Visiting Spots in Wakayama City

Photo Collection of Other Spots in Wakayama City

Yosuien-1 — Harutomi Tokugawa, one of the lords of Wakayama Castle, made the garden called Yosui-en.

Yosuien-2 — Water in the pond is from the sea.

Kimii-dera Temple-1 — Kimii-dera Temle is near Waka-no-ura Area in the city.

Kimii-dera Temple-2 — It is the second temple of the Pilgrimage to Pray at 33 Kannon Temples in the West.

Cherry Trees in Full Blossom

Cherry blossoms are definitely one of the most popular flowers among Japanese people. In Japanese poetry after the 10th century (the Heian period), only a single Japanese word "hana" meaning "fowers or blossoms" has always referred to "cherry blossoms." It is also true in everyday conversation even now. For example, when someone says, "Let’s go viewing hana (flowers) in the park," the person intends to say, “Let’s enjoy the cherry blossoms in the park."

Cherry trees can be divided into two groups. One is a group of natural species and the other is that of garden species. Most of cherry trees we see in parks and other artificial places today are those of one garden species named "Somei-yoshino." The type was put on the market in the 19th century (in the late Edo period) for the first time. After that, it became so popular, and Japanese people have kept on planting the trees here and there. As a lot of cherry trees of the one variety have been planted in Japan, we can enjoy cherry blossoms blooming all together in early spring.

The cherry blossoms in Wakayama City are usually at their best late March and we can enjoy the pale pink blossoms at various spots.

Here are photos I took at Kimii-dera Buddhist Temple on March 28, 2023.

New Year’s Visit to Shrines or Temples

Late morning on January 1, 2023, my wife and I paid the first visit of the year to a nearby Shinto shrine called Nichizen-gu Shrine. We prayed for happiness and safety in the new year. Nichizen-gu is one of the high-ranking Shinto shrines in Wakayama. It is within walking distance of my place.

This custom to visit to pray happiness at shrines or temples in the New Year is called “Hatsu-mode” in Japanese. It is like a New Year ceremony for many Japanese including my wife and me. In our case, we visit Nichinen-gu Shrine, Idakisodo Shrine and Kokawa Buddhist Temple every year.

As I expected, a lot of people were already in Nichizen-gu when we went there, though even the high-ranking shrine usually have only a limited number of visitors except the new year.

I hear that there were much more people at the very beginning of the new year around 1 o'clock in the shrine.

Ebisu Festival at Higashi-no-miya Shrine

The festival is celebrated on the 9th, 10th and 11th in January every year. A lot of people praying for good business comes to the shrine and purchase bringers of good luck. Kagura dance is performed to please the deity.