Nachi-Katsuura: A simple guide to Wakayama’s maguro town
Have you ever looked at the map of Japan and wondered what is on the peninsula to the south of Osaka? If you are looking to escape to the countryside for a few days while visiting popular cities like Osaka and Kyoto, look no further than the sacred grounds of Kumano Kodo (熊野古道) in Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県 Wakayama-ken) of the Kii Peninsula (紀伊半島 Kii-Hantō)!
This time, we will focus on the town of Nachi-Katsuura (那智勝浦). While it seems to be just a simple maguro (マグロ tuna) fishing town, it is a great place for a short getaway from the urbanity of the rest of Kansai, with ryokan inns, sightseeing spots, as well as access to one of the sacred Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes too. Here is a simple guide of places and activities that can help get you started on your Nachi-Katsutuna—I mean, Nachi-Katsuura—adventure.
Stay: Hotel Urashima
Maguro carving show at dinner! (Image credit: Bernhard Scheid / CC BY-NC 2.0)
While there are plenty of accommodation choices in this seemingly quiet town, none of them compares to Hotel Urashima. The hotel’s unique experience starts before you even arrive—from the port (6-minute walk from Kii-Katsuura Station), the hotel provides a free ferry ride around the bay before it arrives at the hotel’s doorsteps. Upon disembarking, the staff will then welcome you with a drumroll (yes, literally).
Instead of the usual one-indoor-plus-one-outdoor onsen facilities typically available in hotels, this hotel has five different onsen baths located all over the islet where the hotel is built upon. The most famous one of all is the bokido (忘帰洞) onsen which translates to “the cave where one forgets to return home”. Located within a cave, this unique hot spring location offers a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean, making it no wonder that any visitor would ever want to leave. Best of all, onsen hoppers who manage to visit all five onsen baths will also be able to get a small souvenir with every stamp collected at each onsen location.
You might think that that is way over-the-top but wait, there’s more! Every night at the dinner buffet, there is a counter dedicated to serving locally-caught maguro. The star of the show is the whole maguro that gets carved and served immediately to hungry guests. It just does not get any fresher than this.
Hotel Urashima (ホテル浦島)
Address: 1165-2 Katsuura, Nachikatsuura, Higashimuro-gun, Wakayama 649-5334
Nearest station: JR Kii-Katsuura Station (紀伊勝浦駅)
Tel: +81-735-52-1011
Immerse: Tuna Auction
Bluefin Tuna being inspected before the auction starts! (Image credit: Blue_Horse / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
If you haven’t gotten enough of maguro or tuna, you can take an early morning ferry from the hotel to watch the tuna auctions at the local market. The auctions start early in the morning at 7am, in which the town’s fresh catch is the prize of cut-throat bidding wars that take place amongst restaurants.
Katsuura Gyokyochiho Oroshiuri Market (勝浦漁協地方卸売市場)
Address: 7-8-2 Tsukiji, Nachikatsuura, Higashimuro-gun, Wakayama 649-5335
Nearest station: JR Kii-Katsuura Station (紀伊勝浦駅)
Opening hours: 6am–12pm (Daily)
Tel: +81-735-52-0951
Eat: Tuna Restaurants
One of the many restaurants in town serving their local specialty, maguro. (Image credit: Tom Maisey / CC BY 2.0)
After watching the auctions, you can head to one of the restaurants nearby and let the local artisans surprise you with their unique ways of preparing the freshest maguro. Some chefs are even creative enough to design a whole omakase menu with just maguro too!
Visit: Seiganto-ji Temple & Nachi Falls
You’ve probably seen this but had absolutely no idea where or what it is—until now. (Image credit: Nolan Di Meo)
A trip to Nachi-Katsuura is incomplete without a visit to Seiganto-ji Temple (青岸渡寺) and Nachi Falls (那智の大滝). A red pagoda with a narrow and tall waterfall that is often used in pictures promoting Japan, this iconic and stunning UNESCO heritage site can be easily accessed from the town of Nachi-Katsuura by bus (for free too, if you have the Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Area Tourist Pass).
Although this is one of the most accessible parts of the Kumano Kodo, just this area alone would give the beginner a hearty workout! The route from the base of the Nachi Waterfall leading all the way up to the pagoda is quite the climb, but there are many interesting shops along the way to stop along and see. One of the more interesting sights is cartons of soda placed in water running down the mountain to be chilled naturally instead of using refrigerators.
At the end of the climb, what awaits is a paradise so quiet, the waterfall in the distance is just barely audible. If you ever needed some sense of serenity and peace, few places in Japan can compare to what this very spot can offer.
Nachisan Seiganto-ji Temple (那智山青岸渡寺)
Address: 8 Nachisan, Nachikatsuura, Higashimuro-gun, Wakayama 649-5301
Nearest station: JR Nachi Station (那智駅)
Opening hours (temple grounds): 5am–4pm
Opening hours (pagoda): 8:30am–4pm
Admission fee (temple grounds): Free
Admission fee (pagoda): ¥300
Tel: +81-735-55-0401
Nachi Falls (那智の大滝)
Address: Nachisan, Nachikatsuura, Higashimuro District, Wakayama 649-5301
Nearest station: JR Nachi Station (那智駅)
While many visitors to the Nachi Falls usually leave from Osaka for a day trip, it is best to stay a night or two at Nachi-Katsuura to fully enjoy what the area offers. There are other towns and cities along the train route that are worth visiting too, like Wakayama City and Shirahama. Whether you are planning to visit Nachi just for a day trip or an extended vacation along the route, the Ise-Kumano-Wakayama Area Tourist Pass is definitely worth buying! For more information regarding the pass, feel free to contact us via jtbjrcafe.sg@jtbap.com.
Header image credit: Nolan Di Meo
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