cows by day, dramatic sunsets in the evening, and a starry sky so bright the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye at night. Dome tents and cabins are equipped with beds and heaters, providing a comfortable space where even beginners can fully enjoy nature. Enjoy a quiet night with the lights dimmed to gaze at the stars—this is the place to experience the "luxury of doing nothing." ⸻ 🚗 Access *A car or rental car is generally required. • From Kochi Kochi City → Niyodogawa Town → Tengu Highlands (approx. 2.5 hours) • From Ehime Matsuyama City → Kumakogen → Shikoku Karst (approx. 2.5 hours) • Nearest IC ・Approximately 1 hour 40 minutes from Susaki Higashi IC on the Kochi Expressway ・Approximately 2 hours from Matsuyama IC on the Matsuyama Expressway *Due to the mountain roads and many curves, it's safe to arrive by evening. ⸻ 🌠 Recommended Points • ① A "real starry sky" that looks like space. The Milky Way, shooting stars, and constellations are clearly visible with the naked eye. The name "stars falling" isn't just for show. • ② Sea of ​​clouds and sunrises are also available. In the early morning, you can enjoy a mystical view floating above the clouds. If you're lucky, you'll be enveloped in a "sea of ​​clouds." • ③ Stargazing Beds & Bonfire Time With outdoor stargazing beds and bonfire sets, you can enjoy a quiet evening with all your senses. • ④ Luxury glamping without bringing anything Dome tents, heating, and meals (including BBQ) are provided. Very popular with women and couples. Unfortunately, it was raining heavily when I went, but I still had a great time 🙏 #PrefecturalBorder

We left Osaka in the evening and arrived in Shikoku in the middle of the night. We climbed the karst early in the morning (by car). #ShikokuKarst #Goldendoodle #SeaofClouds

A summer must-visit! The hidden gem of Shikoku - breathtaking ways to enjoy Shimanto River 🚣♀️ Known as "Japan's last clear stream," this secluded area boasts intoxicating rural landscapes and charming countryside vibes. Put on a yellow dress and straw hat for instant magazine-worthy shots! 🌿 Must-visit spots: 【Shimanto City】 📍Yakatabune Shimanto no Midori: Cruise the crystal-clear river on traditional wooden boats surrounded by lush mountains and wild birds (Address: 4-10 Nakamura Ohashi-dori, Shimanto City, Kochi Prefecture) 📍Sada Submerged Bridge: Japan's only bridge that adjusts with water levels, creating picturesque reflections on sunny days 📍Kaoru Shrine: A mystical shrine hidden in the mountains with awe-inspiring century-old cedar trees lining the approach 【Tsuno Town】 📍Shimanto River Source: Drink directly from the icy sweet spring water (remember to bring an empty bottle) 【Shimanto Town】 📍Iejigawa Park: A super niche camping paradise with stunning starry skies at night 📍JR Togawa Station: A nostalgic unmanned station surrounded by golden rice fields 【Uwajima City】 📍Mori no Kuni Waterside Cabins: New forest resort opened in 2020 featuring standalone cabins facing the stream (book 3 months in advance) 📸 Photography tips: 1⃣️ Wear bright colors! Yellow dresses perfectly complement green rice fields 2⃣️ Straw hats + woven bags complete the rustic look 3⃣️ Best lighting: 1 hour after sunrise & 2 hours before sunset 🥘 Food recommendations: ✅ River fish cuisine: Must-try ayu sweetfish specialty ✅ Rice field duck hot pot: Tsuno Town's farmhouse specialty ✅ Source water soft serve: Ice cream made with spring water 🚗 Transportation: Recommended to rent a car from Kochi Station - about 40min-1hr drive between attractions

#AbsolutelyFreeTravel Over 47 "sinking bridges" span the Shimanto River, which flows through Kochi Prefecture. 🌊 These bridges, without railings, submerge underwater during floods, avoiding collisions with driftwood and sediment, making them highly durable. These bridges are packed with the "wisdom of everyday life" of fending off nature, rather than resisting it. Particularly famous are the Sada Sinking Bridge and the Iwama Sinking Bridge. The scenery, with the sky and mountains reflected in the mirror-like surface of the river, is as beautiful as a painting. 📸 Walking on the bridges makes you feel one with the water, almost like you're floating above the river. The day I visited was sunny, and the view of the expansive Shimanto River from the bridges was deeply soothing. Perfect for crossing hand in hand with your partner, or strolling alone, taking photos as you go. 💑👤 The sight of local people and nature in harmony truly brought home the true meaning of travel. Access each of the submerged bridges by rental car or bus from JR Nakamura Station. 🚗🚌 The "Sada Submerged Bridge" and "Iwama Submerged Bridge" are popular spots that often appear on tourist posters. Experience the wisdom and beauty of living in harmony with nature on this journey. Be sure to add a submerged bridge to your next travel destination! Submerged Bridges #ShimantoRiver #SadaSubmergedBridge #IwamaSubmergedBridge #LivingWithNature #DomesticTravel #CouplesTrip #SoloTravel

#AbsolutelyFreeTrip The Shimanto River, flowing through western Kochi Prefecture, is so beautifully preserved that it's been dubbed "Japan's last pure river." 🌊 Just walking along the river has a soothing power that instantly lightens your soul. The thrill and tranquility of crossing the sunken bridge, the sensation of gliding across the water in a canoe, the deliciousness of eating local sweetfish and eel along the river... Every experience was like becoming one with nature, and it left a deep impression on my travels. 🚣♀️🐟 The riverscape at sunset is especially beautiful, beyond words. Walk hand in hand with your partner, or take quiet photos alone. No matter your travel style, the Shimanto River will embrace you with its gentle embrace. 📸💑👤 Access each spot by bus or rental car from Nakamura Station (JR Shikoku). You can make reservations and get information on sunken bridges and canoeing at roadside stations and tourist information centers. 🚗🚌 When you want to be soothed by nature and clear your mind, the Shimanto River is the perfect place for such a trip. Be sure to visit! Shimanto River #LastClearRiver #SunkenBridge #CanoeingExperience #RelaxingTrip #DomesticTravel #CoupleTravel #SoloTravel

#summervacay Escape to **Tengu Highland** (天狗高原) in **Shikoku’s Ishizuchi Mountains**—a mystical alpine meadow where fog curls like dragon breath and summer hikers float above the mist! Here’s your guide to this *off-the-radar* Japanese wonder. ### **🌄 *MUST-EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS*:** - **"Tengu’s Nose" Viewpoint:** Stand on the **jutting rock ledge** (like a mythical *tengu* goblin!) for 360° views of Shikoku’s peaks. - **Summer Flower Carpets:** July-August explodes with **pink knotweed** and golden lilies—like a Monet painting come alive! 🌸🎨 - **Cloud Inversion Magic:** Arrive at **sunrise** to watch the valley drown in a **cotton-sea of fog** (best May-Oct). ☁️✨ ### **🥾 *TRAVEL TIPS*:** - **Hike Smart:** The trail from **Tengu Kogen Hotel** is steep (1.5hrs up)—wear proper shoes! - **Stay Overnight:** Book the rustic **Tengu Kogen Hut** for starry skies and *onsen baths* after your trek. 🛖♨️ - **Fuel Up:** Try local *Ehime mikan orange soft serve* at the trailhead! 🍊🍦 ### **📸 *PHOTO OPS*:** - **Posing on the "Nose"** (looks like you’re flying over clouds!). - **Golden hour** on the **wooden boardwalk** through flower fields. **#HiddenJapan #ShikokuHikes #AlpineVibes #TenguLegend #NoCrowdsJustClouds** *Tengu Highland isn’t on most itineraries—which makes it even more magical.* Pack your sense of adventure! 🎒⛰️ **🚗 *Getting There:* 1hr drive from Matsuyama City. No public transport—rent a car or join a tour!**

#Spring0yentrip Tengu Plateau is a wonderful place where you can feel the tranquility and grandeur in the great outdoors of Kochi Prefecture. This plateau, which is over 1000 meters above sea level, has beautiful scenery in every season, and you will discover something new every time you visit. Especially in autumn, the colorful leaves spread all over the place, creating a landscape that looks like a painting. In winter, the snowy landscape covers the whole area, and a quiet beauty drifts in the silence. What makes Tengu Plateau unique is that it is not too lively as a tourist destination, and you can spend your time relaxing in nature. Strolling in the quiet air while listening to the sound of the wind and the chirping of birds will refresh your mind. Tengu Plateau has mountain trails and trekking courses, and is a great spot for outdoor enthusiasts as it is a place where you can become one with nature. Also, as you approach the top of the plateau, you will be greeted with a wonderful view, with a panoramic view of the mountains and valleys below. On a clear day, you can see far into the distance, and the scenery is unforgettable. Check the weather forecast before you visit, and visit on a clear day to enjoy the beautiful scenery even more. Tengu Plateau is not only a place to feel nature, but also has tourist facilities and hot springs, making it the perfect place to relax after a long day of travel. In particular, during the cold season, it is the ultimate luxury to enjoy the snowy scenery while soaking in a hot spring. Overall, Tengu Plateau is a wonderful place to relax while feeling the beauty and tranquility of nature, and it is a wonderful spot where you can discover new charms no matter how many times you visit. You can spend a time that is healing for both body and mind, and it is a place that you should definitely visit, especially if you want to be one with nature. #TenguPlateau #NatureOfKochi #OutdoorSpots #FamousAutumnFoliageSpots #QuietRelaxingPlaces

📍Katsura Tea Fields May is the season when Tsuno-cho, the town of tea, shines. It's the season for new tea! The tea fields stand out even more against the fresh greenery. The scenery of the tea being harvested is also very beautiful. Starting from the roadside station Fusegasaka, we take a leisurely tour along the old national highway. We pass through roads with almost no traffic (※We will drive a little bit on the national highway at the end.) so you can feel like you're bathing in the forest and feel relaxed! You can enjoy the scenery of the tea fields that stretch out as far as the eye can see. 📍Manten no Hoshi This is the main store of "Manten no Hoshi" in Tsuno-cho, overlooking the popular Shimanto River. We sell the leftovers from the attached factory as outlet sweets at a discount from the regular price. In addition, on the day of roasting at the factory, the store becomes a relaxing space filled with a fragrant aroma, so please stop by. 📍Yusan Shimanto Seiran no Sato This is a small hotel quietly located facing the upper reaches of the Shimanto River. I was impressed by the minimalist and stylish design of both the interior and exterior. It uses a lot of wood, so it blends in beautifully with the surrounding environment. I could feel the uncompromising attention to detail in the amenities and interior, and it was a very comfortable inn. There was a place where you could enjoy the Shimanto River just a short walk away, and I relaxed with my feet in the river. I could see the Shima River from the balcony of my room and the bath, which was very relaxing🖼✨️

📍Tengu Plateau, Kochi Prefecture The Shikoku Karst spreads along the ridge on the border between Ehime and Kochi prefectures. The view from the highlands at an altitude of 1,000m to 1,500m is spectacular, and Prefectural Route 383 (Shikoku Karst Park Longitudinal Line), which runs across this karst plateau, is a great driving and touring route. A vast grassland dotted with white limestone rocks unique to karst, and the ridges of mountains stretching out in the distance. Let's go on a spectacular drive to enjoy a 360-degree panorama. #0 Yen Trip January 2025

📍 Lake Hakuryu, Kochi Prefecture The mysterious blue color is a hot topic! This uncharted spot at the foot of the Shikoku Karst is not on any maps. The water is surprisingly clear, and the mysterious blue color has become a hot topic on social media. We would like to introduce the mysterious Lake Hakuryu. Lake Hakuryu is the size of two tennis courts, and is about 1-3m deep. The cobalt blue color that is transparent to the bottom of the lake is mysterious. The secret to its popularity is that you can usually see the carp swimming in the pond as if they are floating, but the day before this day there was a big storm. As a result, even places that would never be covered in water normally were covered in water. A view that you will probably never see again. This is mysterious enough in itself! #0 yen trip January 2025

"Hakuryu Lake" is located in the remote mountains of Tsuno Town in the western part of Kochi Prefecture. It is a new water scenic spot in Kochi Prefecture that has become a hot topic on social media in recent years. However, it is not a natural lake, but an artificial lake created as a hobby by the president of a local construction company. It is located on the grounds of the construction company, but is open to the public for free as they would like the public to see it. (There is no parking lot, so you will have to park on the road while being careful of your surroundings.) Although it is an artificial lake, it is a lake that is drawn from the clear water that originates from the Shimanto River, a first-class river, so it is guaranteed to be transparent. The lake is relatively small, about 30m wide and 3m deep. The white sand containing limestone is sunk to the bottom of the lake, so it has beautiful emerald green water all year round. It is said that the water is so clear that the carp swimming in the pond look as if they are flying in the air, and it is also known as the "Kochi version of Monet's Pond." What is unique is the construction company's own promenade, which was made from recycled materials such as conveyor belts. It is painted in pink and red, making it perfect for Instagram. The entrance is marked by a giant tanuki "Yosaku Tanuki" and a dragon object. Hakuryu Lake is an artificial lake, but there are legends surrounding Hakuryu in this area, and a cave next to the lake has an anecdote about a monk, so it seems to be more than just an artificial lake. It is still a hidden gem, so be sure to visit it. (However, be careful as there are no shops around.) #tripdomestictravel #KochiPrefecture #amazingview #springwater #amazingviewofwater

I'll introduce you to a day spent touring the Oku-Shimanto and Niyodogawa areas 💁♀️ Basically, we traveled by car 🚗 10:00 Library above the clouds 📚 Famous for its architecture by Kengo Kuma. The wide space was used and the sunlight that came in was very comfortable. If I lived nearby, I'd want to study here every day 11:00 Fir Tree 🌲 I've been here before and thought it was the best cheesecake I've ever had. I wanted to eat it again, but it seems to be an extremely popular shop, and if you don't line up before opening, it will sell out, so this time I had to settle for a delicious soft serve ice cream 🍦 12:00 Himezuruhira Enjoy the topography of Shikoku Karst. Just looking at the scenery of cows grazing on the vast karst topography was soothing. I bought a hot coffee at Karst Coffee and took a break ☕️ 13:30 Tengu Plateau Ideally, I would have cycled here, but it was very cold that day, so I drove by car 🚗 I walked around Tengu Plateau a little and enjoyed the terrain! 14:30 Roadside Station Fusegasaka Late lunch. I had a rare dish called taro dandan noodles 🍜 As the name suggests, the soup contains a lot of taro, and it was very delicious 16:30 Asao Submerged Bridge The sacred place of the dragon and the freckled princess. It was a little dark because the sun was setting, but I enjoyed the unique scenery here 🏞️ From here, I headed to my accommodation and enjoyed a leisurely dinner! I think this plan was an efficient way to visit the recommended spots in this area, so I hope it will be helpful to everyone ☺️

Lake Hakuryu is a hidden spot at the foot of the Shikoku Karst. Kochi Prefecture has many natural spots with beautiful water colors, and this is one of them. It is quite far from Kochi city, so it is a recommended spot for those who are going to Shikoku Karst or Yusuhara Town. The entrance is a little hard to find, but the building next to a big raccoon is the landmark. If you go down from the side, the lake will appear. There are also carp in the lake, which is also nice! There is also food, so you can enjoy feeding them. [Lake Hakuryu] 785-0505 Yoshinoko, Tsuno-cho, Takaoka-gun, Kochi Prefecture #DomesticTravelLogLine#KochiTrip #KochiTourism

Lake Hakuryu in Kochi Prefecture. The water is blue because it contains limestone, and the emerald green color is beyond imagination and captivating. As you drive in, you will see a large bronze statue of a raccoon dog, which is the entrance landmark. The water is so clear that the carp swimming in the lake appear as if they are floating in the air. You can buy food for the carp for 100 yen. The light reflected on the water and the swaying green leaves are beautiful and soothing. 📍Address: Yoshinoko, Tsuno-cho, Takaoka-gun, Kochi Prefecture 785-0505 Parking: Free #0yentravelautumn

There are many sunken bridges on the Shimanto River. Sunken bridges do not have railings. They are designed to prevent the bridge from sinking underwater in the event of a major flood, to reduce water resistance, to prevent trees and other objects from getting caught on the railings and impairing the flow of water, and to prevent further flooding of the river. We walked along the river from upstream, but there were places where you could park and places where you couldn't, and in a few places we just looked out the car window. The road also became increasingly narrow, so we had to give way to other vehicles when passing each other. I'd like to visit again and take my time! #ShimantoRiver #SunkenBridge #ShikokuTourism

At the foot of a mountain 356m above sea level⛰️, the private onsen inn closest to the source of the Shimanto River at the foot of the Shikoku Karst♨️ This time we stayed in a family room👪 A large room like a secret base with four private-style dormitory beds⛺️ A family-friendly room with a Japanese-style room with a sunken kotatsu, children's toys, baby guards, a step stool, etc. A 2-3 tatami mat playpen and pets are allowed🐕♬ The hot spring is a private bath by the hour♨️ The "Hinoki no Yu" and "Hanare no Yu" are private and reservation-only The Hinoki no Yu in particular is a healing bath surrounded by the scent of sulfur and cypress, with the gentle babbling of the river as background music♨️ There is also a healing room with a foot massage👣 Dinner is a kaiseki meal🥢 A two-tiered o-ju style meal filled with Kochi-style cuisine! BBQ plans also available [Goroku Onsen] Address: 8308 Kitagawa, Tsuno-cho, Takaoka-gun, Kochi Prefecture, 785-0502 Access Approximately 2 hours by car from Kochi Ryoma Airport 40 minutes from Susaki IC on R197 towards Yusuhara 2 minutes by car on R439 towards the target area #Travel with me #Accommodation report #Moments started #Kochi #Kochi trip #Hot spring