Experiencing Wakanoura in a variety of ways
Direct seafood sales
The Saikazaki Fisheries Cooperative Association sells freshly caught seafood direct to consumers.
- Inquiries: Saikazaki Fisheries Cooperative Association 073-444-2282
*The Association recommends calling in advance.
- Address: Saikazaki, Wakayama
- Closed: Tuesdays, Saturdays, and days before public holidays
- Hours: Mid October through mid May: From 3:00 pm
Mid May through mid October: From 8:30 pm
Standup paddleboarding
tandup paddleboarding (SUP) lets you enjoy views of scenery that you can't see from the shore as you observe fish in the ocean and enjoy a sense of wide, open space.
- Inquiries: KAZE 073-447-1545
- Address: 989 Kemi, Wakayama
- Closed: Wednesdays
- Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Cost: ¥3,800
- Reservations: Required no later than two days in advance
Sea kayak tours of Wakanoura
With no motor, sea kayaks let you experience the waves and wind in the most direct way possible as you paddle your environmentally friendly craft. There's no better way to enjoy the natural beauty of Wakanoura than from a sea kayak!
- Inquiries: Eddy Outdoor Shop 073-447-1045
- Address: 5-5-47 Shioya, Wakayama
- Closed: Tuesdays and Wednesday (office); open year-round (tours)
- Office hours: 11:00 am to 8:00 pm
- Cost: Full day, ¥10,000 (9:30 am to 3:30 pm);
half-day, ¥6,000 (9:00 am to 11:30 am or 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm)
- Reservations: Required no later than two days in advance (minimum party of two)
Beach seine experience
Experience what it's like to fish using a technique known as beach seining on the sandy beaches of Wakanoura, a registered Japan Heritage site. Then enjoy the fish you caught raw as sashimi, minced, or grilled. (Fees apply.)
- Inquiries: Yabushin 090-3281-1149
- Address: 1-1 Shinwakaura, Wakayama
- Dates: March through November
- Cost: From ¥70,000 per seine (excluding tax)
- Reservations: Required
Negoro lacquerware experience
Try your hand using sandpaper to sand away a layer of vermillion lacquer on a plate to reveal the black coat underneath, and in the process create an attractive design. You can vary the shade of the black by adjusting how much pressure you apply to the sandpaper. You can even create pictures and letters to make a plate that's one-of-a-kind.
- Inquiries: Kuroe Lacquer Museum 073-482-5321 / mail@kuroe.info
- Address: 680 Kuroe, Kainan
- Closed: Tuesdays, Wednesday (open on public holidays)
- Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Cost: Flower-shaped plate, ¥1,200; crescent tray, ¥1,500 (shipping not included)
*Your plate or tray will be coated in lacquer and sent to your home (after about one month).
- Reservations: Required
Gold lacquer painting experience
Kuroe is known as one of the three great centers of lacquerware production in Japan, and its history can be traced back to the Muromachi period. You can experience the traditional decorative technique of gold lacquer painting at the Uruwashi Museum.
- Inquiries: Uruwashi Museum at the Kishu Lacquer and Traditional Industry Center 073-482-0322
- Address: 222 Funoo, Kainan
- Hours: Individuals, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm (Saturdays and Sundays);
groups of 10 or more, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm (daily)
- Cost: Round tray ¥1,500; oval tray, ¥2,000; bento lunch box, ¥2,500
- Reservations: Required
Narrator-guided walk on the Kumano Kodo Road
Enjoy scenic beauty and historic sites as you take a walk along the Kumano Kodo Road with a narrator guide.
- Inquiries: Kainan City Sightseeing Association 073-483-8461
- Gather at: JR Kainan Station
- Dates: Year-round
- Cost: ¥10,000 per group (up to 20)
- Reservations: Required one month in advance
Narrator-guided walk through a Kuroe townscape
Enjoy the unique townscape of this lacquer-producing community with 400 years of history, a registered Japan Heritage site, with a narrator guide.
- Inquiries: Kainan City Sightseeing Association 073-483-8461
- Gather at: Kishu Lacquer and Traditional Industry Center (222 Funoo, Kainan)
- Dates: Year-round
- Cost: ¥1,000 per hour per group (up to 20)
- Reservations: Required one month in advance
Narrator-guided walk through Wakanoura
Enjoy a leisurely stroll through Wakanoura, a spot of scenic beauty that moved and inspired the Man'yo poets of Yamato 1,300 years ago. The tidal flats' bracing salt breezes and blue ocean waters will soothe your heart.
- Inquiries: Wakayama City Tourist Association 073-433-8118
- Dates: Year-round
- Cost: ¥1,000 per guide (one hour; includes narrator guide) + ¥1,000 (to cover transportation costs)
- Reservations: Required
Plum wine- and syrup-making experience
Try making plum wine using Nankoume plums, a premium variety that's usually impossible to find. Choose the type of sugar and alcohol you use to suit your preferences, and the result will be an authentic plum wine with your very own, original flavor.
- Inquiries: Tourism Section, Nakano B.C. Co., Ltd.
Phone: 0120-050-609 (toll-free, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm)
Fax: 0120-017-269 (24 hours a day)
Nakano BC brewery reservation site
- Address: 758-45 Fujishiro, Kainan
- Closed: Open year-round (except over the New Year's holiday and for scheduled events)
- Hours: Three sessions, starting at 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm
- Cost: Plum wine, ¥2,160 (including tax); plum syrup, ¥1,620 (including tax)
- Reservations: Required no later than three business days in advance
Tour of the Nakano BC brewery
Pass through a Japanese garden with an area of almost 10,000 square meters where you can experience seasonal beauty throughout the year and then tour a modern plum wine and sake brewery. You can sample about 20 different varieties in the gift shop.
- Inquiries: Tourism Section, Nakano B.C. Co., Ltd.
Phone: 0120-050-609 (toll-free, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm)
Fax: 0120-017-269 (24 hours a day)
Nakano BC brewery reservation site
- Address: 758-45 Fujishiro, Kainan
- Closed: Open year-round (except over the New Year's holiday and for scheduled events)
- Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (last tour starts at 4:00 pm)
- Cost: Free
- Reservations: Required