Kansai

A historic landmark of the city of Wakayama, the area is designed as a park with various attractions including a garden, history museum and zoo. Enjoy the stunning scenery of the lush green Mount Torafusu, sparkling white castle tower and beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring. Since its construction in 1585, Wakayama Castle was the longtime residence of the Kishu Tokugawa clan, one of the three branches of the ruling Tokugawa clan.

In Wakayama, ramen noodles have been endearingly referred to as chuka soba, or Chinese noodles. The pork broth soy sauce soup is categorized into two types: the lighter, soy sauce-based soup and the richer, pork broth-based soup. The noodles are soft, thin and straight. On the table are the staple side menus hayanare-zushi, or salted mackerel sushi, and boiled eggs, which customers tell how much they ate upon payment in the unique Wakayama Ramen style.

Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine is in southeastern Wakayama Prefecture in the mountains of Nachi-Katsuura town. Together with Nachisan Seigantoji Temple, they have been at the center of Kumano's nature worship since ancient times. The shrine is part of the Kumano Sanzan, the three grand shrines of Kumano, along with Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Hongu Taisha. The town of Nachi-Katsuura also has many attractions, including the quality seaside hot spring of Katsuura Onsen and Katsuura...

Kumano Hongu Onsen Village, situated in the mountains of Kumano in Wakayama Prefecture, is known for its three hot springs: Yunomine Onsen, Kawayu Onsen and Wataze Onsen. This area is home of the World Heritage site Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine. It's a perfect place to enjoy both the historic hot springs and hiking along the Kumano Kodo trails in the beautiful terrain surrounded by rivers.

Wakayama Electric Railway's Kishigawa Line connects Wakayama Station in Wakayama City with Kishi Station in Kinokawa City. Unique-themed trains travel the line, and at the last stop of Kishi Station, you can greet the famous cat stationmaster Nitama. Kinokawa is one of the country's leading fruit production areas and is also famous as the birthplace of Hanaoka Seishu, the first surgeon in the world to successfully perform a surgery under general anesthesia.

Koyasan is home to 117 temples today, of which 51 have temple lodgings. Originally these lodgings were guesthouses for monks and worshippers visiting the temple. Today, they are also widely open to general tourists. During your stay, you can participate in meditation and liturgies, as well as various events that each temple lodgings offer. Enjoy a relaxing stay in the quiet temples, many with Japanese gardens beautiful in every season.

The Tanize Suspension Bridge is a famous attraction of Totsukawa Village of Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture. The villagers hung the 297-meter-long, 54-meter-high bridge on their own in 1954, and today it is the country's longest suspension bridge used in everyday activities. Enjoy the thrill of crossing the swinging bridge as you gaze at the mountains along the gorge and the beautiful river flowing underneath the bridge, amazing scenery of Totsukawa that can only be found here.

Hozan-ji Temple is located on the hillside of Nara Prefecture's Mount Ikoma, worshiped as a mountain where gods reside since ancient times. With the enshrinement of Shoten, a Buddhist guardian god, Hozan-ji Temple has been affectionately called Ikoma Shoten. The deity Shoten is also called Kangiten and is said to grant all wishes in the present world. At Hozan-ji Temple, the Kangiten Festival is held on the first and 16th day of every month, and the temple becomes bustling with visitors...

Located in the mountains in western Nara Prefecture, Mifune Waterfall is roughly 50 meters high with the waters tumbling in two tiers. The scenery is beautiful in the spring to early summer with fresh greenery, as well as in autumn as the waters fall amid the vibrant foliage. However, the most impressive scenery is during the harsh cold period of winter when the entire waterfall freezes into a spectacular ice waterfall. Enjoy trekking along the natural phenomenon, a rare opportunity in the...

Located in the village of Tenkawa in Nara Prefecture, Dorogawa Onsen has long flourished as a hot spring retreat for Shugendo practitioners who were visiting Mount Omine for ascetic training. The entire hot spring town is cloaked in a quaint atmosphere, but in particular, the "engawa" boarded floor running along the outside of traditional Japanese inns lets you feel the remnant of the Showa Period (1926-1989). It is perfect to sit and take a short rest. At night, the streets are lit up with...

Mount Yoshino in central Nara Prefecture has long been famous as a cherry blossom viewing spot. On the ridge extending about 8 kilometers at the north end of the Omine mountain range, varieties of cherry blossoms start to bloom from the foothills and travel upwards in the order of Shimosenbon, Nakasenbon, Kamisenbon and Okusenbon. Around 30,000 cherry blossom trees are said to cover the valleys and ridges, and come into full bloom from the beginning to the end of April. In particular,...

Kasuga-taisha Shrine is a World Cultural Heritage site with a history of 1,300 years, and is the head shrine of the over 3,000 Kasuga Shrines to be found all around Japan. Surrounded by a primeval forest stands an impressive bright orange shrine building on the premises, which are also famous for the many gorgeous wisteria trees that come into full bloom in the spring. The shrine is located in Nara Park, and there are over a 1,000 deer roaming the grounds that are considered messengers from...