Photo Collection of Waka-no-ura Area
A lighthouse at the Cape Saikazaki.
A view from the lighthouse (Wakayama Port and Kada Area)
Another view from the lighthouse. A part of Setonaikai Sea National Park.
Saiakazaki Fishing Port. This port has a long history.
You can walk up to the top of a hill in the area.
The hill called Takozushi-yama has an observatory.
A view from the observatory (Suiken Area including Yosui-en Garden).
The hill has a comfortable nature walk.
There is a beautiful shrine at the end of the natural walk.
Wakaura Ten-man-gu Shrine. National Important Cultural Asset.
The next Shrine. Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, is enshrined here.
The gate of Kishu Tosho-gu Shrine.
Furo-bashi Bridge (meaning "Eternal Youth" Bridge)
Tamatsu-shima Shrine. A deity of waka poetry is enshrined here.
Info on Waka-no-ura Area
Access
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The area is in the southern part of the city.
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The distance from JR Wakayama Station is around 7 kilometers (4.4 miles).
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Bus services to Waka-no-ura area are operated from the railway station and there are some different bus routes to the area. You can check the information about the bus routes at Wakayama Bus. As the number of the bus services is limited, taxis may be much more convenient.
History
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The area was already well known among aristocrats in the capital of Nara as a scenic spot in the 8th century. Courts poets comped tanka poems to praise the beauty of the place. Tanka poems are also called waka poems in Japanese and waka means "Japanese song." The name "waka" became the origin of the place name of Wakayama, which means "waka mountain." The place name "Waka-no-ura" means "inlet of waka."
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Waka-no-ura was also an important place for the lords of Wakayama Castle in the Edo period. The Tokugawa family in Kii Domain built Kishu- tosho-gu, a shrine dedicated to the founders Ieyasu and Yorinobu.
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The coast area became a major tourist destination for those live in the Kansai area including Osaka in the late 19th century and it attracted a lot of visitors until the 1960's. The Japanese road system in those days was not as good as today, this area which was relatively close to the populated area was one of the first choices for a lot of vacationers.
Characteristics
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The number of visitors to Waka-no-ura has been greatly decreased, but the charm of the area has not changed at all. Especially for those who like hiking, walking course in the area is a good place to enjoy comfortable walking and visiting attractive spots as follows.
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You can enjoy a beautiful ocean view at Saigasaki Lighthouse. This spot is designated as a part of the Setonaikai National Park.
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You can walk down through houses of a community of Saigasasaki Fishing Port and then walk along a pleasant seaside esplanade to Ta-no-ura Fishing port at the food of Takozushi-yama.
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Walking-up route to the top of Takoushi-yama may be steep a little bit, but the way is less than 1 kilometer (0.6 miles). You must be satisfied with the 360-degree view from the peak of Takazushi-yama. The name "Takozushi" means "a shape of an octopus head" in Japanese.
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A hiking path through woods from the observatory to Waka-ura Tenmangu Shrine is beautiful.
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Waka-ura Tenmangu Shrine is one my favorite places. Every time I visit the shrine, I am always moved to see the traditional wooden building of the shrine built about 400 years ago.
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Kishu Toshogu Shrine was founded by Yorinobu Tokugawa, the tenth son of Ieyasu (the first shogun of the Tokugawa government), to enshrine his father in 1619. The walls of the wooden building have colorful sculptures which are just like those of Nikko Toshogu in Tochigi Prefecture.
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Tamatsu-shima Shrine originally started in the 8th century, when Emperor Shomu, who built the Great Buddha in the 8th century, and praised the beautiful scenery. Four deities including a deity for waka poetry are enshrined here. The area has another traditional shrine located under a rock, and a stone bridge made in the Edo period just in front of Tamatsu-shima Shrine.