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Exterior of the Kōchi Prefectural Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum, photographed in 2024; does not represent current exhibitions

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Kōchi Prefectural Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum

高知県立坂本龍馬記念館 · Urado Shiroyama, Kōchi, Kōchi

Photo: Araiyasushige · CC0 1.0

Near Katsurahama, enter a memorial museum and understand Sakamoto Ryōma and the Bakumatsu era through documents and exhibitions.

Know before you go

  • Do not merge the Katsurahama statue, the memorial museum and the Urado Castle ruins into a single sight
  • do not claim that all exhibits are on display year-round
  • do not take photos in no-photography areas or touch documents.

This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.

Culture

Culture & customs

Background

The Kōchi Prefectural Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum stands at Urado Shiroyama in Kōchi City, near Katsurahama. It is a museum that collects, researches and displays historical materials on Sakamoto Ryōma and the Bakumatsu period, and is not the same as Katsurahama beach or the Sakamoto Ryōma statue. According to the museum, it opened in 1991 and reopened in 2018 after a New Building was completed and the Main Building renovated. The New Building focuses on documents and permanent and special exhibitions, and also introduces Nakahama Manjirō; the Main Building contains video and hands-on content. The functions of the different buildings should be understood separately, and Ryōma's life should not be summed up by his dramatized image alone. The museum site is in the area of the Urado Castle ruins, a different historical layer from the Bakumatsu era in which Ryōma lived; the artifacts, replicas and videos mentioned in the exhibitions should be identified from their specific labels. You can plan the museum and Katsurahama in the same area, but reading historical materials in the museum calls for a different pace from a seaside walk.

Local customs

  • The museum collects and displays documents
  • photography, video, food and drink and touching exhibits follow the current rules of each exhibition area. Special exhibitions may change, so no artifact can be promised as on permanent display. Stay quiet while reading labels, queuing and listening to talks, and do not take over a display case for long photo sessions.

Religion & beliefs

  • This is a museum about a historical figure, not a place of worship
  • the nearby memorial statue and the Urado Castle ruins are not religious facilities of the museum either.

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Rules that apply here

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

No photography and no eating or drinking in the permanent gallery of the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum

Do

  • Put away your camera, food and drinks before entering the permanent gallery
  • For the special exhibition gallery and the children's gallery, check the notices of the day to see whether photography is allowed
  • If you need to eat or drink, go to the areas designated by the museum, such as the outdoor colonnade

Don’t

  • Do not take photos or videos in the permanent gallery
  • Do not eat or drink in the permanent gallery, and do not have meals in other areas of the museum either
  • Do not extend the permanent gallery's photo ban into a photo ban across the entire park

The museum's 2026 visitor guide explicitly prohibits photography, eating and drinking in the permanent gallery and asks visitors to check the restrictions for other galleries separately; follow the museum's instructions on site.

Not yet verifiedSource: Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum: FY2026 visitor guide, page 6

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Japan: At fireworks festivals, don't tape off spots in advance, and never fly drones

Do

  • Spread your sheet where there is actual space when you arrive, leaving room for neighbours
  • Follow police and staff directions and move with the crowd
  • Bring plenty of water and cooling gear to prevent heatstroke
  • Riverbanks have lots of insects, so bring repellent
  • Festivals usually go ahead in light rain, so bring a raincoat
  • Take your rubbish home

Don’t

  • Don't mark spots in advance with tape or spray paint on roads or in parks
  • Don't fly drones
  • Don't use selfie sticks in crowds; the Sumida River festival bans them
  • Don't stop in the middle of the path to watch and block the flow

Spots marked in advance are cleared by the organisers, and flying drones is prohibited by law. City-centre festivals run one-way crowd flows, and going against the flow or stopping can cause dangerous crushes.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Excite News: Sumida River Fireworks, access and viewing guide

Essential restrictionsHot springsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Mixed, open-air and private baths: read the signs, don't stare, never take photos

Do

  • Check the signs before entering; mixed baths are clearly marked, and joining is entirely your choice
  • Most mixed baths are nude only, with no swimwear; some allow or lend special bathing wraps or towels, so follow the bath's rules
  • If you prefer not to bathe mixed, use the separate men's and women's baths or a private bath
  • Outdoor baths are slippery and the temperature changes sharply; hold the handrails when moving
  • Use a private bath only within your booked slot and leave on time
  • Tohoku and other regions still have many therapeutic hot springs with mixed bathing; for long therapeutic stays, follow the ryokan's and your doctor's advice

Don’t

  • Don't stare at other bathers, strike up conversations, or linger to watch
  • Don't take photos or videos in the bath area
  • Don't overstay a private bath; the next group is waiting

Mixed bathing works only because bathers keep their eyes to themselves; staring or taking photos will get you asked to leave, and filming others in a bath may break local law.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Wikipedia (Japanese): Konyoku

Essential restrictionsPhotos & dronesCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Stay off private land, and ask before photographing children or people

Do

  • Ask parents' permission before photographing their children
  • Ask geiko, maiko, and other working people before photographing them
  • Check for 撮影禁止 (no photography) signs, and ask staff if there are none
  • Photograph trains and stations themselves without disrupting operations

Don’t

  • Do not enter private homes or land for a shot
  • Do not photograph the inside of homes
  • Do not aim your camera at individual passengers on trains or buses
  • Do not step into rice paddies, flower beds, or along railway tracks for photos
  • Do not use selfie sticks or tripods in crowds or dangerous spots
  • Do not chase or stop geiko or maiko

Trespassing on private land is illegal and can get you told to leave or to delete your photos. Shooting in no-photo areas will be stopped, and photographing children is seen as an invasion of privacy.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Aichi Now: Sightseeing Manners

Essential restrictionsHot springsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Bathe nude in the onsen and keep your towel out of the water

Do

  • Bathe fully nude, without swimwear or underwear
  • Rest your small towel on your head or the edge of the bath
  • Tie up long hair so it stays out of the water
  • Enter the bath slowly and keep quiet
  • Leave your phone in the locker
  • Keep your first soak short, and dry off before returning to the changing room

Don’t

  • Do not dip your towel into the bath
  • Do not swim, dive, or talk loudly in the bath
  • Do not take photos anywhere in the bathing area
  • Do not wrap your yukata right side over left; that is how the deceased are dressed

Most of these are written bathhouse rules. Breaking them gets you a reminder from staff, and in serious cases you may be asked to leave. Soaking too long can also make you dizzy.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Authentic Local Japan: Onsen Etiquette

Don’t DON'T

  • Do not merge the Katsurahama statue, the memorial museum and the Urado Castle ruins into a single sight
  • do not claim that all exhibits are on display year-round
  • do not take photos in no-photography areas or touch documents.

Locals appreciate DO

  • Start with the documentary exhibits in the New Building, then add the videos and interactive displays in the Main Building
  • distinguish carefully between originals, replicas and later narratives, and afterwards go to Katsurahama to understand how the museum site relates to the coast.

Plan your visit

Practical info

Travel tips

  • The museum's address is 830 Urado Shiroyama, Kōchi City. According to the museum's FAQ, you can take a bus from Kōchi Station bound for Katsurahama and get off at "Ryōma Kinenkan-mae"
  • walking from the Katsurahama Park parking lot to the museum involves an uphill path, and the time varies with your stamina and entrance. If you focus on written historical sources, allow about 1–1.5 hours inside
  • to see the special exhibitions and videos properly, allow about 2 hours. If you also walk the Katsurahama coast and the statue, allow a further 45–60 minutes, and do not count the beach walk as museum time. Confirm the open areas of the New and Main Buildings, special exhibition changes, tickets and photography rules from the museum's notices on the day of your visit
  • you can ask the museum about accessibility facilities. The coordinates on this page mark only the museum building, not the Katsurahama statue or the full extent of the Urado Castle ruins.
Sources & verification notes

Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum: history, 2018 renovation and building functions

Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum: FAQ, access and exhibition notes

Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum: facilities and accessibility

Wikidata: museum entity, address and coordinates

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