An artificial island floating in Wakayama Bay in Wakayama City, Wakayama which was completed in 1994 in line with the World Resort Exhibition. The island hosts a variety of leisure facilities, including Porto Europe, a theme park modeled after a European port town; a resort hotel; a marina; market; fishing park; day trip hot spring bath facility; and activity-oriented pavilions which present the appeals of Wakayama. The Kuroshio Market sells everything from offshore catches to international seafood, and here you can enjoy watching a tuna butchering show, various events, and seafood barbecuing.

At latitude 33° 25′ 59″ North and longitude 135° 45′ 45″ East, this cape is on the southern most tip of Honshu island. The vast expanse of the sea making an arc at the horizon is a site to see, especially at sunset when the whole sky is painted in coral colors. From the nearby observatory, Mt. Nachi can be seen.

One of the preeminent skyline parkways in the Kii Peninsula, this mountain road runs from the sacred Mt. Koyasan to via Mt. Gomadan to Ryujin Hot Spring. The tolls for this parkway were lifted in October 2003, allowing the beauty of the vibrant yellows and reds of the beech and mountain sumac trees to be enjoyed by all while overlooking the contiguous peaks of Kii. Famous as one of the best areas for cruising, this parkway is as one of the top 100 scenic roads in Japan. Although the roads are clear throughout the year, during the icy months of mid-December through the end of March, motorcycle passage is regulated.

"The main temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect, this temple is the core of Mt. Koyasan, holy land of the Shingon Esoteric Buddhism founded by Kukai (Kobo Daishi). This place is functioned as temple office for the whole of Mt. Koyasan. The best features include the lacquer paintings of the Kano school and the Unkoku school in the main hall which has a characteristic cypress-thatched roof, and the ""Banryutei"" which is one of the largest stone gardens in the country. In this stone garden, the cloud sea is represented by white pebbles, while two dragons, male and female, are depicted protecting the inner shrine."

A beautiful swimming beach considered one of the best of the Kinki region whose white sands stretch for 640 meters. Generally opened to the public around May 3 each year, the earliest on the main island of Honshu, the beach is popular for its equatorial beach resort-like atmosphere. In addition, Shirasuna, a large, pool-like mixed sex open-air bath (bathing suit required) is open year-round and can be used as a foot bath in winter.

"One of the Two Great Holy Sites of Mt. Koyasan, this land is where Kukai (Kobo Daishi) died while meditating. There is also a mausoleum where Kukai is said to still be meditating today. On the two-kilometer approach path that connects to the mausoleum features cedar trees which are 700 years old, as well as over 200,000 gravestones and memorial monuments of royalty to commoners. The toro lantern tower in front of the mausoleum is a must-see. At the front on the inside, the Kishin lanterns devoted by Kishin shonin and the Shirakawa lanterns devoted by the Emperor Shirakawa have remained burning for over 1000 years as an ""unquenched flame."" The area ahead of the Gobyo bridge closest to the mausoleum is holy land, so taking photographs is prohibited."

"Located right next to Wakayamadaigakumae Station on the Nankai Main Line. Connected directly to the station via a deck, this shopping mall is one of the largest in the prefecture. Making use of the area's natural terrain and its expansive grounds, the mall consists of five levels. The mall is occupied by some 210 tenants as well as the AEON Style Wakayama department store. Designed around the concept of a ""hill where smiles gather,"" tenants include a movie theater, pet shop, and medical clinic. A new face for Wakayama, the mall is a fun destination for young people and families alike."

You’ll find this seafood market on the manmade Wakayama Marina City island in Wakayama Bay, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture. The building has a retro Showa-period atmosphere complete with a fresh fish market with catches from the nearby sea and all over the world, a food court where you can enjoy a seafood rice bowl and sushi, and restaurants with tons of seafood options. There’s also a spectacular tuna slicing show held three times a day, not to mention a seafood barbecue area where you can feel the sea breeze and see the ocean while grilling fresh fish you bought at the market.

At this public facility, you can enjoy soaking in water from Ryujin Onsen, known as one of the three most beautiful hot springs in Japan. Located in Ryujin Village, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture. The free-flowing hot spring water is changed daily and has a nice cleansing feeling. The indoor baths include cypress baths and rock baths, and the open-air bath offers a great view of the mountain stream. It is open until 9 p.m., so you can enjoy stargazing as you bathe. There’s a lodging facility next door as well.

Here you can enjoy both the sea and the aquarium. Enjoy sites that you can’t see anywhere else including the world’s northernmost largest community of table coral and schools of swimming bluefin tuna. You can also try feeding the turtles and the tuna or go whale watching and check out the flying fish. In 2005 it joined the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

The Hashikuiiwa Rocks are about 40 rocks of various sizes in a row towering over the seashore from Kushimoto heading towards Oshima. The name comes from the fact that the row of rocks stretching for about 850 meters looks as though bridge piles have been left on the shore. At low tide visitors can walk to Bentenjima Islet which is nearly in the middle of the row. In addition to this sightseeing spot being selected as one of Japan’s 100 best places to watch the sunrise, as it is popular to watch the sun rise over the Hashikuiiwa Rocks, it has also been designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty and a Natural Monument.

This farmers market is about a 30-minute drive from the Hanwa Expressway's Sennan Interchange. The largest of the JA Kinosato locations, it's bursting with local produce like fruit and vegetables. They also have a variety of other items including flowers like spray mums, tricolor chrysanthemums, and roses, prepared foods like dried plums, pickles, and Kinzanji miso, handicrafts, and more. Their food court features items like gelato, soft serve cream, rice balls, and curry made with fine ingredients. Take-out is also available.

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.

A museum in Taiji, Taiji Town, Higashimuro County. Through various displays visitors can learn about the more than 400 year old relationship Taiji Town has had with whaling, as well as traditional whaling techniques, and the ecology of whales. Visitors can also watch the whales in action in dolphin and whale shows like the short-finned pilot whale show held in the natural pool built in the sea. The full scale skeleton of the world's largest animal, the blue whale, exhibited outdoors, is an impressive sight.

Knowns as the terraced rice fields of Aridagawacho, the beauty of the rice fields spreading out in a fan-shape led to it being chosen as one of “Japan’s Top Hundred Rice Fields.” A viewing platform has been constructed on the opposite shore of the Aritagawa River allowing you to enjoy the view of the rice fields through the changing seasons.

This facility preserves and displays invaluable Buddhist imagery and paintings from temples on Mt. Koya, such as the Kongobu-ji temple, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism. Opened in 1921, the museum's collection currently includes some 28 thousand important works of art, including 21 National Treasures, 143 Important Cultural Properties, and 16 Wakayama Prefecturally Designated Cultural Properties. During the extremely popular Great Treasure Hall Exhibition in summer, the museum displays the Eight Great Youths, a sculpture designated a National Treasure that was carved by Unkei, the greatest Buddhist imagery maker of the Kamakura period.

Cape Shiono is at the southernmost point of Honshu, the main island of Japan. This observation deck adjoins the sprawling grass field that unfurls at its tip, offering a sweeping view of the vast expanse of sea. The stunning view of the horizon showcases the Earth’s curvature brilliantly. You can receive a certificate as proof of your visit, too.

This multipurpose hall is located in Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture. Able to accommodate up to 8,500 people, it is used for a variety of sports and recreation events, concerts, exhibitions, and more. The building is modeled after a whale and can even shoot a jet of water into the air just like a whale. Appropriate to a prefecture known for its large quantities of wood, the ceiling, seat backboards, floor, and other fixtures make use of an abundance of wood. The facility also hosts a variety of classes and serves as a space for local residents to relax and improve their health through activities such as children's ballet, basketball, and tennis.

The general name for the four islands, Jinoshima, Torajima, Kamishima, and Okinoshima, between Wakayama Prefecture and Awajishima Island. On the uninhabited Okinoshima there are the remains of numerous forts giving it a look similar to the animated movie “Laputa: Castle in the Sky.” The azure sea surrounding the islands is beautiful and the walking course is popular.

A fishing port located in Nachikatsuura Town, a part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range World Heritage Site. The port serves as a base for tuna longline fishing and boasts the greatest catches of fresh tuna in Japan. Tuna auctions are also held here early in the morning, and visitors can watch this taking place from a second-floor observation deck. The Katsuura Fishing Port Nigiwai Market is held at the port every Sunday morning. Visitors to the market can purchase fresh seafood at bargain prices. In addition, the Nankikatsuura Onsen hot spring district is located right next door, making it easy to plan a fun-filled sightseeing route.

A Tendai sect Buddhist temple which is the first station on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage. Once a great Shugendo Shinto-Buddhist temple dedicated to Nachi Falls, it was divided into the Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine and Seiganto-ji Temple with the official order separating Buddhism and Shintoism in the country. The temple has long been a holy place in the Kumano faith, which seeks self-enlightenment through the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage. The temple’s main object of worship, a figure of Cintamanicakra, is said to have been found at the basin of Nachi Falls and enshrined here by Ragyo, a priest who came to Japan from India during the reign of Emperor Nintoku (313-399). The vermillion three-tier pagoda behind the main temple nave harmonizes with the falls and creates a beautiful (and popular) photo spot.

This highland area is spread between the towns of Aritagawa and Kimino. Surrounding the primary Oishigamine peak, elevation 870 meters, are pampas grasses inviting many visitors in early spring and during the autumn pampas grass season. The grasses are photogenic especially in the autumn dusk glow where they appear like shining gold. From the pinnacle, one can see the Izumi Mountain Range to the North, and Mt. Gomadan and other crests of inner Koya to the east. At night, one can even capture the star filled sky with the town lights in the backdrop. Because Koya can be reached by car, this is a spot that even a novice photographer feels like a professional.

These theme park, located on the manmade island “Wakayama Marina City” in Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture is modeled after a European port town. It is comprised of two zones: The “Porto Europa” and the “Park Pacific” amusement park. The Porto Europa zone features a French and Italian port town, buildings modeled after old Spanish castles, and other exotic elements. The amusement park has a Ferris wheel, roller coaster, water slide, and more. Entry is free.

Come experience this mystery filled theme park centered around ''People and Natural Energy!'' Try a variety challenges to overcome including The Maze, or Solar Town where you can learn all about renewable energy. Check out the mysterious pictures that fool your eyes with optical illusions in the Trick Art House. With these and many more there are a lot of ways to have fun while learning!