Home
Kansai
Wakayama

Wakayama right now

Sunday · 2026/11/01

USD ¥157.3
EUR ¥175.7
SGD ¥123
AUD ¥110.5

Festival · Wakayama · Kansai

Fire Festival at Cape Shionomisaki

At Cape Shionomisaki, a practical piece of land management becomes a spectacular celebration as flaming arrows set the grasslands ablaze each winter.

Kushimoto · 16 Jan 2027

Shrine · Wakayama · Kansai

Kumano Hayatama Taisha

Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingu, Wakayama, is one of the three grand Kumano shrines, known as a land of rebirth where pilgrims have long sought renewal.

Shingu

Festival · Wakayama · Kansai

Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Festival (Reitaisai)

Each April, Kumano Hongu Taisha holds its Reitaisai - three days of purification rites, beautiful sacred dance performances, and a grand palanquin procession.

Tanabe · 13–15 Apr 2027

Shrine · Wakayama · Kansai

Kumano Hongu Taisha

Kumano Hongu Taisha, heart of the Kumano Sanzan, traces its origins to before Emperor Jinmu - where legend says three moons descended to found the shrine.

Tanabe

Wakayama

Festival

Fire Festival at Cape Shionomisaki

At Cape Shionomisaki, a practical piece of land management becomes a spectacular celebration as flaming arrows set the grasslands ablaze each winter.

16 Jan 2027Kushimoto · Wakayama

Festival

Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Festival (Reitaisai)

Each April, Kumano Hongu Taisha holds its Reitaisai - three days of purification rites, beautiful sacred dance performances, and a grand palanquin procession.

13–15 Apr 2027Exact date not confirmed yetTanabe · Wakayama

Festival

Sand Festival at Shirarahama Beach

On the white sands of Shirarahama Beach in Wakayama, teams compete each summer to shape elaborate sculptures using nothing but sand and seawater.

24 May 2027Exact date not confirmed yetShirahama · Wakayama

Festival

Nachi Fire Festival

One of Japan's three great fire festivals, where giant torches purify the path to Nachi Waterfall at a sacred Kumano shrine each 14 July.

14 Jul 2027Exact date not confirmed yetWakayama

Festival

Kishu Odori "Bundara-bushi"

Kishu Odori Bundara-bushi, one of Wakayama's largest summer events, returns on 1 August, with thousands of dancers around Wakayama Castle.

31 Jul – 1 Aug 2027Exact date not confirmed yetWakayama

Festival

Benkei Matsuri

Tanabe in Wakayama holds a two-day festival for Benkei, the warrior monk it claims as its own, with a play at the shrine and 600 dancers in wooden clogs.

2–3 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetTanabe · Wakayama

Festival

Gobo Festival

Each October in Gobo, Wakayama, the region's largest autumn festival fills the streets with rival parish groups, dance, and towering, massive drum floats.

4–5 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetGobo · Wakayama

Festival

Mifune Festival

Each October, Kumano Hayatama Taisha holds the Mifune Matsuri, two days of sacred processions culminating in a thrilling fast-boat race on the Kumano River.

15–16 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetShingu · Wakayama

Quick poll

Castle

Wakayama Castle

Castle founded in 1585 by Toyotomi Hidenaga and later the seat of the Kishu Tokugawa family, with a keep rebuilt in 1958 and the Nishinomaru Garden.

Wakayama

Zoo & Wildlife

Wakayama Castle Park Zoo

Free zoo in the grounds of Wakayama Castle, dating from the Taisho era, with Humboldt penguins, European flamingos, red-crowned cranes and miniature horses.

Wakayama

Zoo & Wildlife

Adventure World

A wildlife park in Shirahama featuring diverse animal experiences, though its longtime giant pandas departed in June 2025.

Shirahama · Wakayama

Temple

Kongobu-ji (Koyasan)

Mount Koya is a sacred temple complex where the entire mountain is treated as one unified holy domain dedicated to Shingon Esoteric Buddhism.

Koya · Wakayama

Shopping

Kuroshio Market

A tuna-themed seafood market in Wakayama Marina City with a daily tuna cutting show, a seafood food court, a barbecue and a tuna buffet.

Wakayama

Area & Points of Interest

Kishi Station

Terminus of the Kishigawa Line in Kinokawa, known for its cat stationmasters, a shrine to Tama on the platform and a station building shaped like a cat face.

Kinokawa · Wakayama

Park & Garden

Nishinomaru Garden

Public garden within Wakayama Castle grounds featuring thousands of cherry blossom trees, a central pond, and a traditional tea house.

Wakayama

Temple

Kimiidera

A 1,250-year-old Buddhist temple in Wakayama that holds the second position on Japan's oldest pilgrimage route dedicated to Kannon worship.

Wakayama

Area & Points of Interest

Hashigui-iwa Rocks

A line of some forty rock pillars running out to sea at Kushimoto in Wakayama, left standing when the softer rock around them wore away.

Kushimoto · Wakayama

Area & Points of Interest

Engetsu Island

A small island off Shirahama in Wakayama with a round hole worn through its middle, which the setting sun passes into around the equinoxes.

Shirahama · Wakayama

Area & Points of Interest

Shirarahama Beach

A 620-metre beach of fine white quartz sand in Shirahama, Wakayama, and the first place on Honshu to open for swimming each year.

Shirahama · Wakayama

Religious Site

Okunoin (Koyasan)

The innermost sanctuary of Koyasan, where a two-kilometre path through ancient cedars and 200,000 graves leads to the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi.

Koya · Wakayama

Pilgrimage

Kumano Kodo

For over a thousand years, the Kumano Kodo has led pilgrims through the mountains of Kii to the sacred Kumano Sanzan shrines - now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wakayama · Kansai

Agoda9.2 ExceptionalTHE S3 Wakayama EkiCapsule hotel · 2-star

Agoda9.3 ExceptionalShirahama no Yado DaigoRyokan · 3-star · Nishimuro

Agoda9.2 ExceptionalJ-Hoppers Kumano Yunomine GuesthouseGuesthouse · 1-star · Tanabe

See all hotels in Wakayama on Agoda

Booking through our links earns us a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Wakayama right now

What's On, once a month