Visit the homes of Wakayama’s specialty products such as ume and soy sauce.

Snow piles up and fierce cold is common in the north part of the Japanese islands, but Wakayama, located in the south, has a warm and pleasant climate. Winter in Wakayama is the time when the ume （an apricot like fruit) blossoms bloom. The vast ume groves of Minabe and Tanabe, which produce ume for the entire country, are open to the public in early February, and a variety of events are held during this period. The highlight is the scenery of white flowers blooming in profusion all over the mountains. You can refresh both mind and body by smelling the sweet fragrance and breathing in the refreshing air.

After enjoying viewing the ume blossoms, we recommend walking a bit north to Yuasa Town. Yuasa Town is known as the birthplace of soy sauce, and prospered as an inn town on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes from Kyoto. Even now the town is home to old-fashioned soy sauce breweries and townscapes. The Japanese-style homes along the lane allow you to experience the shape of ancient Japan, and feature items such as antique folk items displayed underneath the eves. This town shows a type of life which is rooted in the everyday and cannot be experienced in cities.

 

Related links

• Festivals & Events
• Ume groves (Minabe Ume Grove/Iwashiro Ume Grove)
• Ume Products (umeboshi [salt-pickled ume], umeshu [ume liqueur])
• Yuasa townscapes (soy sauce, etc.)
• Yuasa Soy Sauce/Kinzanji Miso