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TATSUKUSHI AND SUKUMO |
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Heading north for 24km around the coast from Ashizuri Misaki brings
you to the small town of TATSUKUSHI , which gets its name (meaning "dragon's
skewers") from the remarkable rock pillars that protrude, like dinosaur
bones, from the sea. The various formations have been given names like "dragon's
skeleton" and "big bamboo tree" to jolly things up, but there's really
no need: the honeycombed rocks, split by swirling indentations where the
sea water has sluiced in, are fascinating enough in their own right.
The Minokoshi coastline around Tatsukushi was designated a national
underwater park in 1970 and is the first of its kind in Japan. It's
possible to take glass-bottomed boats (¥850) from the jetty near the bus
station to view the coral reefs and then explore the weird rock
formation along the coast, created over tens of thousand of years. Don't
expect much from the reefs - they're hardly up to tropical standards,
but the oddly shaped cliffs on what is dubbed the "hidden coast" make it
worth the trip.
Tatsukushi is one hour's bus ride from Tosa Shimizu. You can leave your
bags at the bus station (¥100) while exploring the area. Next to the bus
station in the Chinese-style red and green building, is the Coral Museum
(daily 8am-5.30pm; ¥500), which has a large collection of sango , the
pink coral found in the area. Mini-dioramas show how the coral used to
be raised to the surface and there are some showpiece models made from
the stuff, including a detailed castle and a life-size tiger. The café
next to the shop on the ground floor is also about the best bet for
something to eat . Five minutes' walk around the coast, past a sandy
beach and an unremarkable aquarium, is the Ashizuri Sea-Floor Museum
(April-Aug 8am-5.30pm; Jan-March & Sept-Dec 9am-4.30pm; ¥800). You walk
out to the red, white and blue cross-shaped pod, stranded in the ocean,
along a gantry from the rocks and then descend a spiral staircase to the
sea bed to watch the fish swirling around the observation room's
windows. Emperor Hirohito, a keen marine biologist, visited here many
times, but unless you're mad on fish you could give it a miss.
Buses continue up the coast for 50km to SUKUMO (¥1430), a small and
quiet fishing port where it is possible to take a trip out to the nearby
islands, Okino-shima and Uguru-shima . On these islands you can camp,
follow hiking trails, fish and go scuba-diving. Ferries also make a
three-hour crossing from Sukumo to Saeki in Kyushu. If you want to
bypass the cape, the Tosa Kuroshio train line links Sukumo with Kubokawa
on the JR line and there are also through-trains from Kochi.
A very pleasant place to stay , although it is far from convenient to
reach by public transport, is the Sukumo Youth Hostel (tel 0880/64-0233,
fax 64-0162; under ¥3000). Run by an enthusiastic young couple, the
hostel is 9km out of town, next to a river where fireflies appear in
June, and has an irori - a central charcoal fire. There is a school bus
which runs from Sukumo to Matsudagawa, a fifteen-minute walk from the
hostel. If you miss this, you can call the wardens, who speak a little
English and may be able to pick you up.
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