I want to take a moment today to introduce a part of deep Japan, and deep Shikoku. This is the prefecture of Kochi. It is a very long and wide prefecture at the southern part of Shikoku Island. There is sometimes an image that Japan is one large metropolitan blob of concrete, trains, and neon lights. But as you can see, Kochi-ken is a place of natural beauty, blue ocean coasts, and green forests. A perfect place to escape to for a Japanese nature experience: