Wakayama » Shirahama, Nachikatsuura, Kushimoto
The Shirahama, Nachikatsuura, and Kushimoto area offers tourist attractions such as Adventure World, Kumano Kodo, and Yasaka Shrine; sightseeing events such as the Shirahama Fireworks Festival, Hermit's Bath, and Sakura Festival; and local gourmet foods such as pickled plums, kagero, and sasazushi.
The Shirahama, Nachikatsuura, and Kushimoto area, which stretches across the southeastern part of Wakayama Prefecture, is a scenic tourist destination blessed with natural beauty and historical sites designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With many specialty products, gourmet foods, and hot springs, you can enjoy a "healing trip" to forget about everyday life.
Nachi's representative tourist attractions are Kumano Nachi-taisha Shrine and Seigando-ji Temple on Mount Nachi, and Nachi Falls, one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan. Kumano Nachi-taisha has long been worshipped as one of the three mountains of Kumano. Nachi Falls can be viewed from the precincts of the neighboring Seigantoji Temple, making it an excellent photo spot. Nachi Falls itself is worshipped as a deity and can be viewed up close.
Nachikatsuura Town is also known as the "town of tuna," and in addition to enjoying tuna dishes, a morning market is held at the port every Sunday. The town is also active in saury fishing, and saury sushi and dried saury are among its specialties. Sweets made from brown sugar, such as candy, are also recommended as souvenirs.
On the other hand, Shirahama is one of the best resort areas in the Kansai region, with a wide variety of hot springs and sea sightseeing spots. Shirahama Onsen is one of the three oldest hot springs in Japan, and there are many hot springs and footbaths available for one-day trips.
Shirahama Beach, the symbol of Shirahama, is sister to Waikiki Beach in Hawaii and boasts silky white sand. The beach opens its doors to the public earlier than any other beach in Honshu (Honshu's main island) every year during the GW season, attracting many bathers in the summer.
There are also many scenic spots such as Sandanbeki, Senjajiki, and Engetsu Island, as well as many marine activities such as glass boats, underwater observation towers, and offshore fishing ponds to keep tourists busy. In addition, visitors can enjoy dolphin shows, safari tours, and amusement parks at amusement parks, which are famous for breeding and raising pandas.
Popular gourmet and shopping spots include commercial facilities operated by the local fishing cooperative and factory-operated product stores. Shirahama also offers a variety of other gourmet delights, such as sushi, seafood rice bowls, kueh nabe (kueh nabe), and other seafood, as well as local beer.
A visit to the Shirahama, Nachikatsuura, and Kushimoto areas, blessed with history and nature, is sure to refresh you. The variety of sightseeing spots will meet the diverse needs of couples and families, making it a must-visit spot.
This is a rare theme park in Japan that combines a zoo, an aquarium, and an amusement park.With the theme of interaction between humans, animals, and nature, visitors can see up close approximately 1,550 marine and land animals living in their natural habitat. Several giant pandas are bred here, an...»
One of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan, this 133-meter-high waterfall breaks through a deep primeval forest. The drop is the highest in Japan. It is also called "San-suji-no-taki" (three-suji waterfall) because there are three cuts in the bedrock at the choshi (choshi mouth), and the water...»
Shirarahama is a beautiful beach with pure white, silky sand, emerald green sea, and a beautiful arc of sand in the shape of a bow that stretches 620 meters. It is one of the best beaches in the Kinki region, crowded with bathers during the summer, and the beach usually opens on May 3, the earliest...»
The shrine is dedicated to the Nachi Waterfall. There is no main shrine or hall of worship, but rather a place of worship located approximately 200 meters in front of the waterfall with a short roughly woven stone divider. Legend has it that touching the spray from the waterfall is said to have a m...»
Daimon-zaka is a particularly picturesque stone-stair and stone-paved path that retains the most colorful trace of the former Kumano Kodo (Kumano ancient pilgrimage route). As the approach to Kumano Nachi-taisha Shrine and part of the Kumano Kodo (Kumano Pilgrimage Route) Nakaheji, it is a UNESCO W...»
It is one of the three oldest hot springs in Japan, and was called "Muro no Yu" in old documents. Hot spring facilities, hotels, and inns line the coast around Shirahama, a beach of pure white and silky sand. Nanki-Shirahama Onsen can be subdivided into Shirahama, Yuzaki, Oura, Koga-ura, Tsunafuji...»
Seiganto-ji Temple was developed as an integral part of Kumano Nachi-taisha Shrine and is the first temple of the pilgrimage to the 33 sacred places of the Kannon Sacred Shrine in the western part of Japan. The name of the mountain is Mount Nachi. The principal deity is Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu.It is...»
Along the Oto River, a tributary of the Kumano River, is a simple hot spring with a series of inns, restaurants, and public bathhouses on the north bank. The 500 meter section of the Oto River in this area is a rare spot where hot spring water springs from the bottom of the river. If you dig in th...»
Kumano Nachi Taisha enshrines the Kumano Junisho Gongen, whose main deity is Kumano-Osumi no Mikoto (another name for Izanami-no-mikoto). The shrine is also home to the Karasu-ishi (crow stone), which is said to have been transformed into a stone by Yatagarasu (a three-legged crow), and an 850 year ...»
Kumano Hongu Taisha is the head shrine of Kumano Shrines throughout Japan. Among the three mountains, Kumano Hongu Taisha has a particularly ancient atmosphere. Walking along the "Nakaheji Road," one of the most popular pilgrimage routes in Kumano, you will arrive at Kumano Hongu Taisha at the end ...»
This strangely shaped islet with a gaping hole in the center of the island is located in Rinkaiura, the symbol of Nanki-Shirahama. The sunset view is exceptionally beautiful, and the island is known as a famous place for its evening scenery. During the spring and autumnal equinoxes, the sunset can ...»
The large white bedrock has been eroded by the rough waves and has become sloped, giving the impression of a wide rock pavement, just as the name "Senjyojiki" implies. The blue waters of the Pacific Ocean and the large white soft bedrock made of sandstone that juts out from the tip of Setozaki towa...»
The three cliffs are the most dramatic cliffs in Wakayama Prefecture, cutting off the hills of the flat prairie into the Pacific Ocean....»
This is a sea-eroded cave that stretches 36 meters underground in the scenic Sandanbei Cave in the Kumano Karekinada Coastal Prefectural Natural Park. Visitors can take an elevator from the ground to the cave to view the cave interior, which stretches 200 meters and includes a replica of a guardhou...»
The deity is a huge rock on the mountain called Gotobiki Iwa, which is a regent shrine of Kumano Hayatama-taisha Shrine. Date of foundation: Yamato ...»
Kumano Hayatama-taisha is the head shrine of several thousand Kumano shrines enshrined throughout Japan as one of the Kumano Sanzan. The shrine enshrines two deities, Osumi and Hayatama, and has a hall of sacred treasures containing more than 1,000 treasures of the shrine and a giant tree of the na...»
Yunomine Onsen is the oldest hot spring in Japan with a history of approximately 1,800 years, and has long been known as a place for travelers on pilgrimages to Kumano to purify themselves and rest. It was discovered around the 4th century, and later made its name known throughout Japan through the...»
The oldest hot spring in Japan with a history of about 1,800 years, Yunomine Onsen has long been known as a place of purification and rest for travelers on pilgrimages to Kumano. It was discovered around the 4th century, and later made its name known throughout Japan through the Kumano pilgrimages ...»
Kawayu Onsen is famous for its hot spring water that gushes out when the riverbank is dug.Hot water also gushes into the river, and bubbles can be seen rising from the bottom of the river. In winter, when the river's flow rate is low, a huge open-air bath is created by holding back the river.The te...»
A dish of deep-fried whale meats which are seasoned with shoyu and ginger juice, and coated with katakuriko (starch). Kujirano tatsutaage used to be a staple food as an important source of protein in the postwar period in Japan. It is said that the history of whaling in Japan started in Taiji town i...»
Nachikatsuura City is one of the biggest producers of tuna in Japan. The city is known for its number of the tunas caught, and the tuna has a reputation for its taste. Magurochutoro katsudon is made with chutoro finished up like katsudon. Inside the crunchy batter coating, you will find tender rare ...»