Wakayama Prefecture offers tourist attractions such as Kumano Kodo, Koyasan, and Momogen-go, tourist events such as Tenjin Festival, Tanabata Festival, and Aoba Festival, and local delicacies such as Wakayama Ramen, Kama-age Shirasu, and Sasa Sushi.
Wakayama Prefecture is located on the western side of the Kii Peninsula. Known as Kii no Kuni, the land was ruled by the Kishu Tokugawa family, one of the three great families of Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). It is also called "Ki no Kuni" (Land of Wood) because of the mountainous terrain in the southern part of the prefecture.
Wakayama Castle, the residence of the Kishu Tokugawa family, is located in Wakayama Castle Park, where the main and secondary castle towers, turrets, gates, and the Otemon Gate have been restored and are a popular tourist attraction.
Wakayama Prefecture is also home to Negoroji Temple, which was the center of a group of ninja called the Negoroshu. The monks and soldiers of Negoroji Temple during the Warring States period eventually became the Negoroshu and became famous throughout history, making the area interesting for fans of the history of the Warring States period.
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, consisting of Kumano Sanzan, Koyasan, Yoshino-Omine, Kumano Pilgrimage Route, Koyasan Machishimichi, and Omine Okugakemichi, are designated World Heritage sites and Wakayama Prefecture is included. Therefore, there are also Wakayama World Heritage Center exhibition facilities where visitors can learn about the history and nature of Kumano.
Koyasan, which is said to have been opened by Kobo Daishi Kukai in the Heian period (794-1185) as a place for ascetic practices, is a mountain of faith along with Hieizan in Kyoto. Today, temples and other structures are clustered around the Danjo Garan, and there are as many as 117 temples in Koyasan, including Kongobuji Temple, the head temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect.
Many of them are shukubo, where tourists can stay and enjoy vegetarian cuisine, guest rooms, baths, etc. Each shukubo has its own garden and other characteristics. Since each shukubo has its own garden and other unique features, visitors can enjoy choosing which shukubo they would like to stay at.
In addition to enjoying history and nature, a resort area called Wakayama Marina City was built on a man-made island in Wakayama Bay off the coast of Mekimi, Wakayama City, with facilities such as "Porto Europe" and "Royal Pines Hotel" and a yacht club, and has more than one million residents.
Wakayama has some products that were born in Wakayama Prefecture and spread throughout the country. One such product is koya-dofu, a preserved food made from freeze-dried tofu that is said to have spread throughout the country as a vegetarian food.
Dried plums are a specialty of Wakayama Prefecture, and the dried plums produced in Minabe-cho and Tanabe-shi are made from a variety of plum called Nanko-ume, which is recommended as a top quality product by the prefecture. If you like pickled plums, this is a good souvenir to bring back from your sightseeing trip.
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...»
A Mystical Waterfall with a 133-Meter Drop Located in Nachikatsuura Town in Wakayama Prefecture, Nachi Falls is one of Japan’s most famous waterfalls and one of the country’s most impressive natural landmarks. The waterfall plunges approximately 133 meters from a sheer cliff, making it the highest ...»
A Sacred Center of Shingon Buddhism A Spiritual City Surrounded by Mountains Located in the northeastern part of Wakayama Prefecture, Koyasan is a sacred mountain area situated in a basin approximately 800 to 900 meters above sea level. For more than 1,200 years, it has attracted pilgrims and visi...»
One of the Kansai Region’s Most Beautiful Resort Beaches Shirarahama Beach is a stunning crescent-shaped beach located in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture. Stretching for approximately 620 meters, the gently curving shoreline features soft, brilliant white sand and clear emerald-green water. Th...»
A Unique Spiritual Sanctuary Surrounded by Nature Hiro Shrine is a sacred Shinto shrine located in Nachisan, Nachikatsuura Town, Wakayama Prefecture. The shrine has been revered for centuries as an important place of worship connected with the natural landscape of the Kumano region. What makes Hir...»
A Sacred Path Preserving the Atmosphere of Japan’s Ancient Pilgrimage Routes Daimon-zaka Slope is one of the most famous sections of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes in Nachikatsuura Town, Wakayama Prefecture. For centuries, pilgrims have walked this historic path on their way to the sacred sites ...»
Tomogashima is a group of uninhabited islands located in the Kitan Strait off the coast of Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture. The group consists of four islands: Jinoshima, Torajima, Kanashima, and Okinoshima. As part of Setonaikai National Park, Tomogashima offers a fascinating combination of rich...»
Kumano Hongu Taisha is one of Japan's most important sacred sites, located in Hongu Town, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture. Together with Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha, it forms the Kumano Sanzan, or Three Grand Shrines of Kumano. It is also regarded as the head shrine of the many K...»
Kongobu-ji Temple is the head temple of the Koyasan Shingon Buddhist school and one of the most important centers of Japanese Buddhism. Located in Koya Town, Wakayama Prefecture, it is officially known as Koyasan Kongobu-ji and is closely associated with the entire sacred mountain of Mount Koya. Mo...»
Nanki-Shirahama Onsen is a historic hot spring resort in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture, on the Pacific coast of Japan. It is widely regarded as one of Japan’s oldest hot spring destinations, with a history dating back more than 1,300 years. According to historical records, members of the Japa...»
Seiganto-ji Temple is a historic Tendai Buddhist temple located on Mount Nachi in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The temple's mountain name is Nachisan, and its principal Buddhist image is Nyoirin Kannon (Cintamani-cakra Avalokiteshvara), a form of Kannon, the Buddhist bodhisattva of com...»
Aragijima is a spectacular terraced rice field landscape located in the Shimizu area of Aridagawa Town, Arida District, Wakayama Prefecture. It is widely recognized as one of Japan’s most beautiful traditional rural landscapes. The rice terraces are situated on a distinctive piece of land surrounde...»
Kawayu Onsen is a unique hot spring destination in Hongu Town, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture. Located along the Oto River, a tributary of the Kumano River, this peaceful hot spring town is famous for an extraordinary natural phenomenon: hot spring water rises directly from the riverbed. Kawayu O...»
A Sacred Sanctuary Where Myth and Nature Meet Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine is one of the three major shrines of Kumano, located in the Nachisan area of Nachikatsuura Town, Wakayama Prefecture. Together with Kumano Hongu Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha, it forms the Kumano Sanzan, or Three Gra...»
Taiji Whale Museum is one of Japan’s leading museums dedicated to whales and is located within Whale Beach Park in Taiji Town, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture. Opened in 1969, the museum was established to preserve and pass on the history of whaling culture in Taiji, the ecology of whales ...»
Shirasaki Ocean Park is a spectacular seaside destination located in Oibiki, Yura Town, Hidaka District, Wakayama Prefecture. The dramatic combination of brilliant white limestone, deep blue ocean, and clear blue skies has earned the area the nickname “the Aegean Sea of Japan.” Its otherworldly scen...»
Sandanbeki Cliffs are a spectacular coastal landmark in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Rising approximately 50 meters above the sea and stretching for about 2 kilometers from north to south, these dramatic cliffs showcase the immense power of nature. The coastline fo...»
Wakayama Castle is one of Japan’s most impressive historic castles. Located in central Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture, the castle stands on Mount Torafusu, a small hill rising approximately 48.9 meters above sea level. Built as a hirayamajo, or castle on a hill surrounded by relatively flat land...»
A Symbolic Landscape of Shirahama Engetsu Island is a small rocky island located just offshore in Rinkaiura, Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture. It is one of the most recognizable scenic landmarks in the Nanki-Shirahama area and is particularly famous for the distinctive circular opening in the ce...»
A Spectacular Coastal Landscape of Nanki-Shirahama Senjojiki Rock Plateau is one of the most famous scenic attractions in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture. Stretching along the coastline from Setozaki toward the area near Saki-no-Yu, this vast expanse of exposed rock is one of the highlights of ...»
An Underground World Where Nature and History Come Together Sandanbeki Cave is a spectacular sea cave located beneath the famous Sandanbeki Cliffs in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture. Created over countless years by the relentless power of the Pacific Ocean, the cave offers visitors a fascinating com...»
A Scenic Highland in the Mountains of Wakayama Oishi Kogen Highlands is a beautiful highland area centered around Mount Oishigamine, which rises to approximately 870 meters above sea level. Located across Kimino Town and Aridagawa Town in Wakayama Prefecture, the highlands form part of the Nagamine...»
A Mysterious Sacred Site Among the Rocks Kamikura Shrine, located in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture, is one of the most sacred and historically significant sites associated with the Kumano faith. The shrine is a subsidiary shrine of Kumano Hayatama Taisha, one of the three major Kumano shrines, b...»
Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine is a historic Shinto shrine located in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture. It is one of the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano, together with Kumano Hongu Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha. For centuries, these sacred sites have attracted pilgrims from throughout Japan and ...»
Tsuboyu is a historic hot spring located in Yunomine Onsen in Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.” What makes Tsuboyu particularly remarkable is that it is widely known as the only World Heritag...»
Hashigui-iwa Rocks are one of the most remarkable natural landmarks in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, on the southern coast of the Kii Peninsula. More than 40 rocks of various sizes stand in an almost perfectly aligned row for approximately 850 meters from the coast of Kushimoto toward Kii-Oshima I...»
Senninburo is a spectacular winter-only open-air hot spring bath located in Kawayu Onsen, part of the Kumano Hongu Onsen area in Hongu Town, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture. Built directly in the Oto River, a tributary of the Kumano River, this enormous outdoor bath is one of the region's most famo...»
A Sacred Hot Spring with 1,800 Years of History Nestled quietly in the mountains of Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture, Yunomine Onsen is one of Japan's oldest hot spring destinations, with a history believed to stretch back approximately 1,800 years. Surrounded by the forests and mountains of the Ku...»
Negoroji Temple, also written as Negoro-ji, is the head temple of the Shingi Shingon school of Japanese Buddhism. Located in Iwade City, Wakayama Prefecture, it is formally known as Ichijo-zan Dempobo Negoroji. The temple was founded by Kakuban (Kogyo Daishi), an influential Buddhist monk of the la...»
Toretore Market, located in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture, is one of the largest seafood markets in western Japan and one of the most popular places to visit in the Nanki-Shirahama area. It is a lively destination where visitors can experience the rich bounty of the surrounding seas while disc...»
Konpon Daito is the most iconic structure within Danjo Garan, the central sacred precinct of Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture. With its striking vermilion exterior, this magnificent pagoda has become one of the defining symbols of Mount Koya and an important destination for visitors exploring Japan...»
Kitayamagawa River Rafting is a unique adventure experience in Kitayama Village, Wakayama Prefecture, where visitors can ride a traditional log raft down the Kitayama River. It is considered the only traditional log-raft river trip of its kind in Japan. The experience revives the traditional techni...»
Dōjō-ji Temple, located in Kanemaki, Hidaka-gawa Town, Hidaka District, Wakayama Prefecture, is widely regarded as the oldest Buddhist temple in Wakayama, with a history spanning more than 1,300 years. Known by its mountain name, Tennomzan, the temple belongs to the Tendai school of Japanese Buddhis...»
Okunoin is one of the two most sacred sites on Mount Koya, together with the Danjō Garan temple complex. Located deep within the sacred mountain area, Okunoin is home to the mausoleum of Kūkai, also known as Kōbō Daishi, the founder of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism. Kūkai is traditionally believed to h...»
Takinohai is a spectacular natural site along the Ogawa River, a clear mountain stream flowing through Koza-gawa Town in southern Wakayama Prefecture. The area is famous for its extraordinary combination of a waterfall, countless natural potholes, and unusual rock formations carved by the river over...»
Kimiidera Temple, located in Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture, is one of the region's most historic Buddhist temples. It is especially famous as the second temple on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, a traditional pilgrimage route visiting 33 sacred sites dedicated to Kannon, the Buddhist deity of co...»
Asuka Shrine is a historic Shinto shrine located in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture, near the mouth of the Kumano River. Situated at the southern foot of Mount Horai, the shrine is closely connected with the ancient religious traditions of the Kumano region. Asuka Shrine is considered one of the i...»
The Tokugawa Mausoleum is a historic memorial complex on Mount Koya (Koyasan) in Koya Town, Wakayama Prefecture. It enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, and his son Tokugawa Hidetada, the second shogun. Mount Koya is one of Japan's most important centers of Shingon Esot...»
A Scenic View Overlooking Wakaura Kishu Toshogu Shrine is a historic Shinto shrine located in Wakaura-nishi, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture. It is closely associated with the Kishu Tokugawa family, one of the three major branches of the Tokugawa clan that ruled important domains during the Edo ...»
A Natural Wonder Facing the Kii Channel Shirasaki Coast Prefectural Natural Park is a scenic natural area located around Yura Town in central Wakayama Prefecture, facing the Kii Channel. Centered around the famous Shirasaki Coast, which has been selected as one of Japan's “100 Best Beaches,” the pa...»
Three National Treasure Buildings Chohoji Temple is a historic Buddhist temple located in Kainan City, Wakayama Prefecture. Belonging to the Tendai school of Japanese Buddhism, the temple is also known by its mountain name, Keitokuzan. Its principal object of worship is Shakyamuni Buddha. Founded ...»
Kuroshio Market is a popular tourist market located within Wakayama Marina City, a resort complex in Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture. Known as one of the area's premier destinations for local food, the market offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy Wakayama's rich seafood culture through a combin...»
Kokawadera Temple is a historic Buddhist temple located in Kokawa, Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture. It is best known as the third temple of the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, one of Japan's oldest and most important Buddhist pilgrimage routes dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva associated with compa...»
Kongo Sanmaiin Temple is a historic Buddhist temple located on Mount Koya in Koya Town, Wakayama Prefecture. It belongs to the Koyasan Shingon Buddhist tradition and is one of the important temples on Mount Koya. The temple also operates as a shukubo, or Buddhist temple lodging, allowing visitors to...»
A Sacred Center of Esoteric Buddhism Danjō Garan is a magnificent temple complex located near the center of Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture. Founded by Kukai (Kobo Daishi), the founder of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, it is regarded as the spiritual and educational heart of Mount Koya. When Kukai e...»
A Sacred Place of Faith and Tradition by the Sea Awashima Shrine is a historic Shinto shrine located in Kada, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture. It is widely regarded as the head shrine of the many Awashima, Awashima, and Awaji shrines found throughout Japan. For centuries, Awashima Shrine has be...»
Kushimoto Marine Park Aquarium, located in Kushimoto Town in Wakayama Prefecture, is a unique marine attraction where visitors can experience the rich underwater world surrounding the southernmost part of Japan's main island, Honshu. The waters around Kushimoto are strongly influenced by the warm Ku...»
Oyunohara, located in Hongu Town in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, is one of the most sacred places associated with the ancient Kumano faith. Situated a short distance from the present-day Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine, Oyunohara is the former site where the shrine once stood. The sacred area lies...»
Kuwanoki Falls is a beautiful waterfall located in the Kuwanoki Gorge, a quiet mountain valley along a tributary of the Takada River in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture. With a height of approximately 21 meters, it is recognized as one of Japan’s most beautiful waterfalls and was selected as one of ...»
Kushimoto Marine Park is a renowned marine recreation and educational facility located in Kushimoto Town, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture. Situated within Yoshino-Kumano National Park, the facility is surrounded by beautiful natural scenery and offers visitors many different ways to experi...»