Travel Plans
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- Rejuvenate in Mt. Koya with shrine visits and sesame tofu
![Rejuvenate in Mt. Koya with shrine visits and sesame tofu]()
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- Use the weekend to escape the bustle of everyday. The Mt. Koya area of Wakayama Prefecture has the attraction of many spiritual places and healthy food. Here is a one-day driving course focused on healing. Do not rush your trip but enjoy the breaks. Go on a journey to please yourself, mind and body.
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- Enjoy historic townscapes and a coastal drive in Kichu
![Enjoy historic townscapes and a coastal drive in Kichu]()
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- The dynamic, pure nature and old townscapes of the Kichu area relaxes the mind. Spending one day driving along the coast in this area full of local specialties and history of Wakayama is recommended. You will be healed by the idyllic scenery as you enjoy the drive.
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- Modern art and history around Wakayama Castle
![Modern art and history around Wakayama Castle]()
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- Here are recommended areas near Wakayama Castle, the focal point of Wakayama sightseeing. Enjoy sightseeing all day from the delicious cuisine unique to the area along with the history, nature loved from long ago, and modern art.
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Travel Guide
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Top Things to do
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- Mt. Koya
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![Mt. Koya]()
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkouyachou Kouyasan
- Mt. Koya is sacred ground in Japanese Buddhism that was first utilized by the famed monk Kukai in the Heian period. The entirety of Mt. Koya is regarded as a single temple—the Kongobu-ji Temple—and the mountain is dotted with temples in 117 locations. A veritable mountain-top mecca 900 meters above sea level, over 30 percent of the population of people living on the mountain are priests. Of particular note is the Danjogaran, a temple first built when Kukai opened his main dojo for his esoteric Shingon teachings. The temple grounds contain 19 buildings, including the Konpon Daito tower and gorgeous main sanctuary.
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- Okunoin Temple
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![Okunoin Temple]()
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkouyachou Kouyasan
- One of the two most sacred sites on Mt. Koya and the location where the great monk Kukai entered an eternal state of meditation. It is said that Kukai still meditates within the temple’s mausoleum. 700-year-old Japanese cedars enclose the two kilometer temple path, which passes through the mausoleum and is lined with over 200 thousand tombstones and cenotaphs belonging to all classes of people, from emperor to commoner. The stately stone lanterns standing just before the mausoleum are also a must-see. The Kishin Lantern, presented by the priest Kishin, and the Shirakawa Lantern, donated by the retired Emperor Shirakawa, have continuously burned for close to a thousand years. The grounds beyond the bridge closes to the mausoleum are sacred and photography here is prohibited.
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- Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine
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![Kumano Hongu Taisha shrine]()
- Wakayama Pref. Tanabeshi Honguchouhongu
- This Shinto shrine is one of the Three Head Kumano Shrines which serve as the headquarters of all Kumano shrines nationwide. Known as the first stop on the penance-filled Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage, since ancient times this shrine has been visited by countless worshipers of the Kumano faith, which seeks to achieve self-enlightenment through penance. The main building was erected in the Asuka period and was relocated to its current location after being damaged in the Great Flood of 1889. After climbing 158 stone steps through a cedar forest, the shrine’s four hinoki bark-thatched buildings will appear, which enshrine Ketsumiko no okami and the shrine’s three other chief gods.
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- Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine
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![Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine]()
- Wakayama Pref. Shingushi Shingu 1
- One of the Three Head Kumano Shrines which serve as the headquarters of all Kumano shrines nationwide, rare and unusual festivals are held here, such as the Torch Festival, which involves men dressed in white garb carrying lit torches and racing down the shrine’s steep stone steps. A central location in the Kumano faith, which seeks to achieve self-enlightenment through penance conducted along the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage, the shrine is dedicated to the god Kumano Hayatama. The shrine also worships Ketsumiko no okami and Fusumi no okami, and houses and displays some 1,200 ancient treasures, including designated National Treasures. A great nagi tree over 1,000 years old spreads its branches over the grounds, and the shrine’s charms for providing luck with love and marriage are made with nagi seeds.
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- Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine
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![Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine]()
- Wakayama Pref. Higashimurogunnachikatsurachou Nachisan 1
- One of the Three Head Kumano Shrines which serve as the headquarters of all Kumano shrines nationwide. Unlike the other two, however, the origin of this shrine lies in a primeval faith which sees the Nachi Falls deep in the mountains as sacred. At the affiliated Hiro-jinja Shrine, the falls themselves are worshipped, and since ancient times this shrine has been visited by numerous faithful and other visitors asking for a long life. Visitors can drink the water at the falls’ basin from a platform directly in front of the falls; the water is said to give longevity. The shrine’s grounds contain six vermillion lacquered buildings such as the main nave, hall of worship, and treasure house, as well as numerous other points of note such as the Stone of the Yatagarasu (a mythical three-legged crow), and a massive 850-year-old tree planted by the noble Taira no Shigemori.
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- Nachi Waterfall (Hiro Jinja Shrine)
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![Nachi Waterfall (Hiro Jinja Shrine)]()
- Wakayama Pref. Higashimurogunnachikatsurachou Nachisan
- This betsugu (associated shrine) of Kumano Nachi Taisha honors the deity of the Nachi-no-Taki waterfall. Boasting Japan’s largest uninterrupted drop of 133 meters, the waterfall is 13 meters wide and has a plunge basin with a depth of 10 meters. It is lit up a night during New Year’s Eve and is one of Japan’s top three waterfalls. Close to the waterfall is a viewing area where visitors can drink water from the plunge basin which is said to be water for longevity.
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- Kawayu Hot Spring Sennin-buro River Bath
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![Kawayu Hot Spring Sennin-buro River Bath]()
- Wakayama Pref. Tanabeshi Honguchoukawayu
- This large open-air bath is formed by the mixing of the waters of the Oto River, a tributary of the Kumano River, with an over 70-degree hot spring continuously welling forth from the riverbed. Only usable from December until the end of February, the bath is familiar to many Japanese as a poetic image of winter. Bathing is free but mixed sex; accordingly, unlike most hot spring baths in Japan, it is acceptable to wear a bathing suit. On clear days, visitors can enjoy the sun or a star-filled sky during their bath, giving you an unprecedented sense of freedom and openness. Note that the bath may not be available for use due to weather or water levels.
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- Torodo (Lantern Hall)
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- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkouyachou Kouyasan 550
- One of the two most sacred locations on Mt. Koya, the hall is located in front of the Okunoin mausoleum where the great Buddhist priest Kukai remains in perpetual meditation. The hall was originally built as a chapel for the mausoleum. The hall is filled with over 20 thousand lanterns presented by worshipers. The Kishin Lantern, presented by the priest Kishin, and the Shirakawa Lantern, donated by the retired Emperor Shirakawa, standing in front of the hall have continuously burned for close to a thousand years. Legend has it that the Kishin Lantern was in fact dedicated by a poor young woman named Oteru, who sold her own hair to pay for the lantern in prayer for her deceased parents, and thus it is also called the “Lantern of the Poor Woman.”
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- Kongobuji Temple
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![Kongobuji Temple]()
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkouyachou Kouyasan 132
- The head temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect of Buddhism, the temple is the nexus of worship on Mt. Koya and sacred ground dedicated to the esoteric Shingon teachings of the great priest Kukai. Religious matters relating to the entire holy mountain are conducted here. Particular points of note include the Kano and Unkoku school folding screen paintings in the temple’s great hinoki bark thatched main building, as well as the Banryutei, one of the largest rock garden’s in Japan. The rock garden represents a male and female dragon floating in a sea of white clouds (represented by white pebbles) protecting the inner temple. In autumn, the garden is illuminated, and evening visits are permitted.
Main Area
What is Wakayama?
Wakayama prefecture unites pilgrims, food lovers, and culture buffs in a tranquil corner of Japan at the base of the Kii Peninsula. The setting for many a Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail, Wakayama invites those in search of spirituality from one side of the prefecture to the other, from the 100-plus Buddhist temples of the sacred Mount Koya in the west to the inspiring temples of the Kumano Sanzan set among breathtaking nature in the east. Once the grueling hike is complete, make a beeline for Wakayama city to savor some of the country's most delicious ramen noodles.
Wakayama Overviews
Climate
What to Wear
- Jan
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- Warm Cloth
- Feb
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- Warm Cloth
- Mar
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- Jacket
- Apr
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- Jacket
- May
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- Long
- Jun
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- Long
- Jul
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- Short
- Aug
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- Short
- Sep
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- Short
- Oct
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- Long
- Nov
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- Jacket
- Dec
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- Warm Cloth
Based on the Meteorological Agency "past weather data", created NAVITIME
Getting Around
While most visitors arriving at Kansai International Airport head straight to Osaka or Kyoto, Wakayama city is just one easy hour away on a direct limousine bus. JR Pass holders can jump on the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka and change onto the JR Kuroshio Line direct to Wakayama city just one hour away. With the mountainous center of the Kii Peninsula largely inaccessible, those starting at Kumano Sanzan are advised to come via Mie prefecture.
How to get
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How to get to Nankishirahama Airport