JPN: Wakayama Downtown

Wakayama City, Wakayama, Japan

Wakayama City is the capital and the largest of the nine cities of the prefecture bearing the same name. On average, it takes just about an hour by train from Osaka, and an hour and a half from Kyoto. The area occupied by the city was the centre of the ancient Kii Province (紀伊国), from which the Japanese bookshop chain Kinokuniya (紀伊国屋) derives its name.


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One of the highlights of the city is Wakayama castle, which was ranked as one of the most important castles under the Tokugawa shogunate due to its size.


I enjoyed my night walk at the gardens surrounding the castle, a go-to spot for cherry blossom viewing in spring.


Built in 1585, the castle is nestled on top of a small hill called Torafusu. It's open from 9.00am to 5.30pm daily.



The original keep was destroyed during World War II, but it's been faithfully restored.
The hill offers quite a nice view of the city.


There's a small zoo somewhere within the premise of the castle grounds.

On the southern end of the city is Marina City, a man-made resort island overlooking Wakaura Bay. Kuroshio Market, a bustling seaside fish market offering freshly caught seafood, is one of the main attractions there.

There are three tuna cutting shows each day at 11.00am, 12.30pm and 3.00pm.


To reach the market, my family and I took a 25-minute bus ride from Wakayama station. We had lunch there.



Besides seafood, there are many shops selling snacks.


So, so mouth-watering! What's your favourite skewer?
We stayed on the island till nightfall for Festa Luce, an annual illumination festival at Porto Europa, a full-scale reproduction of the streets of France, Italy and Spain.

I recall the entrance fee was ¥1,300 (~S$11.60) in 2022.



The event is typically held towards the end of the year till late January or early February of the following year.



Stepping onto circles that transitioned between vibrant hues brought joy to everyone involved.


Christmas market always makes me happy.
There are two relevant posts in my food blog:
- Kuroshio Market (Japanese)
- Sarashina (Japanese)

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