Area Characteristics
Wakayama Prefecture lies along the Kii Peninsula which is Japan’s largest peninsula and is adjacent to Osaka and Nara. Along with the city of Wakayama which has a main station, the prefecture is divided into 5 areas including Mt. Koya and Kumano Kodo which have been recognized within a World Heritage site known as “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range”, and Nanki Shirahama with its beautiful coastline. One of the 3 major fire festivals of Japan, the Nachi Fire Festival, is held in Wakayama with history and tradition in this sacred land being passed onto the present day.
Major Sites
Structures on Mt. Koya such as Okunoin, Danjo Garan and Kongobu-ji Temple along with the main shrines of Kumano along Kumano Kodo, Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine, Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Nachi Falls are famous sites in the prefecture. Also popular is Shirarahama Beach with its white sands, Engetsu Island which is a National Place of Scenic Beauty, Senjojiki, Hashigui Rock and other examples of picturesque scenery. Adventure World which has brought together a zoo, an aquarium and an amusement park is also well known for its high ability to breed pandas. There are also plenty of onsen including Shirahama Onsen and Hongu Onsen Village.
Food
When it comes to Wakayama, there are the Arita oranges and the plums which enjoy the highest production output in the nation. Kishu Nanko plums are particularly renowned as the highest brand of plums. The fishing industry also provides Pacific saury (sanma) sushi, whitebait on rice (shirasu don), grouper hot pot (kue nabe) and other delicious seafood dishes. As well, the meharizushi of Kumano, koya dofu of Mt. Koya and other delicacies in this special area are also popular.
Transportation
When taking the train from Tokyo Station, it’s customary to take the Tokaido Shinkansen (Bullet Train) as far as Shin-Osaka Station and then transfer to another JR train to head for Wakayama Station in about 4 hours and 20 minutes. A flight from Haneda Airport to Kansai International takes 1 hour and 10 minutes so for those people on limited time, air travel is convenient. Taking into consideration the travel to other airports in the area, the trip will take about 3 hours and 20 minutes. There is plenty of public transportation including trains and buses for Mt. Koya and Kumano Kodo. For other areas, going by rental car is convenient.
Accommodations
Around the Kumano Kodo vicinity which is also an onsen area, there are hotels and ryokan, and there are many resort hotels in Shirahama and Katsuura.