Wakayama ramen和歌山ラーメン
Pork-bone and soy ramen, traditionally eaten with hayazushi (pressed mackerel sushi) from the counter.
Kansai
Wakayama Travel Guide
Local tips, regional food and places off the tourist trail
A mountainous prefecture on the Kii Peninsula, south of Osaka. Come for the temple town of Koyasan, the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails and the beach resort of Shirahama.
Open Wakayama on the map39 places on the map · 8 local favourites
Local tips
- TipReach Koyasan by Nankai train from Namba, then a cable car and bus up the mountain.
- DoStay overnight in a Koyasan temple (shukubo) for vegetarian shojin ryori and the morning prayers.
- TipThe Kii Peninsula is large and trains along the coast are slow; allow plenty of travel time.
- Heads upLate summer typhoons can close trails and roads; Koyasan is also cold in winter.
- TipAt Kawayu Onsen, hot water springs from the riverbed, so you can dig your own bath.
What to eat
Mehari-zushiめはり寿司
Rice balls wrapped in pickled takana mustard leaves, a simple food of the Kumano area.
Katsuura tuna勝浦まぐろ
Fresh tuna landed at Nachi-Katsuura, one of Japan’s major ports for fresh (unfrozen) tuna.
Local favourites
Places mostly visited by people who live here — quieter, and often the highlight of a trip.
Kozagawa Ichimaiiwa
古座川の一枚岩 Nature & SceneryA single enormous rock face rising sheer from the banks of the clear Kozagawa river. Paddle a canoe or picnic on the riverbank below it.
● Mostly localsAragijima
あらぎ島 Nature & SceneryA fan-shaped island of terraced rice fields wrapped by a river bend in Aridagawa. Most beautiful when green in early summer or golden before the harvest.
● Mostly localsRyujin Onsen
龍神温泉 Hot SpringsA mountain hot spring along a river known for its silky water, one of Japan's three great 'beauty baths'.
● Mostly localsKuroe Lacquerware Town
紀州漆器伝統産業会館 ShoppingThe Kuroe district of Kainan, home to Kishu lacquerware, where saw-tooth rows of old houses hold lacquer workshops and shops. Learn about lacquer at the centre and buy…
● Mostly localsBurakuri-cho
ぶらくり丁 ShoppingWakayama City's traditional covered shopping street, with local shops and cafés near the castle.
● Mostly localsKadocho Soy Sauce
角長 Local FoodSights & HistoryA traditional soy sauce brewery in Yuasa, the town where Japanese soy sauce was born, still brewing in wooden barrels. See the small museum and buy a bottle.
● Mostly localsNakano BC
中野BC Local FoodA Kainan brewery famous for its umeshu (plum liqueur), with a tasting bar and a Japanese garden that blooms with plum blossoms in February.
● Mostly localsYuasa Old Town
湯浅伝統的建造物群保存地区 Sights & HistoryThe preserved lanes of Yuasa, birthplace of Japanese soy sauce, lined with old brewery buildings and latticed merchant houses. The air still smells of soy and miso, and…
● Mostly localsThe famous sights
The places most visitors come for. Worth it — just go early.
Okunoin, Koyasan
奥之院 Temples & GoshuinchoSights & HistoryA vast cemetery in a cedar forest leading to Kobo Daishi's mausoleum, with hundreds of thousands of moss-covered graves. Walk it at dusk as the lanterns light up.
Adventure World
アドベンチャーワールド ExperiencesA combined zoo, aquarium and safari park in Shirahama with dolphin shows and a safari ride among the animals. A full day out for families.
Nachi Falls
那智の滝 Nature & SceneryTemples & GoshuinchoJapan's tallest single-drop waterfall, itself worshipped as a deity at Hiro Shrine. The classic photo frames the falls with the red pagoda of Seiganto-ji.
Seiganto-ji
青岸渡寺 Temples & GoshuinchoA temple beside Nachi Taisha with the famous three-story pagoda framing Nachi Falls. The first temple on the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage.
Danjo Garan, Koyasan
壇上伽藍 Sights & HistoryThe central sacred precinct of Koyasan, with the huge vermilion Konpon Daito pagoda at its heart. Combine with Kongobu-ji and an overnight temple stay.
Daimonzaka
大門坂 Sights & HistoryNature & SceneryA stone-paved section of the Kumano Kodo leading up to Nachi Taisha, lined with ancient cedar trees. The most famous stretch of the pilgrimage route.
Shirarahama Beach
白良浜 Nature & SceneryA curving beach of bright white sand in Shirahama with clear, calm water, one of Kansai's most popular swimming spots. The Saki-no-yu onsen is a short walk away.
Toretore Ichiba
とれとれ市場 Local FoodShoppingA huge seafood market in Shirahama with stalls selling fresh fish, local specialties and a food court. The tuna and umeboshi are the highlights.