Wakayama

Tanabe

Kumagusu

Hongu

Nearby Places of Interest

Tanabe City Course

Required time：Approx. 2 hr.

Tanabe long ago prospered as a post town along the Kumano-Kodo and a key port for navigating around Kishu. It later grew as the center of government, economics and culture for the southern part of Wakayama. It is the native home of Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba and it can be enjoyed for the feudal atmosphere of a castle town and the plentiful fruits of the sea yielded from the offshore. Come and taste for yourself the unique character of Tanabe.

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Kumagusu Minakata Course

Required time：Approx. 3 hr. 30 min.

Kumagusu Minakata (1867-1941) was a world-renowned naturalist born in Wakayama. From age 20 to 34, he studied in the USA, UK and other countries, published many papers inside and outside Japan including for the British scientific journal “Nature” and left behind many great achievements. After returning home, he spent half of his life researching slime molds and cryptogrammic plants as an independent scholar.

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Hongu Hot Spring and World Heritage Sites Course

This course walks the Nakahechi pilgrimage route to Kumano and Kumano Hongu Grand Shrine, and gives travelers a chance to refresh their bodies and minds in the warm waters of Hongu Hot Spring. The pilgrimage to Kumano was started over a thousand years ago by the nobility of Kyoto and was a journey for renewing the soul and seeking heaven on earth. Those wishes are carried on by many people today who make their way to the area.

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Wakayama Tourism Federation TEL: (+81)-73-441-2789 FAX : (+81)-73-427-1523 E-Mail : e0625001@pref.wakayama.lg.jp