East Kochi · KamiNo.909★★★Open in map →

Ryugado Cave

natureThe classic — done right

A limestone cave in the hills east of Kochi where Yayoi-period people left a jar behind, and the drip-water has since fused it into the rock. The show route is a one-way climb, damp and narrow in places.

FromKochi Station
~1 hrJR then local bus, a few a day
Get off atTosayamada Station (JR Dosan Line)
From there
Ryugado Cave

Directions ↗

Where it is

18 more notes in Kochi · open the map →

What to look for — in walking order

The cave entrancea small shrine and an old signboard under the rock overhang at the top of the stairway
Sekkaden, the Stone Flower Palacethe first large chamber on the route, its walls sheeted in flowstone
Amakudari-ishione of the named formations on the climb, a tall mass of pale flowstone
Uramino-takia stalactite fall named for the fact that you see it from behind
The Sacred Pota Yayoi jar near the end of the route, held inside the flowstone that grew over it

How to actually get there

Kochi Station → Tosayamada Station (JR Dosan Line, running east).
Tosayamada Station → Ryugado (Tosaden Kotsu bus or taxi, about 20 min). Only a few buses run each day, so check the return before you set out.
Buy a ticket at the foot of the entrance stairway and follow the one-way show route up through the chambers.
Come out on the upper slope, walk back down, and finish at the free museum by the entrance.

JR Dosan Line, then the bus from Tosayamada: Kochi Station to Tosayamada Station on the JR Dosan Line, running east out of the city. From Tosayamada the cave is about 20 minutes further by Tosaden Kotsu bus or by taxi. The bus makes only a few round trips a day, so build the outing around its timetable rather than around the cave's opening hours.
Back down to Tosayamada: The return bus leaves from the same stop below the entrance, and the last departure is early by city standards. Note it before you buy your ticket for the cave. If you do miss it, taxis wait near the site and the ride back to the station is short.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Ryugado runs about 4 kilometres into the limestone of Kami, in the hills east of Kochi city. Roughly 1 kilometre of that is fitted out as a show cave, and the route is one-way: in at the lower entrance, up through the chambers, out higher on the slope. The passage narrows and lowers in places, the floor stays wet, and you climb steps and ladders rather than ramps. A museum at the foot of the entrance stairway holds the finds from the cave, and booked adventure routes with helmets and headlamps branch off the main course.

How to enjoy it

Wear shoes you can climb wet stone in and travel light, because the route is steps and ladders and the ceiling drops to a squeeze in a couple of places. The museum at the foot of the entrance stairway is free and holds the finds from the chambers, so keep time for it after you come out. If you want the adventure route, with helmet and headlamp, book before you travel rather than on the day.

Background & history

The limestone here began forming some 175 million years ago, long before anyone walked into it. In the Yayoi period people lived in the upper chambers, and a pot left standing on the floor was gradually sheathed in flowstone; it is still there, known as the Sacred Pot. Digging in those chambers turned up pottery and stone tools alongside it. The cave carries a double designation from the state, as a natural monument and as a historic site, and few places hold both at once.

Before you go

Cash: The show course is ticketed at the foot of the entrance stairway, and the museum beside it is free. The adventure and water routes cost extra and need a reservation. Carry cash for the bus and the site.
Good to know: The passage is wet year-round, with steps, ladders and low sections; it is not step-free and not suitable for anyone who cannot climb. Closing is earlier in the winter months, so check before you travel out.
Another way: By car the cave sits up a valley road with parking below the entrance, which makes it an easy detour on a drive between Kochi and the eastern coast. A taxi from Tosayamada Station covers the last stretch in about the same 20 minutes if the bus times do not work.
After you get off: Tosayamada is as far as the train goes; the cave is another 20 minutes on by bus or taxi. At the terminus the ticket hall, the museum and the shops sit together at the foot of the entrance stairway, a minute or two up from where the bus stops.