Checked out of the hotel and got the local train to Awa Iekeda where we changed for another local train down to Kochi.

This was really spectacular as the line followed the river down through the mountains. One minute we were over the river on a bridge and the next running next to the main road but all the time shuttling along several hundreds of feet above huge rocks and crystal clear water. Eventually the line came down to the valley where the land is so flat that much of it has been flooded for rice growing.
Kochi is a small town which is very relaxed and it has a tiny tramline network with some quaint 1950s style trams. Many palm trees on the main roads too. After checking at the tourist information office we got a taxi to the Hotel New Hankyu and checked in for 2 nights. Walked through the gardens to look at the castle which was very pretty and had the ground floor directly open to the gardens. A quick look round the shopping centre and a cup of coffee and a cake in the Daimaru department store and then back to the hotel to get a meal and watch the Japan vs. Bahrain match on TV.