A wonderful, magical place. I really loved the serene atmosphere here.

This unesco area is serene esp without the crowd after 5pm

One of my favourite Temples in Japan so fat

Felt underwhelming a bit. It’s obviously gorgeous and has a big significance in the Kumano Kodo route but it’s quite small and there’s not much to explore.

One of the most important shrines in Japan. Worth a visit.

An amazing site, in terms of architecture and prominence, I believe this is the grandest of the 3 Taishas in the area. Nestled in the mountains and in a small town, it does take some effort getting to, unless of course you are already attempting the Kumano Kodo trail.

I like the contrast brown color. All other temple/shrine around here are orange.

A beautiful pilgrim shrine in the forest.

In my opinion this is the grandest of the three grand shrines. It's closed to visitors however what you can see is truly impressive. There is a section of Kumano-Kodo 20 min walk (uphill!) from the shrine that takes you to a torii gate lookout-definitely worth doing if you don't mind hiking. Photo of the viewpoint below

One can visit Kumano Nachi Taisha , Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Hongu Taisha - UNESCO World Heritage Site in a day's Trip ! A famous tourist Attraction situated in Wakayama Prefecture

The finishing point of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage. You can collect the final stamp for the pilgrim passport here. There are also ema (wooden prayer cards) and other charms for sale, and you can pray at the main shrine. While all of the Kumano Kodo shrines are ubique and have their own charm, as the main shrine this one is a must visit. It is also easily accessible by car.

A very spiritual temple on the Kumano-kodo trail. It's a small village with cafes and shops. The giant torii cast a magnificent shadow to the rice fields. This places invites you to slow down and meditate. One of the highlights of the Kumano-kodo trail.

Great shrine to walk into on the Kumano Kodo and easy bus access if not walking plenty of Onsen villages to stay around area too

There is a kiosk just outside the passenger gate. Great if there is a 7-11 or any convenience store.

friendly station attendant,the place is clean

As is usual with tourist places in Japan, the service is remarkable! Well informed guides present with information related to activities, sights, latest information on trekking routes, and weather related alerts. You can get maps, schedules for free!

What can you day? It's a train station. However, the staff were really helpful and there was plenty of seating while I waited for my train.

Clean and officiant

Helpful staff

(Translated by Google) There is an information center, Mitarai, and 7-Eleven nearby. There was a chair in front of the ticket gate, which was nice because I could sit down while waiting for the train. There is a beautiful Benkei statue in front of the station. (Original) 周りに案内所、御手洗、セブンイレブンがあります 改札前に椅子があり、電車を待つ際に腰掛けられるので良かったです 駅の前には立派な弁慶がいます

(Translated by Google) A station on the JR West Kinokuni Line (Kise Main Line). There is a double-track line from Wakayama Station to this station, and a single-track line from this station to Kameyama Station, and with some exceptions, you can change trains at this station. There is no 7-Eleven Heart Inn located at the station south of this station (the convenience store at Shirahama Station is under the name of Souvenir Highway and is non-branded). Currently there is a Midori-no-madoguchi counter and a Midori-no-ticket vending machine... (Original) JR西日本きのくに線(紀勢本線)の駅。和歌山駅から当駅までは複線、当駅から亀山駅は単線路線となっており、普通列車も一部を除いて当駅で乗り換え。駅にあるセブンイレブンハートインは当駅より南には無い(白浜駅にあるコンビニはお土産街道名義でノンブランドです)。現状みどりの窓口とみどりの券売機があるが…

Parque ecológico para toda la familia. Es un zoológico combinado con parque marino y parque de atracciones. Hay opciones para toda la familia y todos los gustos. No hace falta hacer fila si se tiene boleto. Dentro del parque hay espectáculos (costo incluido en el boleto) a horas fijas. Es posible ver (en algunos casos también tocar) a muchos animales y aves. Se puede llegar en autobús desde la estación Shirahama (JR) en lo simpáticos autobuses con estampado de panda. El pasaje por persona está en 300 yenes. (Translated by Google) Ecological park for the whole family. It is a zoo combined with a marine park and an amusement park. There are options for the whole family and all tastes. No need to queue if you have a ticket. Inside the park there are shows (cost included in the ticket) at fixed hours. It is possible to see (in some cases also touch) many animals and birds. It can be reached by bus from Shirahama Station (JR) on the cute panda-patterned buses. The ticket per person is 300 yen.

パンダで有名だけあって、元気に動くパンダが見られるのはすばらしいです。パンダ以外にもたくさん動物がいて、みんな元気。特にサファリツアーがよかったです。 スタッフの方が運転してくれる車で家族でサファリツアー。象やさいに餌をあげるオプション付き。すごく楽しかったし、貴重な経験でした。超おすすめです。 イルカショーやいろいろな体験があるので、事前に予約チケットをとることをおすすめします。当日では体験できないものもあります。 乗馬体験があり、同伴者が参加しました。それも楽しそうでおすすめです。 都会のレジャー施設のように長い待ち時間もないし、食事を食べるところに困ることもなくて、とても充実した時間を過ごせます。ぜひぜひまた行きたいです。 (Translated by Google) It's famous for its pandas, so it's wonderful to see pandas moving so energetically. There are many other animals besides pandas, and they are all healthy. I especially enjoyed the safari tour. A family safari tour in a car driven by a staff member. Includes an option to feed the elephants and sai. It was a lot of fun and a valuable experience. Highly recommended. There are dolphin shows and various other experiences, so we recommend that you reserve tickets in advance. There are some things you can't experience on the day. There was a horseback riding experience, and my companion participated. It looks like fun too and I recommend it. There are no long waiting times like at leisure facilities in the city, and you don't have to worry about finding a place to eat, so you can have a very fulfilling time. I would definitely like to go again.

We recently visited the park and we enjoyed it. You can get up close with some of the animals as they are not in the cage and seems that they are used to the people around them. We also like the Kenya Train as it goes around the safari world and into the carnivore section. But if you want to get up close with the herbivore animals in the safari, try the walking safari trail. The dolphin show is also very good. There are many dolphins than we expected so my daughter really enjoyed it. One of the reason that we came was to see a real panda and we were not disappointed. It was a Panda Fes day and the park has several events regarding Pandas.

An expansive zoo/aquarium/amusement park that you can enjoy for hours. There are a number of animals that you can get up close to and touch here that you can’t do in other zoos. (Emus, peacocks, capybaras, hippos, giraffes, etc) The dolphin show is very enjoyable and you can tell they take good care of them. My only gripe is that at nearly 5000 yen admission, the theme park rides like the ferris wheel and go karts should be included. Charging extra for those is a bit ridiculous, and it seems most people agree. I didn’t see a single person on the go kart track in 4 hours.

2022.03 公式によれば2023年4月月初より入園料が値上げされている（おとな1人＝5300円、駐車料金＝1200円）。しかも中高生でも4300円･･っておとなとそんなに変わらねぇじゃん。 行った当時はおとな1人で4800円？かかったのプラス、駐車料金（1000円？）もしっかり徴収された。時代の流れに沿って今後の値上げもあり得るか。 パンダで有名。タイミングが合えば子パンダのお披露目もあるが、そういう時は人がぎっしりいるのでちょっとしたストレスになるかも。 動物色強めの遊園地ってイメージ。動物色が強いのでイルカとのふれあいももちろん、広大な敷地を利用したサファリ体験もある。よって遊園地は専門店ほどの乗り物は充実してないが、十分に楽しめると思う。どちらかと言えば小さい子向けのアトラクションが多めか。ただし遊園地は冒頭に記載した入場料とは別。乗り物フリーパスは2000円なので、3～4個のライドで元は取れるか。 太平洋から遠いわけではないので、大地震の後の大津波に･･とはならないよう願う。 総合的には☆3.85～4.05か。 (Translated by Google) 2022.03 Officially, the entrance fee will be increased from the beginning of April 2023 (1 adult = 5,300 yen, parking fee = 1,200 yen). Moreover, it costs 4,300 yen for junior high and high school students, which isn't much different than it is for adults. At the time I went, it was 4800 yen for one adult? In addition to the cost, the parking fee (1000 yen?) was also collected. Is it possible that prices will increase in the future in line with the trends of the times? Famous for its pandas. If the timing is right, there will be an unveiling of baby pandas, but at those times there will be so many people that it might be a bit stressful. It has an image of an amusement park with a strong animal theme. It has a strong animal theme, so of course you can interact with dolphins, and there is also a safari experience that takes advantage of the vast grounds. Therefore, although amusement parks may not have as many rides as specialty stores, I think you can still have a lot of fun. If anything, there are more attractions for small children. However, the entrance fee for the amusement park is separate from the admission fee listed at the beginning. The ride pass is 2000 yen, so you can get your money's worth with 3 or 4 rides. It's not far from the Pacific Ocean, so I hope it doesn't turn out to be a huge tsunami after a major earthquake. Overall, it's 3.85 to 4.05.

An amazing theme park and a true Adventure world where you and your family will be drowned in the variety of entertainment inside the park. Be it the overwhelming friendliness of the staff, the animals, the spick and span rides, the animal feeding (especially the Rhino, Lion and Sea Lion )and minute to minute tours, everything is simply amazing. The icing on the cake are the animal shows and Dolphin shows. Worth every penny and worth every minute of the travel from Osaka to Shirahama for this.

It's a very nice zoo but a little expensive. The entrance fee only gets you inside then you have to pay extra for everything else except for the dolphin show and the safari bus which are both very good. All the rides are a bit dated and most of them are between 300 and 500 yen. All the animals look well looked after and contented. The restaurants are ok and not too expensive. Overall it is a good family day out but a little bit expensive.

Nice zoo for family. You can see all kinds of animals here. The zoo is a bit aged but surprisingly the maintenance has been great, which is the beauty of Japanese management. If your kids are animals lovers, they would definitely enjoy it.

寒い2月、雨っぽかったからか、とても空いているの平日に行けました。 パンダもゆったり見ることができて、どこも並ぶこと無く隅々まで楽しむことができました。 入場料はそれなりに高いし、あの地域で駐車場代が1200円！にビックリしましたが、どこをとっても満足できました。 子供も大喜びしていたので、行けて良かったです！ (Translated by Google) I went on a weekday when it was pretty empty, probably because it was cold and rainy in February. I was able to see the pandas in a leisurely manner, and I was able to enjoy every corner without lining up anywhere. The entrance fee is quite high, and the parking fee in that area is 1200 yen! I was surprised, but I was satisfied with everything. The kids were so excited, so I'm glad we went!

Cool zoo with plenty to see and do, so why the 4 stars? A bit too expensive and the prices inside the zoo are a bit of the high side as well. So we borrowed an animal designed kids buggy for the day but it was 1,700 yen [500 yen deposit] and then close to the food court there was a play area but you had to pay to enter and play in it. Not a fan of the high prices and add-ons but I guess they have a lot of animals to feed! Also, some of the animals, especially the dolphins didn't look too well, floppy dorsal fins, ones dolphin was in exactly the same place, head against the wall, 2 hours after we walked back past him, made me think a bit about the price of holding animals captive to enjoy them? The zoo itself had a great array of animals and was well spaced out. It was easy to get up close and personal with quite a lot of the animals and see them outside of cages rather than the usual cages with bars. Also, the lighting in the penguin exhibit was...trippy. The safari train was good, went slow enough to see all the animals in the safari world, but I also liked the fact that if you wanted you could also walk in the safari area and see some of the carnivores up close. Decent birthday day out!

We decided to go here on a whim and bought fairly inexpensive tickets at the gate. Parking also cost a small amount. It wasn’t too busy inside and we could roam freely. Some awesome animals that I haven’t seen before including pandas, flamingos, an eagle and rhinos. You could get really close to them as well! Would recommend if you are in the area.

A great place to visit for the day if you are in the area. I recommend buying tickets in advance so as to avoid disappointment if the park reaches max capacity. Obviously the most famous animals in the park are the pandas and there are quite a few of them! However, the panda areas are always the most busy area so I recommend either doing that early or waiting and doing it at lunch when everyone is eating or during one of the shows. As for the shows they are very fun to watch. There are a lot of animals to see so you can definitely spend most of a day here and even longer if you decide to go on any of the rides.

Such an amazing place to bring your family or friends. It is well priced and English friendly. If you do come try and reserve the private vehicle Safari tour! It is well worth it! We got the 2 day pass and it was ideal. We didn’t feel rushed to see everything and we were able to enjoy the park at our own pace.

This place had it all, all ages will be entertained here. They had an AWSOME safari, petting zoo, feeding zoo birds, monkeys dolphins, lions, pandas, tigers, rhinoceros, and many more than I can list. You can go go kart racing you could ride the Safari on a train walk to Safari or even rent a golf cart and do a Safari. Have carnival type games they had it all everything you’d ever want to entertain yourself for one or two days. Staff was super friendly they helped out getting the ¥2000 ride pass which allows you the road all the roller coasters and amusement rides. Highly recommend that you look into getting the ride pass which is ¥2000 per person.

Incredible theme park for family and kids. Exciting rides facilities, animal feeding, horse riding. A nice place which you can stay for a whole day.

This was a phenomenal dinner experience. All the cuts from raw fish to beef were beautifully tender and the flavours were incredible. The beef hot pot and miso were also top notch! We were absolutely blown away by the home made macha icecream - a must try !!! The restaurant hosts/chefs were also very welcoming and kind, offering us many tips on places to see around tanabe and the kumano kodo. Being able to communicate in English was a real treat! Thank you thank you thank you!

Great place for lunch. Owner speaks perfect English, food is absolutely delicious. For one person, the lunch menu was changed to a vegetarian one when we asked for it, without any problem and, again, delicious. Highly recommended!

Fabulous food and wonderful service! I felt truly welcomed here as a backpacker. The vegetarian options hit the spot. The owners are so incredibly kind.

Had a wonderful lunch at Akihei, every dish was delicious! Owner is welcoming and speaks English fluently. She is a Kumano Kodo guide and graciously shared her knowledge with me, giving me highly useful advice and recommendations. Thank you!!!

My family and I had two wonderful meals at this restaurant. I particularly enjoyed the sukiyaki, but everything we ordered was delicious and very affordable at that. This is one of the few restaurants in the area that have an English menu. The waitress and wife of the owner, who goes by the name of Kennis, speaks perfect English and is very kind and welcoming. She told us that the restaurant has been a family business for many generations. Apart from working at the restaurant, she's also a freelance tour guide. We ended up booking a tour with her to walk along part of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage path, visit the Hongu Taisha grand shrine and take a bath at the Yunomine onsen hot springs. She was a wealth of information and truly pleasant company the whole way. I highly recommend the experience, be it just a meal at the restaurant or a private tour.

We had a wonderful meal at Akihei the night before starting the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage walk. Everything was delicious! we had a sashimi dinner and the sashimi + udon dinner, plus fried tofu as an appetizer (which was really good). The menus were easy to interpret for foreigners and the staff was really friendly. Highly recommend!

We were delighted to find that our friend could enjoy a full vegan meal at the Akihei, unusual in our Japanese travels with her. The chef cheerfully made a miso soup using seaweed instead of bonito (contains fish) as flavouring. There was excellent fried tofu, a choice of suitable noodles, eggplant baked with a tofu paste and tempe vegetables. There were plenty of healthy, well flavoured choices for the non-vegans in the group as well. The restaurant is tucked away in a quiet street and has a warm, welcoming atmosphere with traditional eating sitting on tatami mats or seating on chairs at tables. The decor feels traditional & is nicely done. The facilities were clean. We spent ¥1300 per person average for a good lunch.

The beef with sansho pepper, vegetable tempura, and sesame ice cream were all very tasty. The owner spoke English and gave me some helpful tips and a stamp book for the Kumano Kodo

Solo traveler here! I had an hour until my next train at Tanabe so I decided to search a local restaurant. So when I found Akihei on Google, I was really excited to visit! ---OVERALL--- If you like good food at a great price, look no further. Located 8min away from the station, you'll not find a friendlier, tastier, and cuter place than Akihei! *See Below for More Detail* ---Food--- First, the food was excellent! The food took 10min to come out which is a great start. I had a bento set containing tempura, sashimi, miso, and some other things. Everything was cooked perfectly! I believe it's only two people who own the shop so they are masters at crafting their menu items! ---Inside Vibe--- The inside of the restaurant was really nice! It has a mix of Japanese izakaya with the bar but also had a good amount of table seats for a good dine-in experience! It feels almost like a home! They had some nice plants and other decor to bring life into the space! --Service--- By far THE BEST part! The shop owner was talking to me about my traveling experience and even gave me some brochures on several hikes in the area! She's basically trilingual so if you know Chinese, Japanese, or English, you can too have a great conversation. We managed to talk to another regular customer and she recommended cheap hotels and food along the way!

Fantastic, quality food at this family run restaurant. A friendly welcoming couple who chatted and gave us lots of information on our planned walk in Hongucho Kawayu area. We ordered 1 set menu and I added fried tofu, (which came in the best dashi broth I'd tasted) and miso aubergine. the whole meal was delicious - we would highly recommend you make the effort to visit these lovely people.

Kennis is a delightful host and chef, her English is fantastic and will alter dishes to suit dietary requirements. She will also teacher you some Japanese and local dialect for the use on the Kumasi Kodo. If you’re lucky try her famous home made ice cream- we went back for a second sitting to this lovely place. You won’t be disappointed with the smells, tastes and sounds of this restaurant. Thank you Kennis!

Amazing Restaurant, a must visit when you are in the area. We were welcomed so friendly by the wife of the owner. She speaks very well english and there is an english menu as well. We had Katsudon with udon noodles and a hotpot. It tasted extremly good. After dinner we tried the homemade plumwine which was delicious while Kennise (wife of the owner) explaned us some details about the Kumano Kodo. It was an amazing evening. Strongly recommended.

Excellent food. Friendly host. English menus. Budget price.

Super friendly staff, and cozy little izakaya. Sat at the bar and enjoyed heaps of tempura treats while the chefs used their limited English to talk to us, sake samples were shouted and food was awesome, the chefs even served us up a complimentary sample of milt which my partner couldnt handle but I enjoyed a new experience

Delicious menu-we had the local benito and the shrimp balls and they were AMAZING. The chef/staff were so friendly and welcoming and helped us work out what we were meant to be eating with what-even though we speak very little Japanese! One of the best meals we had in Japan. Would definitely eat there again.

The best

Loved it. Best meal I had in japan. Couldn’t believe how cheap the bill was either. Would have happily paid triple give the quality of food. Very friendly host, gave us free welcome drinks, appetisers and English menu. Definitely recommend the horse mackerel roll!

Delicious and fresh food. Impecable and friendly service. English menu available.

A traditional Japanese restaurant that seems to specialize in seafood. The hosts were very friendly and the gentleman running the show was very jovial, humorous and was interested to know where I came from and what I was doing in Kii Tanabe. I had bonito with rice- delicious... I ate there by myself and eating in a traditional restaurant in a different county can be daunting- but it’s part of the wonderful experience we call travel! Recommended...

Excellent izakaya in a small alley (but easy enough to find). I don’t speak Japanese and the owner doesn’t speak English, but somehow it didn’t keep us from chatting. The food is delicious (try to be adventurous, it pays off) and the hospitality is top notch. If you want to experience Japanese omotenashi, come to Shinbe!

Amazing food and even better atmosphere. The shrimp paste balls are a must! The seafood is very fresh and the staff are very friendly. This was a highlight of our stay in Tanabe.

Good location and very friendly service even if english is not spoken the staff is very helpful (and they have an english menu)

This is my definitive my favorite MOS burger branch. It has a stunning view and you can sit outside. I'm pretty sure there is no second MOS with this great surrounding. I went there several times and it was never really crowded so I really enjoyed the atmosphere. They even have a second restroom for customers sitting on the terrace. Parking is also no problem. Highly recommend even if you are not a fan of (japanese) burgers.

Very nice building and dining environment.

Beautiful scenery.....nice food and good service👍👍✨

Amazing Mos Burger with a drive through n great view of the water front.

This might be the nicest Mos Burger I've seen. Nice view of the water from the patio!

Large parking lot and cheese burger very good

With friendly service and a warm atmosphere, I’m glad we stopped here after walking by Oyunohara. The lunch menu is limited to three main items. We tried the roasted venison rice bowl which was delicious and good value for money, and the Kuromon beef steak, which while tasty and cooked to a nice medium, felt overpriced for the small portion. Of note are their eggs, which are free-range and raised on site.

After hiking the Kumano Kodo trail I could not have wanted anything else. This food was INCREDIBLE. Fried chicken - fried to perfect. Mustard greens over more fried chicken, so good. Venison and wild boar meatballs - delicious. Plus lo-fi hip hop vibes. So good.

Great food, great service, comfortable atmosphere. We had the venison and boar burger (not American style hamburger, more like meatballs) And the special fried local chicken. Both were delicious!

Thanks to the recommendation of other reviewers I tried the venison rice bowl yesterday. Absolutely delicious especially with the egg! Not sure what it was but the entire set tasted delicate...light soup, refreshing salad. Portion was okay too.

The food is unique as compared to the architecture of the the restaurant. Very pleasant with food . They sell some goodies. The T-shirt says kumano but made in china bit weird

Was super hungry after walking from Yunomine Onsen to Kumano Hongu Taisha. Finished this tasty and filling meal to my heart's content. Locally raised chicken fried and seasoned with sesame mayonnaise, served with rice, veggie salad and miso soup.

Awesome dinner. You can't believe to get an amazing farm-to-table place in such a remote village. The beef steak was a bit pricy and petit but very high quality. Everything is locally sourced and that is the theme of the menue. They have stickers with a funny world map which you can add where you come from. The rice is locally sourced and washed by natural springs. Looks quality of ingredients is taken seriously here.