Waterfalls and Pandas

During Golden Week this year I went to Wakayama prefecture for three days. It was my second time going there, but I spent the first two days going to places I had never been before. I planned to go last summer but cancelled due to a big earthquake which disrupted a lot of my trip plans. I originally planned to try and go again this summer, however due to recent news I decided to go as soon as possible, and I had a good chance to go during golden week.

The first day we trained all the way from Okayama to Nachi. It took about five hours. Our main destination was the famous Nachi waterfall. We had to take a bus to get there from the train station. However, we got off at the bottom of the mountain and did a short hike from a spot called ‘Daimonzaka’. It was a beautiful hike, and when we got to the top of the hillside there was a shrine and a temple. Shortly after, we started to descend the mountain in a different direction, towards the famous waterfall. On the way there is a pagoda called ‘Seiganto-Ji’. The pagoda with the waterfall in the background is a famous photo spot, and you can see it in many tourism promotions. After that, we went down to the base of the waterfall. It is quite amazing to see it in person.  The waterfall has a drop of 133 meters and is the longest uninterrupted drop in Japan. It is regarded as a very sacred place. You can pay a few hundred yen to go to a viewing platform slightly closer to the waterfall. You can even pay to drink some of the pure water from it.

The next day we went to Shirahama. Our destination for the day was Adventure World. Adventure World is famous for its four pandas. Recently there was the sad news that all four are going to be sent to China in late June. This was a big inspiration for us to suddenly go to Wakayama and see them before they go. Even though it was a weekday, it was no surprise that the pandas were super popular. They were surrounded by people taking their pictures non-stop all day. Even when they were sleeping. A lot of the park guests were dressed from head to toe in all panda merchandise too. Adventure World does not only have pandas, however. There was an aquarium area with hundreds of penguins. They even had dolphin show and other animal shows throughout the day. One part is also a safari park which you can either walk around or ride a train to see the more dangerous animals up close. There is a large variety of different types of animals and things to do throughout the day. They even have some amusement park attractions.

We stayed at a nice hotel near the beach in Shirahama and spent our last day around the area. Unfortunately, in the morning it rained quite a lot. Around midday it suddenly went from windy and rainy to a gorgeous sunny day over our heads. We went to several different places throughout the day. The first we went to is called ‘Sandanbeki’. The area has many high cliffs next to the ocean, and there is a famous cave. You can take an elevator down and explore it. The cave was used by the Kumano Naval Force a long time ago to hide their ships. After that we went to a place called ‘Senjojiki’ nearby. It has a large rock plateau which you can freely walk and climb around. It is a great photo spot and popular with tourists. On the way back to the town center we enjoyed a foot hot spring. But we were getting a little tight on time and went to our last destination before our trip home, the Tora Tora Fish Market. The market is very famous in Wakayama and has many different shops inside and outside. There is also a large food court there with a huge variety of rice bowls. You can buy all kinds of food, as well as souvenirs and gifts there, so it is a great place to stop by if you are in Shirahama.

Wakayama takes some time to get to, but it is a really nice place to visit. There is great seafood, beautiful scenery, and various activities to do. While I did not have a chance to visit this time, there are also amazing places like Mt. Koya. and the Kumanokodo. It is worth a visit if you have the chance.