AEG - Wakayama Prefecture Profile

Wakayama Prefecture Profile

Natural features

"Wakayama" is the prefecture where spring comes before anywhere else in Honshu, the biggest island in the Japanese archipelago. Sunflowers bloom even during the period from mid-November to mid-December in "Taiji Town", well known as a town of whaling, while you can enjoy stocks of coral in the sea of Kushimoto Town at the southernmost part of Honshu where the annual average sea water temperature is 21｡C. However, in the area along the Koya-Ryujin Skyline passing at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meter, you can also see trees covered with snow in the coldest season of the year. Wakayama is a prefecture where you can enjoy such a wide variety of natural beauty throughout the year.

Climate and vegetation

The sea of Black Current provides a warm climate throughout the four seasons. In the coastal areas, the average annual temperature is 16｡C and in Shionomisaki located at the southernmost end of Honshu, in particular, the average temperature is as high as 7｡C and there is hardly any occasion of snowfall even in the month of January. On the other hand, in the mountainous areas such as Koyasan, Ryujin, etc., the summer is cool and comfortable because of a high altitude and the average temperature in July is 22｡C. The amount of rainfall is 3,000 mm or so in the annual average of the entire prefecture, with a bit of tropical atmosphere as exemplified by the presence of virgin forests and groups of subtropical plants in wooded regions.

Geographical characteristics

Wakayama Prefecture is located in the southwestern part of the Kii Peninsula facing Osaka Prefecture in the north, Nara and Mie Prefectures in the east, Tokushima Prefecture of the Shikoku Island across the Kii Channel in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the south. The total surface area is 4,723.22 km2, and the greater part of the prefecture is mountainous areas where vast forests spread, as it is befitting to the old name "country of Ki (tress)" of this region. Flat lands open along rivers such as Kinokawa River, etc. flowing between mountains and hills of the hilly district of Kii.

Men and history

The rich natural environments blessed with bright sunshine and warm climate have produced people full of honesty and enterprising spirit, as represented by Yoshimune, 8th Shogun of TOKUGAWA. Other names of note include SAIGA Magoichi (leader of a revolt of a Buddhist sect against the central government) in Sengoku era (warlike age), MUTSU Munemitsu and KATAYAMA Tetsu as political figures, MATSUSHITA Konosuke in the business world, poet SATO Haruo and novelist NAKAGAMI Kenji in literature, and, in the field of science, HANAOKA Seishu who practiced the world's first operation under general anesthesia and MINAKATA Kumagusu who was a talented naturalist, etc.

Culture and festivals

The gigantic religious zones such as Koyasan, Kumano-Sanzan, etc. have long been worshipped not only by locals but also by many believers from all parts of Japan. Moreover, in the Sengoku era, Negoroji Temple exercised a great power comparable to that of a "daimyo" (=feudal load) and this district had presented an aspect of a kind of religious kingdom until it was finally conquered by TOYOTOMI Hideyoshi. Later, Hideyoshi assigned his younger brother Hidenaga as governor of this district while TOKUGAWA Ieyasu, (who overthrew the reign of TOYOTOMI family), had his tenth son Yorinobu govern the area. People of Wakayama in those days seem to have had a strong spirit of independence from and defiance against the central government. See "Festivals & Events".

Industries

The component ratio of persons at work by industrial sectors is 13% in the primary sector, 29% in the secondary sector and 58% in the tertiary sector, with the number of workers in the primary sector 5 percentage points higher than the national average. In the field of agriculture, this prefecture produces a variety of products especially fruits such as mandarin orange, "ume" (Japanese apricot), "kaki" (Japanese persimmon), etc. and vegetables, flowering plants, etc. and their productivity is high. As this district used to be called "country of trees" since olden times, the forestry of Wakayama produces timbers of excellent quality centering on "sugi" (Japanese cedar) and "hinoki" (Japanese cypress). In the fishing industry, coastal fishery and breeding fishery are widely practiced and the amount of catch of cutlass fish, mackerel and lobster ranks among the largest in Japan.

One-point tourist guide

Wakayama Prefecture is full of excellent tourist attractions such as Koyasan having Kongobuji Temple, which is the head temple of a Buddhist sect "Shingon", as nucleus, Kumano Sanzan (lit. 3 mountains of Kumano, representing 3 major Shinto shrines of Kumano-Hongu, Kumano-Hayatama and Kumano-Nachi) symbolized by "Pilgrimage of Ants to Kumano", historic resources such as Wakayama Castle which was the headquarters of the feudal clan of Kii, "Doro-Hatchoo" of Kumano River famous for special spots of scenic beauty and natural monuments designated by the government, "Ki-no-Matsushima" where a number of large and small islands are scattered here and there, "Shionomisaki Cape" located at the southernmost point of Honshu, natural scenery centering on the coastal beauty spots such as "Waka-no-Ura" woven in poems of "Manyoshu" in ancient times, big hot spring resorts of Shirahama and Katsuura and other hot springs like Ryujin-Onsen, Kawayu-Onsen, etc. which have been known as excellent spas of Kishu (province of Ki) since olden times.

Transportation access

Wakayama City is accessible in approximately 40 minutes from Kansai Airport by Japan Railways, Nankai Railways of limousine bus. From Shin-Osaka Station of Shinkansen, limited express "Super Kuroshio" runs through Wakayama City (1 hour) up to Shingu (3 hours 45 minutes). From Nanba in Osaka City, limited express "Southern" of Nankai Railways connects with Wakayama City in 1 hour, while from Nagoya limited express "Nanki" of Japan Railways takes you to Kii-Katsuura in 3 hours 35 minutes.
From the metropolitan area, there is an air service of Japan Air Systems (JAS) with an 1-hour flight (after introduction of jet plane) between Haneda and Shin-Nanki-Shirahama airports, while a ferry service is available to Katsuura-Ukui port (every other day) and there are also high-speed overnight bus services to Wakayama City from Shibuya, Chiba, Yokohama-Machida and to Shingu City and Nachi-Katsuura Town from Ikebukuro.
From the Shikoku Island, a high-speed boat connects between Tokushima port and Wakayama port in 1 hour, and ferry services are provided from Komatsushima port to Wakayama port (2 hours). Ferry services are also available from Kochi to Katsuura-Ukui port (every other day).