Kōchi, Kōchi

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**Kōchi City**
**高知市**
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Shikoku
Prefecture	Kōchi Prefecture
Physical characteristics
Area	264.23 km²
Population (as of 2003)
Total	335,341
Density	1269.13/km²
Symbols
Kōchi City City Hall
Official website: Kōchi City

Obiyamachi in downtown Kochi

Kōchi (高知市, Kōchi-shi^?) is the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan.

Kochi is the main city of the prefecture with most of the population. As of the January 1, 2005 expansion but with 2003 population estimates, the city had an estimated population of 335,341 and a density of 1,269 persons per km². The total area is 264.23 km².

The city was incorporated on April 1, 1889, although a castle town had existed around the seat of the lords of Tosa Province since 1603. The castle, Kōchi-jō (高知城), still exists, and is one of the main tourist attractions. Other places of interest are the Anpanman Museum, the Obiyamachi (帯屋町) shopping arcade, Sunday Market Street, and Harimaya-bashi (はりまや橋), a bridge that served as a meeting spot for a Buddhist priest and his lover in a famous Japanese song. There are many other places to visit in Kochi, especially Katsurahama and its aquarium, a coastline and beach, The Ryugado, an ancient cave hike that is 1.9 KM long in total, Gomen, Nankoku-shi, and many other interactive places to visit, scenic viewpoints, and many places to shop in Downtown Kochi, especially in Obiyamachi, as mentioned above.

Kochi's most famous festival is the Yosakoi (よさこい　come to the night) which is held in August. Teams of dancers dance to a traditional and modern songs at various places in Kochi City. The total number of dancers is in the thousands.

Downtown Kochi, Japan

1 Expansions
2 Sister cities
3 Famous residents
4 External links

[edit] Expansions

On January 1, 2005 the villages of Kagami and Tosayama, both from Tosa District, merged into the city. Also, the Sakuragaoka District merged into the city, a rather large community including a golf course, north of Downtown and in the mountains.