Ryūga-dō

Shikoku


This popular cave has some interesting stalactites and stalagmites, and traces of prehistoric habitation. The route gets quite steep in places. Visitors on a standard ticket will see about 1km of the 4km cave. Advance reservations and an additional ¥1000 are required for the bōken kōsu (adventure course; 冒険コース), where you get to don a helmet and overalls and follow a guide for a 90-minute exploration of the inner reaches of the cave. The adventure course is limited to Japanese-speakers.

There are five buses a day to Ryūga-dō from Tosa-Yamada Station (¥440, 20 minutes). Tosa-Yamada Station is 30 minutes from Kōchi by local train (¥360), or 10 minutes by tokkyū (limited-express train; ¥1210).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Shikoku attractions

1. Godaisan

10.25 MILES

Several kilometres east of the town centre is the mountain of Godaisan, where you can enjoy excellent views of the city from a lookout point (展望台). Near…

3. Temple 31: Chikurin-ji

10.37 MILES

At Godaisan in the east of the city, you'll find Chikurin-ji, Temple 31 of the 88. The extensive grounds feature a five-storey pagoda and thousands of…

4. Harimaya-bashi

11.99 MILES

This tiny reconstructed bridge from the Edo period is renowned throughout Japan thanks to a romantic song in which it features. For older Japanese people,…

5. Katsura-hama

12.12 MILES

Katsura-hama is a popular beach 12km south of central Kōchi at the point where Kōchi's harbour empties out into the bay. Strong currents prohibit swimming…

6. Sunday Market

12.3 MILES

Our favourite street market in Shikoku is 300 years old and takes place every Sunday along 1.3km of Ōte-suji, the main road leading to the castle. Around…

7. Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum

12.38 MILES

At Katsura-hama, this museum tells the story of hometown hero Sakamoto Ryōma. Born in Kōchi in 1835, Ryōma brought about the alliance between the Satsuma …

8. Kōchi Castle Museum of History

12.48 MILES

This new museum (opened in 2017), celebrating the history of Kōchi castle, is an architectural achievement in its own right. Entry is free to the museum…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "japan/shikoku/kochi-ken/attractions/ryuga-do/a/poi-sig/1237010/356810",
      "destination": "Shikoku",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Japan",
      "region": "Shikoku",
      "position": "superzone"
    }