【ディープ高知】柚子で30億円稼ぎだす馬路村の観光と高知名物を食べつくす4泊5日｜鍋焼きラーメンまゆみ、一釣など
The northeastern part of Kochi, overflowing with nature Here lies a village generating billions in sales from “yuzu” Though a tiny village of just 1,000 people, it produces goods found in supermarkets nationwide Using equipment developed by the yuzu master, they craft yuzu into various processed goods Kochi City, overflowing with delicious things The birthplace of fruit tomatoes, home to the tastiest “Tokutani Tomatoes” Sweeter than strawberries with a sugar content that surpasses them! Kochi’s ultimate gourmet: “Seared Skipjack Tuna” Wrapped in rice as Tosa-maki Other seafood besides skipjack is also cheap and delicious A popular ramen shop with old-school charm Traditional pan-fried gyoza Nabeyaki Ramen, originating in Kochi Finishing it as rice porridge is the proper way We bring Kochi’s deep spots for sightseeing and gourmet After work, driving from Kansai to Kochi Parking the car at my wife’s parents’ house and heading out for dinner Sugoroku, famous for its seafood, closes early The Yatai de Yasubei is also packed Based on experience, we chose “Jimi Sōsai Tachibana” for its promising vibe Turned out to be a huge hit – usually impossible to get in without a reservation at this renowned seafood spot They focus on Kochi ingredients and sake, proposing perfect pairings of “seafood dishes” and “Japanese sake” Popular fish dishes include seared bonito and sea bream, using fresh local catches. Honestly, Kochi corn and asparagus are also amazing. The beer seemed top-notch, so we toasted with beer. Appetizers: mustard-dressed rapeseed flowers and simmered jelly. First bonito of the season, salt-grilled belly. Essentially the fatty part of bonito. Unlike tuna, it’s surprisingly cheap (500 yen). Kure’s renowned sake “Dokure,” crafted by a brewer who made it as the sake he himself wanted to drink. Kure is a fishing port town, so it pairs exceptionally well with seafood. Crispy fried sweet sea bream (¥1,000) Corn and asparagus kakiage (¥900) Seared first bonito (¥1,600) The presentation is stylish, but the owner actually trained in Kyoto. Originally from Tosa Shimizu, he honed his skills at a Kyoto sushi restaurant before returning to Kochi to open his own shop. The Kochi way to enjoy seared bonito is with salt, wasabi, and garlic. Rainbow Tiger Sake, Aki-Tora Made with Kochi-grown sake rice, its crisp flavor pairs perfectly with Kochi cuisine. Kochi Eggplant Dengaku (600 yen) A creamy, melt-in-our-mouth eggplant dish served with miso paste. We also enjoyed some leaf wasabi and drank quite a bit, but the total for two people was under ¥10,000 – excellent value. The combination of “Kyoto’s culinary techniques” and “Kochi’s fresh seafood” resulted in high-level cuisine. Today we head to Umajimura. The navigation shows 2.5 hours, but it takes about 1.5 hours. Expressways now run east-west centered around Kochi Ryoma Airport. Turn left at Yasuda River. Head north towards Umajimura nestled in the mountains. From here, it’s roughly 30 minutes on a narrow, single-lane road. Kochi’s nature is famous for the Niyodo River west of Kochi City, but the northeast is actually beautiful too. Aki, where “Jiro’s House” is located, which I visited before, is also lovely. The water is so pure that many sake breweries are located here. Arrival at Umajimura Though small with a population of just 1,000, it’s a wealthy village with annual sales exceeding 3 billion yen thanks to its yuzu production (800 tons per year). Surrounded by the rich nature of the Shikoku Mountains, it boasts an exceptionally high forest coverage rate of about 96% and is home to the clear-flowing Yasuda River. Originally lacking any famous local products, the village began planting yuzu in 1963 after hearing that city dwellers liked the fruit. From there, they started producing yuzu-based processed goods like the yuzu juice “Gokkun Umajimura” and “Yuzu no Mura Ponzu Shoyu” (Ponzu Soy Sauce). Sales grew rapidly, reaching 1 billion yen in 1993 and 3 billion yen in 2005. Today, it bustles with activity: a state-of-the-art yuzu factory and research institute built with yuzu money are open for tours, and shops selling village-exclusive yuzu products line the streets. First, tour the yuzu factory This factory produces 6-7 million bottles of Gokkun Umajimura yuzu juice annually, with total construction costs reaching approximately 2.5 billion yen. Visitors can observe yuzu product manufacturing processes, shipping areas, and new product R&D labs through glass-walled walkways, while also learning about the history and products. Ticket reception appears to be on the second floor. Going upstairs, great lobby and office appeared Famous persons came here After checking in, visitors can sample yuzu juice—drink as much as we like. It’s a delicious, cold juice with a distinct yuzu aroma. Made solely from yuzu and honey, it’s sold under the brand name “Yuzu.” Available at the shop, this 6x concentrated juice is also tasty mixed with soda or alcohol. In a corner of the lobby, presses for manufacturing yuzu processed goods were lined up. These are machines for squeezing yuzu and extracting juice. Yuzu are fed through the inlet, and the mechanism gradually squeezes the juice by narrowing the gap between the rollers. For hygiene reasons, the belt section likely uses PTFE. It seems the Yuzu Demon developed these presses. Even the prototype was ten times more efficient than manual presses, according to records. This happened in 1972. We tour the production line and shipping area at Gokkun Umajimura. We can feel their desire to deliver yuzu and bring young people back to the village. During harvest season, up to 800 tons of yuzu are brought to the collection center. The gathered yuzu are squeezed and processed into finished goods in a large factory. Just for the single product “Gokkun Umajimura” it’s a large-scale production line. The finished products are shipped nationwide from this distribution center. Incidentally, there are over 50 different products, some sold nationwide and others available only here. These products are developed in the factory’s attached research lab. The seriousness of their commitment is evident from the introduction of expensive equipment like liquid chromatographs and the posters displaying academic conference presentations. Leaving the factory, we head to buy yuzu products. They seem to be sold at the direct sales shop for agricultural and forestry products. We can purchase not only the nationwide products displayed at the factory but also limited-edition items available only here. For ponzu soy sauce alone, there are six varieties: rich in yuzu, rich in dashi, reduced-salt type, and more. “Nogaei” is a Kochi dialect term meaning “easy to use.” In other words, this ponzu is a versatile type that works with anything. This one uses twice the amount of yuzu compared to the standard type. It’s a ponzu where the yuzu flavor really stands out. Preservatives and colorants are generally not used. A ponzu made with 14 ingredients, meticulously crafted without additives. It uses natural ingredients, so simple it could have been made even in the Edo period. Gift sets are also available. Beyond ponzu, they offer yuzu chuhai, yuzu liqueur, and more. They even have shampoo infused with yuzu oil. Our top recommendation: Yunosu (Yuzu Vinegar) While vinegars made from yuzu often include other citrus or dashi, the yuzu vinegar sold in Kochi Prefecture is, to my knowledge, 100% pure yuzu juice. I bought a large quantity of yuzu pepper and miso from Umajimura. I discovered a bakery next to the direct sales shop. Run by a couple, they bake bread daily from 9 to 10 AM. The antique-style shop is filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread and hand-drip coffee. I heard Umajimura has hot springs, so I’m walking there. The red structure visible in the distance is a water-powered cable car (incline). Adults can ride for 400 yen. Hearing there was a hot spring near the incline, we switched to driving (it was far). Along the way, we discovered a forest railway. Apparently, they’ve miniaturized a steam locomotive once used for transporting lumber and now carry tourists. Adults can ride for 600 yen. Arrived at Umajimura’s hot spring. It’s a day-use hot spring located at the Umaji Community Center, an accommodation facility. The 15-room lodging facility includes a large bathhouse, pool, and shop. Reservations become extremely difficult during the annual “Yuzu Festival” held in November. There’s also a restaurant. They have a wide variety of yuzu-based dishes I wanted to try, but unfortunately, lunch service had already ended. Found a spot where we can descend to the riverbed. This village had an amazing contrast between the cutting-edge factory we saw earlier and the peaceful scenery. I think I’ll come stay overnight during the harvest festival. As mentioned earlier, Yasuda Town has pristine water, making it ideal for sake brewing. Along the way, I passed the brewery for “Minami,” a famous sake from Kochi. It’s delicious, so try it if we see it. The large beach directly ahead is Tounohama Beach. Here, we’ll find the Tounohama Rest Area, popular on social media. The building, inspired by Montefrio, Spain—often called Spain’s most beautiful town —is said to be quite photogenic. In 2018, Yasuda Town formed a sister city agreement with Montefrio, Spain. The reason for the sister city agreement is that both share “beautiful landscapes where human activity and nature harmonize.” Though small towns, Yasuda focuses on revitalizing its region through yuzu citrus farming, while Montefrio does the same with olives. This Tounohama Rest Area was built at the end of 2022 to commemorate the sister city agreement. Originally developed through forestry, Yasuda Town features tunnels used by its former forest railway, now popular as photogenic tourist spots. I always think how vast Kochi’s beaches are. Returning to Kochi City, I eat delicious seared bonito. I get off at Harimaya Bridge Station and head to Kyomachi Shopping Street. This is Harimaya Bridge, one of Japan’s Three Big Disappointments. I eat at YanaKen, a Tosa regional cuisine restaurant. They offer dishes utilizing ingredients from Kochi’s sea, mountains, and countryside, featuring seasonal produce. While their seared bonito is a given, locals recognize it as a spot famous for delicious fried chicken. The owner grew up as the son of a fisherman in Usa, Kochi’s fishing town, and has a keen eye for selecting fish. It’s a trustworthy establishment that manages fresh fish delivered directly from Usasazaki using deep-sea water tanks. The owner once won the Spring High School Baseball Tournament and is known among celebrities through connections made afterward. Locals tell stories, like him riding in a limousine with pitcher Hideo Nomo overseas. First, a toast. The appetizer of clams dressed with liver paste builds anticipation. The seared bonito (3,960 yen) boasts exceptional freshness. Thick slices of beautifully colored seared fish are topped with garlic, wasabi, and onion. Fresh yet with a distinct straw aroma—delicious! The Tosa roll (¥2,000) and mackerel sushi roll (¥1,300) have arrived. The Tosa roll is seared bonito wrapped in rice. First, the mackerel sushi roll. The fatty mackerel and the perfect balance of vinegar are exquisite. The Tosa roll also wraps in garlic, green onion, and shiso. Popular Karaage (800 yen) The batter is thin and crispy, delicious. Usa Fish Paste Tempura (500 yen) A masterpiece where the aroma of fish gently wafts. Shimanto Aonori Tempura (600 yen) The deliciousness depends on how thinly the batter is fried. Kochi’s famous sake “Keigetsu” (1,200 yen) Developed using yeast (CEL24) from the Kochi Prefectural Industrial Technology Center, it possesses a unique fruitiness. I felt like having dessert after the meal. Passage 1141 operates as a sweets & pizza bar inspired by Spanish bars. The Basque-style cheesecake is popular for sweets, and the Margherita pizza for pizza. It has an atmosphere welcoming to solo diners, but being a popular spot, it gets crowded even at night. It recreates the cheesecake from La Viña in San Sebastián, Spain. We can eat it in the shop or take it away. It’s nicely browned. The center was meltingly soft and exquisite. A German pilsner beer called Radeberger. It’s refreshing, so it’s just right for a final drink. I’m going to Matsuchan, which moved to a shop after the food stalls were removed. Kochi 55th Street is lined with famous restaurants such as Maruhai. Jun-chan, which was also a famous food stall, has become a restaurant. The place with a crowd is Macchan. It used to operate on a food stall street called Green Road, but withdrew in March 2024. It resumed operations as a restaurant in May of the same year. While waiting in line, I’ll introduce an izakaya recommended by my wife’s mother, who lives in Kochi. It’s called Tsuki no Nedoko, located next to Macchan. The menu mainly features ethnic cuisine, but dishes using local ingredients, such as the “Shimanto Bisen Pork Shoulder Loin Salt and Pepper Steak with Balsamic Sauce” and “Shimanto Pork Spare Ribs Stew,” are popular. It offers good value for money, with courses including all-we-can-drink for less than 4,000 yen. Looking at the waiting board, it seems we’ll be called soon. Macchan is famous for its gyoza, but actually, the soy sauce ramen is also delicious. It’s a light chicken bone broth base, yet rich and flavorful—just as delicious as in their street stall days. Their fried-grilled gyoza is uniquely Kochi-style: crispy outside, meltingly tender inside. Fried in lard, it delivers a satisfyingly bold flavor. Before moving, I frequented Bar Buffone. They serve what’s hailed as Japan’s best pesto. It’s still before 10 PM, so the Tosa Electric Railway is running. Good night. Today is Sunday Market day. Lunch at Enya, known for its delicious food, and dinner at Ichitsuri for the best seafood value. Kochi’s Sunday Market is a traditional market dating back to 1690. The very center of Kochi City becomes a pedestrian paradise, lined with Kochi’s delicious foods and fresh produce. Kochi’s famous “Imo-ten” (sweet potato fritters). Made with domestic Kintoki sweet potatoes, fried in a secret batter recipe passed down for over 50 years. Crispy outside, fluffy and sweet inside, these sweet potato fritters are popular with tourists too. I feel like customer traffic has really picked up over the last decade or so. The sweet and salty sweet potato chips are also delicious. Personally, I like Imoya Kinjiro’s best. Kochi has many famous long-lasting specialties like root vegetables and fruits, making them easy for tourists to buy. For May fruits, Konatsu (a type of mandarin orange) is in season. Don’t miss the fruit tomatoes originating in Kochi. They have high sugar content and are sweeter than strawberries. Tomatoes grown in the Tokutani area, with its seawater-infused soil, are especially superb. Growing in harsh conditions concentrates their sweetness and umami. While known nationwide among connoisseurs, they’re expensive outside the prefecture. We can buy them cheaply at the Sunday Market, making them great for home use or gifts. Dried sardine products are also famous. Sardine fry are caught everywhere, so they’re delicious and cheap. At the Akaoka Town Dorome Festival held in late April, we can enjoy plenty of sardine fry and sake. They had yuzu vinegar (Yunosu). If unopened, it keeps its flavor for six months to a year, making it convenient as a souvenir. I stopped by Kochi Station, where a Yosakoi event was happening. The main festival is in August, but many groups start practicing around May. The team dancing now is called Takion. Near Kochi Station is the nabe-yaki ramen shop “Chiaki”. I’ve eaten here several times, and it’s delicious. I’m heading to Tosa-Yamada for personal business. A popular cafe opened in March 2024, serving healthy, additive-free, organic lunches. They have a daily lunch special, and the quality of the food is high. The interior has a calm atmosphere with stained glass and antique furniture. Today is May 4th, so the daily special main is salad chicken. They use organic vegetables. The sugar on the table is made from sugarcane grown in Okinawa and Kagoshima. The daily lunch special (¥1,650) arrived. The salad chicken comes with plenty of vegetables and looks very healthy. It includes wild mountain vegetables, white sesame dressing, onion rings, and other healthy options. They mentioned using absolutely no additives during cooking, and it’s exceptionally delicious. Dessert is a sweet potato crumble cake. It uses domestically produced rice flour and some domestic wheat. The gentle sweetness of the sweet potato permeates throughout. After finishing personal errands, it’s dinner in Kochi City. Ichitsuri is an izakaya that ranked #1 in Kochi Broadcasting’s “Professionals’ Choice: Best Fish Restaurants” program. The owner, an avid angler, moved from Osaka to Kochi and opened this shop in 2008. He sometimes serves sashimi made from fish he caught himself. Reservations are essential as it’s popular with both tourists and locals. They specialize in Tosa cuisine, with popular dishes including Tosa-maki rolls, Shimanto-style dishes, and fried conger eel. The signature dish is the sashimi platter. One serving includes 5-6 varieties × 2 large pieces each, making it quite substantial. Pairing it with the shochu “Mukkuri” (made with 85% chestnuts) is recommended. Thickly cut sashimi arrives. This is one serving (¥2,000). It’s so incredibly fresh and delicious it makes us laugh. Shutou (¥500) and engawa with wasabi (¥500) The yuzu aroma adds a refreshing taste. It really gets the drinks flowing. The crunchy texture of the engawa combined with wasabi is delicious. Stir-fried itadori (Japanese knotweed) This is actually a famous Kagawa specialty. Smashed-style fried eggplant Topped with a generous amount of seasonings, it has a refreshing taste. Deep-fried grouper Fried crispy with the scales standing up. Mountain vegetable tempura The quality of the fresh fish and the carefully crafted individual dishes was high. The generous portions made it feel reasonably priced (around ¥5,000 per person). Hirome Market was bustling as usual. Today, we ate Nabeyaki Ramen in Susaki and had coffee at Roadside Station “Nakatoshi”. The eastern side of Kochi’s expressway is toll-free, but the western side has many toll sections. This is the Niyodo River separating Tosa City and Kochi City. We exited the highway at Susaki. This is “Mayumi’s Shop,” which pursues the flavor of the original Nabeyaki Ramen from “Taniguchi Shokudo.” The soup is delicious, made with a sauce aged overnight, Shimanto chicken bones, and plenty of onions. Since its founding in 1989, it’s been run by proprietress Mayumi Okumoto, who will turn 75 in 2025. It’s a popular spot, so queues form. We signed the waiting board and waited. The shop is bustling inside. The walls are decorated with historical newspaper articles and photos of celebrities with the owner. Incidentally, the phrase “Tassui ga wa, ikan” often seen in Kochi izakayas means “Low alchol content sake is no good” in drinking contexts. While there are six regular nabe-yaki ramen options, limited-time menus also exist. We ordered the limited-time nabe-yaki ramen featuring Kochi’s brand chicken, “Tosa Jiro”. Lifting the earthen pot reveals piping hot nabe-yaki ramen. The wonderful aroma of chicken and soy sauce fills the air. The toppings are chicken, fish cake, green onions, and a raw egg. The thin, straight noodles are boiled quickly, giving them a firm bite. The exquisite soup is rich with the sweetness of onions and the deep umami of chicken. Partway through, break the egg and mix it into the noodles. For the finale, order rice to make zosui (rice porridge). If we leave some soup, the kitchen will make zosui for us. It’s hot, so let it cool before eating or we’ll burn our throat. The rice porridge is so delicious, we absolutely must order it. It seems we can also order it online. The roadside station “Nakatosha” opened in 2017, embracing the concept of a fishing town. It features various shops: a direct sales market for local produce, fresh fish, and souvenirs; a store where we can buy fish and seafood from the tanks; and a shop serving sweets made with Kochi strawberries. My goal this time was to eat sweets made with Kochi strawberries. I headed to a cafe called Kazekobo. They work closely with local strawberry farmers and offer sweets generously featuring “fully ripened fresh strawberries” from December to around June. I ordered strawberry soft serve, cake, and coffee. The ripe strawberry cake was sweet and delicious. The soft serve had a rich flavor using strawberry sauce and purée. By the way, another shop offers bonito soft serve (I’ve tried it). Direct Sales Shop “Marché Nakatosa” This shop stocks local products from Nakatosa Town. The unfamiliar shellfish in the tank on the right is the Hiougi clam. In Kochi, it’s commonly eaten as Nagataro clam. Ice-packed mahi-mahi (looked like a mummy) Salt made by Ogawa Salt Works in Nakatosa: using seawater as raw material, it’s made solely by solar evaporation over two months without heating They use this salt as the base for their original product, Fisherman’s Town Salt Heading towards the building above It’s a lodging called Kuroshio Honjin. Its feature is that all rooms face the Pacific Ocean (sea side), offering ocean views from every room The view from here is stunning; I’ve come back many times to see it. Kuroshio Honjin fully reopened after renovation in April 2023. Its signature feature is the open-air bath filled with seawater pumped from the Pacific Ocean and heated. Combined with the panoramic view of Nakatosa, day-trip bathing is popular (¥700/adult). Back to Kochi City for dinner. They opened a branch on Tosa Kaido in Kochi Prefecture in 2020. I hear it’s very popular with locals because the portions are generous. They also have unique menu items using Kochi’s local fish. The prices are quite affordable too. The portions are definitely larger than our average conveyor belt sushi place. Tentenmaru’s specialty: “Dashimaki Tamago” (Dashi-flavored rolled omelet). It’s not a Kochi specialty, but it looked delicious, so I ordered it. It’s packed with dashi broth and has an irresistibly soft, wobbly texture. According to a 2014 survey by the Ministry of the Environment’s Statistics Bureau, Kochi has the fewest sushi restaurants per capita among all prefectures. While there are high-end, delicious sushi spots, affordable options seem scarce. If we crave sushi in Kochi, this place is definitely a viable choice. I’ve returned to Kochi many times over the years, and it never fails to be enjoyable. Rich natural scenery, delicious food, and occasionally surprising, quirky local specialties. Come experience Kochi, a place that retains a nostalgic Showa-era charm and offers true relaxation. “Come on!”
人工1,000人と小規模ながら柚子を800t/年生産することで村として30億円を稼ぎ出す馬路村。ごっくん馬路村やポン酢しょうゆなど実は全国的に有名な商品を出している。柚子マネーで作られた最先端の柚子工場や研究所が見学可能。
高知市内へ戻れば、柳憲や一釣、滋味総菜たちばななど、海鮮だけでなく美味い逸品の高知料理を食べられる。
須崎へ足を伸ばせば高知発祥の鍋焼きラーメンまゆみなどB級グルメの楽しめる。
観光もグルメも楽しめる高知旅
以下は動画内使用の音楽
◆Music: SaMZIng – Daydream
◆MOMIZizm MUSiC（もみじば）｜フリーBGM
◆音楽：BGMer http://bgmer.net
タイムスタンプ
00:00 【導入】全体概要
00:46 滋味創菜たちばな
02:48 馬路村へ移動
03:39 馬路村
10:38 唐浜
12:08 柳憲
14:37 1141PASSAGE
15:36 松ちゃん
17:08 日曜市
19:22 縁家
20:52 一釣
22:25 鍋焼きラーメンまゆみ
24:46 道の駅なかとさ
26:55 天天丸
27:47 エンドロール