Wakayama Castle/Wakayama

Wakayama, its former name Kii, was governed by the 10th son of the first Shogun of Tokugawa in 1619. The Tokugawa branch of Kii took the role of supplying the Shogun in case of no succession to the Shogun from the principal family, leading 260 years Tokugawa Shogun's military government.


The passage to the keep of Wakayama Castle reminds us of the olden days, and is completely open to public. The local people are enjoying the stroll. Unfortunately, the buildings were burnt down because of the fire, once by lightning in 1846, and the other by the war in 1945. It was restored in 1958 by the local people.

There was a mantis trying to climb up the fortress.

You may enjoy walking along the special corridor covered by walls to the Western Garden and Ninomaru, 2nd Garden. A cup of green tea and season's sweet is very nice in a situation surrounded by the autumn leaves.
Wakayama is famous for Ramen, yellow noodle. Recently one of the Ramen shop invented the noodle containing charcoal, another local product. It is said to contribute to the smooth digestion of food in the stomach. Although we don't want to eat food only for it, it is different and tasty.
Wakayama is only 1.5 hour away by the Limited Express, which often runs from Kyoto or Shin Osaka.