Wakayama Prefecture

The Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県, Wakayama-ken^? ) is located in the Kansai region, at the southernmost tip of the Kii Peninsula, south of the island of Honshū, in Japan. The capital is the city of Wakayama.

History

Today's Wakayama Prefecture is largely the western part of the former Kii Province.

Geography

Wakayama Prefecture: Cities in red, Brown Districts.

Cities

• Arida
• Gobō
• Hashimoto
• Iwade
• Kainan
• Kinokawa
• Shingū
• Tanabe
• Wakayama (capital)

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

• District of Arida
  • Aridagawa
  • Hirogawa
  • Yuasa
• Hidaka District
  • Hidaka
  • Inami
  • Hidakagawa
  • Mihama
  • Minabe
  • Yura
• Higashimuro District
  • Kitayama
  • Kozagawa
  • Kushimoto
  • Nachikatsuura
  • Taiji
• Ito District
  • Katsuragi
  • Kōya
  • Kudoyama
• Kaisō District
  • Kimino
• Nishimuro District
  • Kamitonda
  • Shirahama
  • Susami

Economy

Wakayama Prefecture is one of Japan's leading mandarin producers. Another source of income is generated by the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, as reflected in the American documentary The Cove.

Demographics

The population of Wakayama is one of the lowest in Japan, ranking 39th among the prefectures with 1,069,839 inhabitants in the year 2000.

Twinned regions

• ChinaChina, Shandong - April 18, 1984 Friendship.
• France, Eastern Pyrenees - 15 September 1993 Friendship.
• United States, Florida - April 10, 1995 Brotherhood.
• Mexico Mexico, Sinaloa - May 20, 1996 Friendship.
• SpainSpain, Galicia, Camino de Santiago and Kumano Kodō (Sacred sites and pilgrimage routes of the Mounts Kii) Brothers roads - October 9, 1998

Tourism

On July 7, 2004, “the sacred sites and pilgrimage routes of the Kii Mountains” were registered as a World Heritage Site. It consists of three sacred sites called “Yoshino Omine” which is a place for “self training”, “Kumano sanzan” which is the center of Kumano belief and “Koyasan" the capital of esoteric Buddhism of the Shingon sect, as well as a route that connects all these places called "The Way of Kumano".

Since ancient times these have been sacred sites for Shinto and Buddhism; driven by various beliefs such as ancient religions of nature worship and Buddhism, brought from China.

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  Onsen in Nachikatsuura

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  Cascada Nachi

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  Cascada Nachi

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  Konpon Daido (Monte Koya)

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  Daimonzaka

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  Daimonzaka

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  Wakayama Castle

Miscellaneous