Wakayama (和歌山) - June 2016

11-June-2016 - Let me first tell you how I ended up here. Everyone have heard of Kansai and Osaka, but not many people have heard of Wakayama. I was here last June 2016 because I attended a tourism talk in Marina Bay Sands one innocent weekend, and a representative of Wakayama was introducing his beautiful hometown to us all. And what caught my attention most was outdoor cave onsen. So Wakayama was where we ended up. And even before I complete my blog post of this place, I just want to say that this was by far the best Japan trip I ever took, with the most beautiful scenic view, and friendly people everywhere. 

This trip was planned way ahead, so we travel via Singapore Airlines to Kansai Airport (SGD800). It was a day flight, and we reached around night time. We caught the last airport limousine bus to Wakayama City and checked in to our Hotel - Hotel Granvia. I picked this hotel because it was easy to get to, and near the Wakayama train station, taking into consideration that we were arriving at night (almost 1030pm). Welcome drink was from a vending machine on the same floor of our room. Most shops were closed so that was our first day of our trip: Airport -> Hotel -> Sleep.

The next morning, this was the view we woke up to. If you zoom in, you can see Wakayama Castle in the photo on top of the small hill. After living in Singapore for so long, seeing any landscape is really refreshing. Sadly, that was all we saw of Wakayama, cause we spend most of our trips at the country side and outskirt. 

Connected to the hotel is actually a department shore, and there were a few connecting to each other as well. We visited the basement multiple times, to stock up on breakfast, and sometimes lunch, and lastly souvenirs. Very convenient. And the train station was also connected, so it was  a great place to transit. Kaisen Bento was awfully cheap here, around Y1000 with lots of fresh fish. Kansai area was also famous for picked fish sushi which I love. They sell at around Y700 for a pack, and if you buy them in Singapore, it cost 3 times more! 

This is the sign that greeted us at the train station. Isn't it cute? Initially I wanted to visit one of the small station in Wakayama which has a cat as it's station master. Although the original cat has already passed away, they actually got another cat to take over the job. Japan is a very cat country. And its nice they put it in their public transport sign as well. 

More post to come as I continue on telling you about our journey to the following places. Do note that Wakayama is not as tourist friendly as Osaka or Kyoto, but the people there are so friendly that it's ok to just go there with an open mind. I was in my 3rd year of Japanese Study, and managed to survive this trip wonderfully with my new found conversation skill. 

• Koyasan
• Yunomine Onsen
• Kumano Kodo
• Nachi Taki
• Urashima

Ref:
Wakayama
Kansai Airport Limousine Bus
Hotel Granvia Wakayama