Kochi: Visitors Flock to Limestone Cave to Cool Off from Intense Summer Heat, Explore Underground Depths

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:09 JST, September 6, 2025

KAMI, Kochi — Tourists are flocking to Ryugado Cave in Kami, Kochi Prefecture, for a cool respite amid the intense heat of summer.

Ryugado is one of Japan’s three major limestone caves, along with Akiyoshido in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Ryusendo in Iwate Prefecture.

Ryugado is 4 kilometers long, with about 1 kilometer of the tourist route accessible without a reservation. Underground water flows through the cave forming waterfalls, and stalactites hang from the roof of the cave like icicles. The temperature remains around 16 C-18 C throughout the year.

Visitors enjoy photographing the illuminated stalactites.

“It’s been really hot lately, but the cave felt like I was in a refrigerator,” said a 9-year-old girl who visited with her family from Yokohama.

Kami has attracted many visitors this year, as it is the birthplace of mangaka Takashi Yanase, who inspired a current NHK TV drama.