Wakayama City Japan Wakayama
Japan

26 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Crystal Cruises (3 Cruises)

Norwegian Cruise Line (2 Cruises)

Oceania Cruises (6 Cruises)

Princess Cruises (15 Cruises)


Frequently Asked Questions

Ships berth at the port of Wakayama-Shimotsu, on an industrial mole with no services. Plan from the outset to leave the quay: cruise lines almost always run a shuttle to the main station or the foot of the keep, 15 to 20 minutes by road.
The castle and its grounds deserve a good hour and a half of wandering. Then add either Kimiidera and its 200 steps, or Wakaura Bay and Yosuien garden, or the Kuroshio market at Marina City. All three together is too much.
Only three families had the right to provide Japan with a shogun, and one of them ruled here: the Tokugawa of Kishu, birthplace of the eighth shogun Yoshimune. Founded in 1585 on the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the fortress overlooks the centre from its wooded mound, nicknamed the crouching tiger.
The best of it is outdoors: the walls of uneven stone, Nishinomaru garden and its pond shaded by maples, and above all the Ohashi Roka, a gently sloping covered bridge the lords used to cross out of sight. The rebuilt keep holds the clan's armour and documents.
A temple that has occupied a hillside since the eighth century, the second stage of the great Saigoku pilgrimage devoted to Kannon. It has to be earned: more than 200 stone steps climb between lanterns and camphor trees before reaching wooden terraces from which Wakaura Bay opens out below.
Kimiidera's cherry trees are among the first in the region to bloom, which earns the site particular affection among Japanese visitors. It is the busiest period of the year there.
Its pond connects to the sea, so the water level breathes with the tides, a rarity among Japanese gardens. It was created by a Tokugawa lord of Kishu, in Wakaura Bay, the bay the poets sang about.
This shore inspired the authors of the Manyoshu, the country's oldest poetry anthology. It also holds Kishu Toshogu shrine, perched at the top of a steep staircase, whose polychrome carvings echo the flamboyant style of Nikko on an intimate scale.
At the Kuroshio market at Marina City, an artificial island about ten kilometres from the centre. Tuna cutting demonstrations take place there regularly, followed by tastings at the counter.
The produce of the region's orchards: mikan mandarins and salted umeboshi plums fill the stalls. At table, Wakayama ramen, in a dark broth blending soy and pork, is served in tiny shops that also hand you hard-boiled eggs to peel yourself.