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Stalls and crowds at the Ōtesuji Sunday Market in March 2014; not indicative of current stall numbers or hours

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Kōchi Sunday Market

土佐の日曜市 · Ōtesuji, Kōchi, Kōchi

Photo: NevinThompson · CC BY-SA 4.0

Browse local produce, handicrafts and everyday shopping culture on Ōtesuji below Kōchi Castle.

Know before you go

  • Do not describe the Sunday Market as open every day
  • do not block working stalls or fire and pedestrian lanes
  • do not call the old periodic markets exactly the same as today's Sunday market.

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

Culture

Culture & customs

Background

The Ōtesuji Sunday Market is an everyday street market for the people of Kōchi, not an indoor mall open every day of the year. Kōchi City records show that a domain law of 1690 already set regular market days at several locations; back then it was not today's "every Sunday", and the locations were not entirely the same. In modern times the markets shifted to a weekly schedule, and the Sunday market on Ōtesuji continued after the war into its present form. So it can be said to carry on more than three hundred years of Tosa street-market tradition, but not that it has operated without interruption since 1690 under today's name, with today's stalls and in today's location. At the market you will find produce, flowers, household goods and local food, with local trade and the visitor experience side by side. City sources count the number of stalls, the market's length and its hours in different ways, so this page does not fix a single figure; check the current notices.

Local customs

  • Ask prices politely before buying, leave the passage in front of stalls clear, and do not stop for long photo sessions on narrow stretches. Do not take close-up photos of stallholders, customers or their children without permission
  • when buying ready-to-eat food, first check whether you may eat it beside the stall and how to dispose of rubbish. The market is a working business space, so ask before sampling or touching produce.

Religion & beliefs

  • The Sunday Market is a castle-town street market and part of everyday culture, not a religious ritual
  • if nearby Kōchi Castle or temples and shrines have visiting rules, follow those of each place.

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 describe the Sunday Market as open every day
  • do not block working stalls or fire and pedestrian lanes
  • do not call the old periodic markets exactly the same as today's Sunday market.

Locals appreciate DO

  • Plan a Sunday walk through the castle town, looking out for seasonal fruit and vegetables, handmade wares and what stallholders tell you
  • link the Sunday Market with Kōchi Castle and the nearby streets rather than just passing through for photos.

Plan your visit

Practical info

Travel tips

  • The Sunday Market is usually held on Sundays along Ōtesuji in Kōchi City
  • it may close around New Year and on dates connected with the Yosakoi Festival, and severe weather or temporary traffic control can also affect it, so check the city's notice for the day before you set out. Allow about 45–60 minutes for a slow walk along part of the street
  • if you want to buy produce, try food and combine it with Kōchi Castle, set aside about 1.5–2 hours. Mornings usually offer a fuller range than the hour before stalls pack up, but each stall starts and finishes at different times, so no single time guarantees everything is open. You can walk from Kōchi Station or combine walking with the tram
  • the Ōtesuji market is long, stretches along the street and has no single entrance. Bring a convenient means of payment and a shopping bag, do not crowd in front of stalls and get in the way of residents' shopping, and ask before photographing people.
Sources & verification notes

Kōchi City: current Sunday Market information and closure rules

Kōchi City: street-market history and evidence of periodic markets in 1690

Kōchi City: extent and operation of each street market

Kōchi Prefecture tourism agency: market location and food

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