Local legend Sakamoto Ryoma was all about modernizing Japan.

Most airports in Japan simply borrow their names from the surrounding geography. The city that Narita Airport is in, for example, is also called Narita, and Kansai International Airport sits right in the middle of the country’s Kansai region.

But there’s one, and only one, airport in Japan that gets its name from a person, and a samurai at that: Kochi Ryoma Airport. Yes, it is located in Kochi Prefecture, the southwest quarter of the island of Shikoku, but it’s also named to honor local legend Sakamoto Ryoma, one of the most important samurai who ever lived.

Born in 1836, Ryoma was a major leader among Japan’s progressive samurai who, after seeing how advanced the rest of the world had become in terms of things like representative/democratic government, formalized education, and modernized medicine and technology, began to think that it was time for Japan’s systems of isolationism and hereditary feudalism to come to an end. Though assassinated by political opponents at the age of 31, the ideological seeds that Ryoma helped plant would eventually grow into the movements that led to the dismantling of the shogunate and the reinvention of Japan as a modern democracy, and in modern-day Japan he’s remembered as a champion of the common people.

▼ Ryoma’s most famous photo portrait, with his pairing of kimono with western-style boots symbolizing his broad-minded philosophy.

Though he traveled far and wide in search of like-minded individuals with whom to take up his cause, Ryoma hailed from Kochi, and he’s very much considered a hero in his home prefecture. So in 2003, Kochi Airport (which has flights to/from Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Nagoya) renamed itself to Kochi Ryoma Airport, and you’ll probably start seeing the samurai’s likeness before you get off the plane, as Ryoma shows up even on the facility’s boarding bridges.

▼ 竜馬 = Ryoma

There are multiple Ryoma photo spots inside the building too. The first one we came across was this recreation of the Ryoma statue that stands on Kochi’s Katsurahama Beach, complete with a stylized version of the seashore’s crashing waves.

There’s also a statue in the style of Ryoma’s photo portrait…

…and, if you want something more playful, a Ryoma cut-out.

With his image of energetic enthusiasm for new ideas, Ryoma actually lends himself pretty well to cute artistic interpretations, and this illustration shows up on a lot of the airport’s signage.

There’s a special treat for fans of sticker picture booths too, as the airport’s is a throwback to the late ’90s trend of booths having region-specific frames to choose from, with this one featuring frames with Ryoma, Kochi Castle, Harimaya Bridge, and katsuo tataki.

Katsuo tataki, seared bonito sashimi served with minced green onion and ginger, is one of Kochi’s most popular and famous delicacies. It’s so strongly associated with Kochi that, as you’re waiting for your luggage at Kochi Ryoma Airport’s baggage claim carousel, you might see…

…some katsuo tataki going around!

You’ll want to resist the urge to take a bite, as this is actually a promotional model created by the local Nakatosa Sightseeing Association, but it definitely gets foodies in the mood to head out to make it part of their first restaurant meal in the prefecture after arriving.

Aside from the katsuo tataki, Ryoma statues, Ryoma potato chips (some seasoned with yuzu citrus, another famous Kochi foodstuff)…

…displays of the Sakamoto samurai clan crest…

…and Ryoma-based puns…

…we came across one more unique amenity that Kochi Ryoma Airport offers: a special changing room for travelers doing the Shikoku temple pilgrimage while wearing the traditional white garments associated with the route.

Being pretty far off Japan’s Tokyo-to-Kyoto golden route of tourism, Kochi doesn’t make it onto every traveler’s itinerary, but it’s a place filled with history, delicious food, and natural beauty, and a flight into Kochi Ryoma Airport gives you a great starting point to explore Shikoku while working your way north back towards the more developed and touristed parts of Japan.

Related: Kochi Ryoma Airport website
Ryoma photo portrait: Wikipedia/Artanisen
Katsuo tataki photo: Campfire
All other photos ©SoraNews24
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